Bible Society says Hisham putting cart before horse

Hishammuddin hinted at ulterior motives for the Society’s reaction. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — In a sign of the widening chasm between Church and State, the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) has challenged the home minister to prove it agreed to the conditional release of its holy books seized from Port Klang. “BSM was never in a hurry to get the Bibles released as alleged by Datuk (Seri) Hishammuddin (Hussein). It was the government who, in response to recent public outcry, themselves decided to release it and to impose conditions without consulting BSM,” said the Christian group’s chairman Lee Min Choon.
Lee said the society first learnt of the ministry’s conditional release on Tuesday through a faxed notice sent at 6pm.
“Before BSM could inform KDN that the conditions were not acceptable to us, KDN had already stamped the Bibles by the next day.
“This shows that it was KDN who were in a hurry to release the Bibles to get themselves out of the controversy they were in,” he told The Malaysian Insider today in an email.

The home ministry’s seal is seen on the cover of a bible in Kuching Port.

KDN is the Home Ministry’s Malay-language acronym. On Thursday, Hishammuddin defended his ministry’s stamping of 5,100 Malay-language Bibles in Port Klang with its official seal, saying it was standard protocol and not done to “deface” the Alkitab.
He added that the serialisation of the Bibles was because “they are subject to the particular seizure in Klang,” in a reference to Selangor’s anti-propagation state law that forbids non-Muslims from preaching to Muslims.
The minister also said his men had no choice but to adhere to these procedures as the BSM had wanted the Bibles released quickly.
“We stamped the Bible based on amalan (practice) before... during Abdullah Badawi and even Tun Dr Mahathir’s time,” Hishammuddin said, referring to the previous two prime ministers.
“They wanted it to be released quickly... if they want to find fault they can find fault... you can even say the Bibles are smelly after being kept for so long, if you want to find fault (with everything),” the minister told reporters in Parliament.
The BSM denied this on Thursday.
“There has been no occasion in the past when KDN chopped [sic] our Bibles... we do not know of any standard practice nor have we ever received communications, written or verbal, where KDN officials stamped our holy books in the past,” its general secretary, Reverend Simon Wong, said.
He related that when the BSM’s cargo was detained in the past, Home Ministry officials had always treated the Bibles with respect.
The society was given a choice — to accept the ministry-endorsed copies or return the shipment to the exporter unstamped.
Wong added that any stamping previously required by the ministry was carried out by the BSM itself using the society’s own seal at its Petaling Jaya office, and not the Home Ministry’s official seal.
“The latest incident is disrespect of the religious sensitivities of Christians. KDN's unilateral stamping of our Bibles deprived us of this choice. Therefore, how can this be considered standard practice?” he demanded.

Wong said ministry officials in the past had treated bibles with respect.

The BSM maintained it will not collect the ministry-endorsed shipment, which it sees as having been defaced. Hishammuddin, however, appeared to suggest that the BSM’s actions were staged for a certain agenda.
“We also can find fault with the Bibles, but we want to be positive and move forward. The bottom line is the decision in court pending the appeal by the Attorney-General,” the Umno minister said, linking once again the Alkitab row to the Catholic Church’s legal fight for the right to publish the word “Allah” in its newspaper.
With polls set to be called in Sarawak next month, the twin issues are expected to weigh on the minds of Christians in the state.
About seven out of 10 people in the state are non-Muslim.
Christians there use Bahasa Malaysia to preach to the multi-ethnic congregation who each have a distinctive tribal language.
Last week, Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) members of Parliament told The Malaysian Insider that they hoped the decision to release the Malay Bibles “will translate into votes,” and a guarantee from the federal government that no further limits will be placed on the distribution of Malay-language Bibles would go a long way in easing such fears among Christians in the state.
“Yes, it would be welcome,” said Kanowit MP Datuk Ago Anak Dagang when asked if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should issue such a guarantee.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi also said BN would have to continue “step by step” to restore the faith of Christians in the ruling coalition.
But whatever positive outcome these MPs were seeking have likely been jeopardised as the 30,000 Malay Bibles held by Home Ministry officials in Kuching have suffered the same fate as the Klang Bibles.
They were similarly stamped on Friday, upsetting the local Bumiputera Christian community who see it as a defacement of the Bible.
Sarawak BN now holds 63 seats in the 71-member state assembly, which will be automatically dissolved when its mandate expires in July.
The opposition there has been optimistic of making gains on the back of the Alkitab ban and allegations of corruption against Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who celebrates 30 years in charge of the state next weekend.