Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 8.1.2014.
DAP expresses grave concern and disappointment at the police action of investigating the editor of the Catholic weekly Herald, Father Lawrence Andrew under section 4 the 1948 Sedition Act, for saying that the word Allah will continue to be used in Bahasa Malaysia services in churches in Selangor. Investigating a Catholic priest for sedition without investigating the racist and extremist provocateurs preaching religious and racial hatred on non-Muslims andnon-Malays is a gross violation of the spirit and letter of the fundamental right in the Federal Constitution of freedom to profess one’s religion.
Andrew had even showed an ancient manuscript dated back to 1905, which was written in old Malay and showed reporters the sections containing the word “Allah”. Will this ancient manuscript which has heritage value would also be seized by by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais), which provoked international outrage and condemnation for raiding the premises of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM). Two leaders of BSM was also detained and 300 copies of the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia and another 10 copies of the Bible in the Iban language seized.
That action is taken despite a so-called 10-point solution formulated by Cabinet, coupled by no action against those preaching religious hatred and calling for demonstrations outside churches, displays the growing tendency of tyranny over the religious minority. DAP calls for an even-handed, impartial and fair approach by the police to ensure that priests should not be the only party singled out.
DAP reiterates that the Islamic authorities do not have the authority in law to enter the premises of non-Muslim religious establishments for inspection, search or raid, unless related to attempts to propagate non-Islamic religions to Muslims. This is the constitutional provision accepted by everyone that JAIS can only intrude on a non-Muslim premise in pursuit of Muslims that transgresses Islamic law or syariah but not against non-Muslims. JAIS raid is unacceptable because questions are asked whether Chinese or Hindu temples would be next.
Lim Guan Eng
—–Mandarin Version —
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区会国议员林冠英于2014年1月8日在吉隆坡发表声明：
当局以煽动名义调查天主教牧师，却不调查针对非穆斯林及非马来人煽动宗教及种族仇恨的种族主义及极端主义煽动者，这是公然违反联邦宪法所赋予的宗教自由的精神与条文。
民主行动党极度关注警方调查天主教周报《先锋报》编辑罗伦斯安德鲁神父在1948年煽动法令第4条文下，并对此感到失望。罗伦斯安德鲁神父表明会继续在雪兰莪教堂使用马来文“阿拉”。当局以煽动名义调查天主教牧师，却不调查针对非穆斯林及非马来人煽动宗教及种族仇恨的种族主义及极端主义煽动者，这是公然违反联邦宪法所赋予的宗教自由的精神与条文。
安德鲁出示1905年的古祈祷本， 以旧式马来文书写，并向记者展示含有“阿拉”一字的部分。如果具有古迹价值的古代祈祷本也可能会被雪兰莪伊斯兰宗教事务局扣押，他们突击马来西亚圣经公会的做法已经激起国际社会的愤怒及谴责。该公会两名领袖也因此被扣留，300多本马来文圣经及10多本伊班文圣经也被扣押。
尽管内阁已经阐明10点解决方案，然而当局还是采取行动，加上没有对付那些鼓吹宗教仇恨、号召天主教堂外示威的人士，展示了压迫少数宗教的专制倾向。行动党促请警方采取公平、无私的手段，而不是只对付牧师。
行动党重申，伊斯兰当局在法律上没有权利进入非穆斯林的宗教场所进行搜醒、突击检查，除非有关场所进行向穆斯林宣导非伊斯兰教义的活动。这是国民认同的宪法条例，即雪州伊斯兰宗教局只能入侵非穆斯林建筑物，以对付违反伊斯兰教义或伊斯兰法的穆斯林，而不是对付非穆斯林。雪州伊斯兰宗教事务局的突击行动是不能被接受的，人们在问：下一次被对付的是不是华人神庙或兴都庙？
林冠英