Religion and politics should be separate, Taib tells church
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider
KUCHING, April 12 — Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud moved today to repair the government’s fraying ties with the church but at same time advised its religious leaders to keep politics and religion separate.
The chief minister’s suggestion comes as the ruling Barisan Nasional heads into its toughest battle yet to retain power over Sarawak, long considered its fixed deposit.
Taib sat with representatives from the Association of Churches Sarawak (ACS) this afternoon for nearly 90 minutes to discuss the grouses faced by the local Christian community and attempt to assuage growing concerns over the Alkitab row.
When approached later however, Taib would not disclose the details of the discussion but declared that the row was over.
When asked if the Alkitab issue had been raised, the leader shook his head and said: “No”.
“The case has been resolved so it’s okay. No reason (to discuss it) in the first place anyway… Not in the case of Sarawak,” he said.
He said the conversation instead had been centred on the church’s lack of funds to improve and maintain its mission schools.
“I had a dialogue with leaders of Christian churches and they explained some of the problems that they are facing… mainly grants for schools and how to expand their mission schools to cater to the demands of their flock,” he said.
Taib also brushed off reports of chain SMSes being spread among the Christian community urging them to vote against the Barisan Nasional in the coming polls as a vote for the opposition was a vote for Jesus.
“Have they got the authority from Jesus to say that?” he quipped before leaving the Pullman Hotel here.
When met later, however, ACS chairman Right Reverend Datuk Bolly Lapok admitted to reporters that the Alkitab row was discussed extensively and that Taib had declared the issue resolved.
He also revealed that in explaining the government’s stand on the matter, the chief minister had then said that such issues touching religion should not be handled together with politics.
“The CM was telling us what his government is doing regarding the Alkitab.
“As far as he is concerned, it has been cleared and he expressed that politics and religion should best be handled separately and if they are handled together, it is very easy to get abused and would cause unnecessary upset to Sarawakians,” he said.
When suggested that Taib’s words meant that the chief minister was directing the church not to politicise the Bible row, Bolly neither agreed nor disagreed.
Instead, he said that only the issues of the impounding of the Alkitab and the stamping on books were considered resolved.
“And the letter from (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri) Idris Jala to the churches has been welcomed but the letter also acknowledged that there are other issues which government is prepared to dialogue on with the church,” he said.
