KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has condemned Perikatan Nasional (PN) today for not chastising a PAS MP who made controversial remarks over the Bible and Christianity.
The Bagan MP said the silence is a reflection of how the pact’s leaders fell under the thumb of the Islamist party.
“The utter silence of PN party and national leaders as well as their failure to demand that action be taken, speaks volumes of how subservient the present government leaders are to PAS,” Lim said in a statement.
Instead, he said it is fortunate that Sabah caretaker chief minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has since spoken out and displayed his leadership in representing all Malaysians, by warning PAS of the deadly dangers that extremism could wreak on the country.
“Hostile attacks against Christianity and the Bible as well as vernacular schools by members of the PN administration is also an attack against the Federal Constitution which guarantees such rights of minorities.
“DAP strongly condemns PAS Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh for offending Christians by alleging that the Bible had been altered and distorted,” he said.
Lim said Zawawi further insulted Christians when he declined to apologise, claiming that Christians have no right to feel offended and claimed that what he said was not an accusation but “a fact”.
“Zawawi has ignored the fact that the Federal Constitution clearly states that Islam is the religion of the Federation but non-Muslims have a right to practice and profess their own religions. Such fundamental rights of course has a consequential effect of disallowing insults to religions.
“Such open disrespect of Christians does not represent Malaysia, especially coming from a MP of an Islamic party that is openly hostile to non-Muslims,” he said.
Nik Zawawi sparked public outrage with his comment made during a debate on a transportation Bill in Parliament’s Lower House last week.
While debating the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020 to propose heavier fines for drink-driving offenders, the Pasir Puteh MP asserted that the Bible had been perverted or corrupted, which immediately drew condemnation from other members of the hall.
Nik Zawawi was later saying that he had no reason to apologise since his statement was “a fact”, and then suggested the community had “no right to be offended.”
