Although I have not met him yet, I have known him for a long time. Thank you for your long dedication, Mr. Lee Min Choon.
Regarding this topic of the BSM, please refer to my preivous postings (http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20140103)(http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20140122)(http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20140402) (Lily)
1. Malaysian Insider（http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
(1) Outgoing bible society chief willing to turn the other cheek, 10 May 2014
by Jennifer Gomez
The Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) president Lee Min Choon ends his term today, even before the issue of Malay and Iban-language Bibles seized in Selangor is resolved. He, however, is not leaving with a heavy heart.
"I am somewhat relieved and at peace after being at the centre of the controversy," Lee told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.
And while he is concerned over the larger issue of freedom of religion, he places his trust in God.
"As Christians we trust God and place our hope in the constitution and that Malaysians, being people of goodwill, will always find a solution to the problem.
"And although we know each solution will not satisfy everyone, I believe that we will always find a compromise that will enable us to move ahead."
Lee will hand over the reins as BSM president today after serving out the maximum five-year term as regulated under the society's rules.
It was during his watch that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided the society's premises in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya, in January this year, and carted away 321 Bibles in Malay and Iban languages. The Bibles have yet to be returned.
Since the raid, Lee said, he had been called various names including coward, weakling and a traitor for not taking the state religious authorities to court over the raid and seizure.
Lee, a lawyer, however, said he preferred consultation and dialogue rather than court action to seek an amicable solution to the problem.
"The Bible teaches us to love our neighbour, forgive our enemies and turn the other cheek," Lee said.
He said BSM had been raided before and had its Bibles taken away every few years.
In 2009, 5,000 Bibles imported by BSM were held up at Port Klang by the Home Ministry and only returned two years later.
This resulted in the 10-point solution being drawn up by Putrajaya.
Lee said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala had, at the end of his statement on the 10-point solution, asked Christians to forgive the government.
"We came up with a statement the following day and said we forgave the federal government and even declined the compensation they offered.
"At that time, they had held up 5,000 Bibles for two years, this time Jais took 321 Bibles and it's been only four months. Can we not forgive them?" he asked.
He said the high point for BSM was when Putrajaya, through the 10-point solution, recognised the society's right to import and distribute Bibles in Malay to churches nationwide. This, he pointed out, was achieved through consultation, and not in the courts.
Lee stressed that the interests of the Christian community were larger than personal hurt and ego and added that as a responsible Christian organisation, BSM was determined to do what it could to contribute to the welfare of the society.
"This does not mean that we do not value our rights under the law and constitution, it is indeed disappointing every time our rights are trampled on.
"But we are looking for long-lasting solutions and want to give our cooperation to the authorities to ensure that situations like these do not happen again."
Lee said that following the 10-point solution, they were able to supply Malay Bibles to meet the needs of 30% of the 1.2 million Malay-speaking Christians, who are mainly in Sabah and Sarawak.
From its past experience, BSM is aware that it will take time to find a solution to the latest seizure of Bibles.
"Right now, any solution or suggestion is going to be met with unhappiness, one way or another, so we hope and pray."
Despite the unpleasant experience of being taken to the police station and questioned following the Jais raid, Lee is not bitter.
He said things have changed a lot since the 1960s and 1970s.
"But we are the same people, so we must strive to find a balance to live right with each other.
"And just like how we condemn extremism, we must make sure that we are also not extreme in our actions and positions," he added.
The new BSM president will be voted in at the society's annual general meeting today. – May 10, 2014.
(2) Anglican Bishop takes over as bible society president, 10 May 2014
by Lee Shi-Ian
Former Christian Federation of Malaysia chairman and Anglican Bishop of West Malaysia Datuk Ng Moon Hing was today elected as the new president of the Bible Society of Malaysia.
He succeeds outgoing BSM president Lee Min Choon, who has completed his maximum of five years at the helm.
Ng, 58, was elected during the BSM's annual general meeting (AGM) in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya.
"For now, everything will be status quo, including the issue of the seized Bibles, until the new exco meets next month," Ng said, referring to the seizure of more than 300 copies of Malay and Iban-language Bibles by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) early this year.
Ng said an exco meeting would be held once Lee returns from a two-week European tour, but declined to elaborate on what it would decide regarding the Bible seizure issue.
"At present, we do not want to contradict what the old committee had already decided. After our first committee meeting in June, we will have a clearer picture on what we want to do," he added.
Besides Ng, three office bearers and seven committee members were also elected at the AGM.
At the AGM, said Ng, Lee updated members on the seized Bibles, and spoke of the silence of the Selangor government, Putrajaya and the Attorney-General's Chambers on the matter.
"There has been no new movement on the issue. We are waiting to hear from the relevant authorities," said Ng, adding that today's meeting did not decide anything on BSM's plan to relocate its office to Kuala Lumpur.
Dressed in a green batik shirt, black pants, grey socks and brown shoes, Ng was relaxed as he fielded questions from reporters.
He said BSM's new exco would maintain the availability of the holy scripture in all languages.
He reiterated that BSM' had yet to meet the A-G, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, due to the latter's busy schedule.
"We do not want to do anything based on guesswork, we want to do it based on something solid," Ng added.
He also revealed that the BSM had not placed any new order for Bibles following the Jais raid in January.
"We do not want to push the issue, it is better to resolve the current issue first before placing any new orders."
"BSM is not a money-making entity, we depend a lot on donations and contributions." – May 10, 2014.
2. Malay Mail Online（http://www.themalaymailonline.com）
Opportunists riding religious extremism for own gain, says new bible society chief, 11 May 2014
by Joseph Sipalan
KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — The wave of religious extremism currently roiling the country is a platform for opportunists willing to risk the country’s future for personal gain, said the incoming president of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM)
Rev Datuk Ng Moon Hing explained that spewing vitriol in the name of religion was an easy tactic to gain an audience, which could be later leveraged for narrow personal gain or for the interests of a select few. “The best way to make your name known is to say something extreme. Other people call it cheap publicity, I call it opportunist,” he said in a casual interview with several journalists after he was elected last night. “These people are taking advantage of religion, the name of religion, for their own benefit. They are capturing the wave, this fervour... one day the wave will go in a different direction, and they will ride on a different thing.” Ng, who previously chaired the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) from 2009 to 2013, said the recent spike in religious fundamentalism from groups such as Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) is nothing new, but has grown to worrying heights. He stressed that public antagonism such as at a recent forum on “Allah”, the Arabic word for God, and regional Christology hosted by UiTM raised questions of the extent these groups are willing to go to push their agendas.
The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia said the situation is not helped by Putrajaya’s unwillingness to take a firm position on religious issues in the country, allowing extremist groups to hijack the public’s attention. “Unfortunately the present government is not taking a stand, which is not helping the country and polarises the country even more. This is a bad thing for the nation,” he said. Ng noted that the public exposure that these groups crave would typically reveal their true motives, but warned that it could get to a point of irrevocable damage if nothing is done now. “At the end of the day, we will see their real agenda come out. We just hope that it does not reach the point where we cannot mend the social fabric that they have torn with their actions,” he said.
On Tuesday, Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman said the influx of Chinese migrants into peninsular Malay had been “a mistake” that must be rectified, but stopped short of saying how this could be achieved. He said that the ethnic group were considered intruders into Malay land, and had been brought by British colonialists to oppress Malays.
The following day, UiTM hosted a day-long seminar at its Shah Alam campus where Indonesian Muslims, academics and converts were invited to lecture on the use of Allah in the Malay archipelago and their interpretation on the life of Jesus Christ, whom Christians revere as God manifest on earth. A speaker told the thousand-strong audience — which included former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi — that the New Testament gospels, which recount the life of Jesus, were hearsay and falsehoods as the prophet was only “a human slave to Allah” and not a divine being. Another said that Christians should convert to Islam as they would be “betraying Jesus” and his principles otherwise. The lecture took place against the backdrop of strained ties between Muslims and Christians over the use of the Arabic word “Allah” Last year, the Court of Appeal overturned a lower court’s decision to allow a Catholic newspaper to use the word. The appellate court ruled that “Allah” was not an integral part of Christianity. The Catholic church is looking to appeal the decision at the country’s highest court.
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