Soon Li Tsin
Malaysiakini
It was proven in St Francis Xavier’s Church last night that comparing how Malaysia is better off than Burma will only result in boos and jeers.
This was the response that Petaling Jaya Selatan (PJS) parliamentary incumbent Donald Lim received when he used the same example on how well the country is doing - several times.
“Under the BN leadership, we are doing much better than Burma …” he said before he was interrupted by boos and jeers.
In a closed-door election forum attended by 250 parishioners, voters in the church were given a rare chance to hear both Barisan Nasional and opposition candidate slug it out on stage.
The deputy tourism minister was pitted against his opponent PKR’s Hee Loy Sian while Bukit Gasing incumbent Gerakan’s Dr Lim Thuan Seng squared off with DAP’s Edward Lee.
The session kicked off with the soft-spoken Hee introducing himself before explaining PKR manifesto to the audience.
Boos and cheers
This was followed by Donald’s pitch on BN’s past successes and his PJS manifesto for the city which includes battling crime and traffic problems.
Thuan Seng - who was late - gave a speech on his past achievements and how he has given his best to help his constituents.
Last speaker Lee was clearly the ‘star’ of the night when he promised to lobby for local council elections should he be elected and urged the people to be more proactive in handling community issues which drew applause numerous times.
The question-and-answer session resulted in many serious discussion surrounding PJ’s traffic woes and high assessment rates.
Lee drew cheers when answering several questions but Hee remained silent throughout since most of the questions were directed to the two BN candidates.
However, the session was mostly punctuated by humourous moments most notably when Donald developed a trend in his answers by saying ‘That is an interesting question’ and ‘You can call me and I will get it done’ for every question directed to him.
Asked to comment on how to stop talented Malaysians from leaving the country, the three-term PJS parliamentarian said he was ‘okay with it’ before talking about the ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ program which led to boos by the crowd again.
When a member of the audience asked Donald to talk about oil subsidies and profits by Pertonas, he said it was ‘not a state issue’ to more jeers from the audience.
The crowd also laughed at Donald’s expression as he passed the microphone to Thuan Seng several times to avoid questions.
Towards the tail end of the Q&A session, Maxwell Towers Residents Association chairman Victor Oorjitham had challenged the BN to sign a pledge that they help prevent Bukit Gasing from being developed and to get Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to make a public announcement that there will be no development on the 15.52 hectare secondary forest.
The crowd gave a standing ovation as Victor went up on stage to give the respective incumbents the pledge form.
Not signing pledge
However, Thuan Seng (right) declined to sign it but promised to get the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to disclose their development plans.
“I am not going to sign this pledge. When you talk about your rights, about justice and fairness but we must think about other people’s rights.
“I won’t say I can do this and that and perform miracles like somebody’s manifesto, they are bluffing. At the end of the day I will walk away with my conscience clear.
“If you want to vote me in or not this time, it’s your choice. I’ll do what I can for you. I’ll let my records speak for itself,” he said.
Meanwhile Donald said he can sign the pledge but is unable to get Abdullah to make a public announcement.
“If you come to see me, we can do something about it. What for I sign something that is impossible. Come see me, we can discuss ways to get around it,” he said to the amusement of the audience.
DBKL has approved land owner Gasing Meridian Sdn Bhd’s plans to build 142 bungalows on the green lung of Petaling Jaya.
Protests have taken place since 2006 from residents concerned with the possible land erosion due to the hill’s soil composition which may results in landslides.
The Catholic SFX parish has previously held a similar dialogue between the BN and opposition candidates in the 2004 election.
Thu 28 Feb 2008 21:46
Here is an editorial that appeared in AGAPE, a Christian Magazine:
Christians, wake up!
AGAPE started in 2002 after God impressed in our hearts, a five-fold mandate to be:
• A platform and voice for all Christians, denominations notwithstanding;
• An information hub of Christian activities that all Malaysians can attend;
• A tool for powerful stories of ordinary people doing the extraordinary through Christ Who is vogue and relevant to this very day;
• A bridge to connect Christians everywhere, so that we can enter into each other’s works for a greater harvest; and
• A voice for truth, justice and the Christian conscience to be kept alive.
AGAPE is apolitical, and through the years, we have fiercely defended our independence by relying solely on God’s provision and wisdom in all things.
Every story is published only if it keeps in line with His Word, and our Biblical mandate to stand up for truth and justice for all.
Hence, disturbing events in the country has forced upon AGAPE, a burden to awaken our brethren from deep slumber.
We have been stirred in the Spirit. So hear ye, for “truth” is being corrupted, adulterated, and twisted beyond belief, while “justice” is being whittled away.
In Sarawak, Penan leader, Kelesau, is alleged by his indigenous tribe and international advocacy groups, such as Bruno Manser Fonds, to have been murdered, while two of his companions have disappeared.
Their only crime is being poor orang asli, defending their land and way of life against timber tycoons.
In the Peninsular, it is now the norm for Hindu temples to be demolished without proper consultation. Temple committees are sometimes given only a few hours notice before their destruction.
Body snatching has become prevalent in cases of alleged “conversion”, with forced burials that contradict the confirmed religious beliefs and practices of the deceased, according to their immediate family members.
Advocates for justice and fair play are being arrested and forced into silence using the Internal Security Act (ISA), while the erosion of civil liberties and the right to worship is being threatened like never before.
Meanwhile, Hindraf and Bersih (The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) supporters are jailed for illegal assembly when it is abundantly clear their demonstrations were peaceful and constitutional.
Bersih’s calls for clean and fair General elections is proven timely and legitimate, in the face of numerous complaints of the deceased, or children as young as 10, showing up on the electoral rolls as eligible voters.
Even the often-amended Federal Constitution was amended again late last year, amid allegations that it was done just so that the Election Commission chairman can continue to helm yet another General election. This calls into question our supposedly free and fair elections.
Like all mainstream Media in Malaysia, AGAPE too has to renew our Home Ministry publishing licence annually. But this will not stop us from adhering to our Biblical mandate to uphold truth and justice.
English writer, Evelyn Beatrice Hall said: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death, your right to say it.”
Similarly, by speaking up for Hindu temples that are unlawfully demolished, Christians will indeed be defending not a heathen religion, but our fellow man’s civil right to worship a god of their choice.
Major Chhirc Taing who founded SAO Cambodia was studying in Scotland when God told him to return to his country to die a martyr. He obeyed. When the Khmer Rouge took over, he and Minh Tien Voan were both martyred.
Minh was deputy director of World Vision Cambodia, which sent an aircraft to evacuate him from the country. He put his wife and son on the plane but stayed behind. These men remained in Cambodia and died for non-believers – not for Christians.
Last Dec 9, the Bar Council celebrated World Human Rights Day in an event called Festival of Rights. They invited a panel of speakers representing their respective religions to discuss the topic of Law and Faith.
Each panel member expounded the nobility of his respective religion – from Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and yes, even Christianity.
Christian Federation of Malaysia president, Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing cited a reference from the Bible that said the Apostle Paul has called us to obey the laws of the land. He qualified his statement by saying he meant “just” laws.
Asked if it was right to threaten enforcement of the Internal Security Act (ISA) against Bersih and Hindraf leaders, and imprison those who were merely exercising their civil right to voice legitimate concerns over corruption, election rigging and marginalisation, the Hindu Sangam president responded with a single sentence: “Personally, I am against the ISA.”
None of the other panel members responded to the question. This attitude of keeping silent in the face of stark naked injustice is appalling to say the least.
Even as these “men of God” claimed all was well with the country and praised its administration to the high heavens, just downstairs, Edmund Bon, chairman of the Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee was also arrested.
What was his “crime”? He had prevented Kuala Lumpur City Council officers from removing banners that were hung on the Bar Council’s premises.
Edmond pointed out that the banners were on private property, but he was arrested nevertheless. Earlier that morning, several more Bar Council lawyers were arrested for holding a peaceful march.
This is how World Human Rights Day was celebrated in Malaysia, while the panel of “godly” men chose to discuss theological doctrine starved of truth and justice.
Shortly after the Bar Council’s Festival of Rights, Hindraf’s leaders, most of them lawyers, were also arrested under the ISA and remain languishing in their prison cells.
Enter Christmas 2007. The Christian Federation of Malaysia held its Christmas high-tea reception at the Rumah Uskup Agung in Kuala Lumpur. Present was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his Cabinet colleagues.
It was a golden opportunity for Christian leaders to express their Biblical mandate to speak the truth.
They could have tactfully impressed upon Abdullah that the demolishment of houses of worship, the erosion of civil liberties, the seditious comments of certain politicians, body snatching and the jailing of decent human beings for the “crime” of expressing their discontent, tantamount to gross injustice.
But did this happen? It was all smiles during the event!
True Christians will stand up against any injustice – regardless of whether it happens to humans or animals, and even if it is perpetrated against another race or religion.
The deafening silence of Christian Malaysians, who sit on the sidelines watching injustice being perpetrated daily without saying a word, is shameful.
We have become so cowed into silence that many of the issues affecting our religion are locked-up in the “too sensitive” issue box in preference of “prayer” only.
Has anyone ever wondered why many churches are “hidden” in double-storey shop lots or registered as businesses, societies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or community centres?
Fact is, constitutionally, churches do not need to be registered. But they do require registration documents to open a bank account and purchase property, among others.
Methodist, Protestant and Catholic churches are recognised by an Act of Parliament that dates back before independence, but not the later churches such as the Lutheran Church or Assemblies of God (AOG).
Fifty years into independence, have our Christian leaders done anything to correct such anomalies and include these churches under the Act?
Prayer is good. But as James 2:26 says: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Hence, we are now paying the price for our silence and inaction. The same machineries of injustice are swinging their aim at Christians.
In Pahang, two Kuala Krau villagers – Wet Ket and his son Yaman Wet from Kampung Pasu – were forced to file an application at the Temerloh High Court on Jan 31, for a judicial review of the Temerloh Land and District Office’s decision to deny the supply of electricity and water to their church building.
The Catholic Herald recently faced the threat of its licence being revoked because it used a certain term claimed to be exclusive only to one religion.
There have also been calls for Crosses to be taken down from Mission schools. And we have read of Christian children’s books being confiscated from major bookstores in several Malaysian States.
Let it also not be forgotten that Christians are directly affected by court decisions in the Moorthy and Revathi cases that gave the Syariah court jurisdiction over non-Muslims. And these are only the high-profile cases; the tip of the iceberg.
Alas, Christians walk around blind to the Truth. Many are not even registered to vote in an election.
Have we become so isolated and detached from our surroundings that we fail to realise the outcome of any General election may affect our civil liberties, the future of our children and our God given right to worship freely?
“Truth” is the cornerstone of Christianity. Truth encompasses all truths – even spoken words that come out of our mouths. Hence, Christians have a Biblical mandate to resist the suppression and manipulation of the truth.
Missionaries risk their lives by admitting to immigration officers in countries adverse to Christianity, that they are indeed carrying Bibles. They admit this even though it could cost them their lives, or years of hard labour in concentration camps.
This is the value of “truth” to a true Christian. There is no such thing as a white lie in Christianity, nor are there any shades of grey in His eyes. God says “let your ‘Yes’ be Yes and your ‘No’ be No”.
The late Rev Dr Martin Luther King said: “Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ And Vanity comes along and asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But Conscience asks the question ‘Is it right?’
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”
The following poem by Martin Niemoller (1892 – 1984) serves as food for soulful thought.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn\’t a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out…
Whilst AGAPE does not advocate violence or street protests, there is this immediate need for cohesive action and organised representation to the Government by our Christian leaders.
Just as vital is going out en masse to cast our votes for truth, justice and all that is right. Christians, wake up! Before it is too late….