1．The Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com)
DAP goes on offensive to win Christian votes, 11 May 2010
by Adib Zalkapli
SIBU May 11 — DAP has warned Sibu Christians that their belief is under threat and asked the community to back the party on polling day this weekend.
At a gathering with local Christians last night, DAP deputy secretary-general Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham told a crowd of about 200 to show their unhappiness over the ‘Allah’ row on May 16.
Ngeh also told the all Chinese crowd that they have the responsibility to help Malay speaking Christians in West Malaysia who are subjected to a ruling banning the use of the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God in the national language.
DAP Sarawak chief Wong Ho Leng is facing Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Robert Lau Hui Yew in the by-election, the country’s 11th since Election 2008. Both belong to the Methodist church.
Wong had promised to seek a solution to the ‘Allah’ row if elected while Lau and his party SUPP had said the issue is irrelevant in the campaign as the ban is not enforced in the Malaysia’s largest state.
Ngeh who used to teach at Sunday school said Al-Kitab, the Malay translation of the Bible used to be accepted as a sacred book of the Christians until the ruling was enforced.
“If you don’t speak up now one day they will classify Christianity as subversive.
“The Christians of Sarawak must help the Christians of West Malaysia. It is tougher for us because we are only 10 per cent (of the population),” he said at a public gathering themed ‘An Evening with Pakatan Christian Leaders’ at a hotel here.
Ngeh also told the crowd not to fear the party’s cooperation with PAS in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as the Islamist party can never form the government on its own.
Former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamal made a surprise appearance at the talk, telling the crowd to follow the footsteps of the West Malaysian Chinese who strongly supported PR in Election 2008.
Quoting the Quran, the PAS central committee member asked those present to look beyond the differences within the federal opposition for the sake of eradicating corruption.
“PAS alone could not have eradicated corruption, DAP alone could not do it. But after 2008 we came together for the fight against corruption,” said Nizar.
Another speaker, PKR’s Datuk Tan Kee Kwong told the crowd to reject BN because of the party leaders’ corrupt practices.
“You cannot be fence-sitters anymore you must spread the message of the Gospel,” said Tan.
More than 50 per cent of the 54,695 Sibu voters are Christians.
Last night’s event was the PR’s first public gathering with the Christian voters in the constituency.
The talk was also attended by PKR’s Datuk Seri Chua Jui Meng, DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, DAP organising secretary Teresa Kok and Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh.
The DAP had last week organised a closed-door meeting with the local church leaders in an attempt to gauge the Christians’ response to national issues affecting the community.
2．Union of Catholic Asian News (http://www.ucanews.com)
Police warn against politicizing ‘Allah’ issue, 11 May 2010
KUALA LUMPUR (UCAN) — The outcome of a by-election in Sarawak is being closely watched after a court fixed a date to hear an application by an Evangelical church of its constitutional right to use the word “Allah.”
The Sarawak-based Evangelical Church of Borneo asserts that it has the right to use the Arabic word for “God” in its religious publications and practices.
The high court has fixed June 24 as the date on which to hear the case.
Now, eyes are on the outcome of a by-election in the state as more than 50 percent of the voters of the Sibu parliamentary seat are Christians.
The seat fell vacant when the ruling government’s Member of Parliament died, prompting a by-election which will be held on May 16. The seat is being contested by the National Front’s Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), which is fielding Robert Lau Hui Yew. The opposition Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) candidate is Wong Ho Leng.
The DAP has latched on the Allah issue, urging Christians to vote for the party to show their displeasure over the government’s ban on non-Muslims using the word “Allah” in print.
Police then immediately banned all political parties from bringing up the issue, vowing to take action under the Sedition Act or the Internal Security Act which allow for detention without trial for up to two years.
‘A sensitive issue’
“This is a sensitive issue and we advise all parties to stop using it once and for all,” Huzir Mohammed, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police for Sarawak said at a press conference.
Dismissing the issue, the chief minister of the state, Abdul Taib Mahmud told a May 8 press conference, “Christians have been using the term for the last 100 years, so why should it be an issue?”
SUPP’s Robert Lau told the Malaysian Insider that national issues such as the ban on the use of the word Allah should not be used as an election issue, adding that the election campaign should only highlight local issues.
This earned him a stinging rebuke from DAP’s national vice chairman, Chong Chieng Jen.
In a media statement, Chong said that a Member of Parliament “has to be concerned with the nation’s political and economic development in order to defend the welfare and constitutional rights of the people.”
However, Lau told the Malaysian Insider that “religion is divinity, politics is humanity.”
He added, “Religion is a personal relationship between yourself and God, let us not politicize that.”
(End)
