Yes, The People’s Parliament is on a warpath to weed out insincere leadership in this country.
Even insincere religious leadership.
On 10th August, 2007 DAP organised a parliamentary roundtable to reaffirm that Malaysia is a secular state and not an Islamic state.
If you want to read more about the roundtable. you may want to check out this post at Yang Berkhidmat Lim Kit Siang’s blog.
I have a different story to tell you.
Mr’ Harcharan Singh of the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism. Sikhism and Taoism ( MCCBCHST ) spoke. He said the same old usual things I have grown accustomed to hear at these sort of dos. how it was before, and what has been happening for some time now, blah blah blah.
During Q & A time, I asked Mr. Harcharan to look at his audience carefully. He would notice that he had been preaching to the converted. I said that they should stop this and that instead MCCBCHST should go on a road show, include Malays on the panel of speakers and take this mesage to the ground.
I said that MCCBCHST should do this if they were serious about saving this country from slipping irretrievably into the clutches of the mullahs.
After the roundtable concluded, I approached Mr Harcharan who, in the presence of Mr, Goh Keat Peng who is also on the MCCBCHST, exclaimed that I had made a very good suggestion and that this would be brought up at the next MCCBCHST meeting on 16th August, 2007.
I told Mr. Harcharan that I would be prepared to be part of the road show and would try to get other Muslims as well.
That meeting of 16/8/2007 has come and gone.
I understand that my suggestion was brought up.
I also understand that no decision has been made.
The MCCBCHST meets again on 20/9/2007.
I have grown weary of the MCCBCHST saying one thing and then doing quite another.
I do not claim that my suggestion is the best. What I will claim is that MCCBCHST has not come back with another.
And I am still waiting.
Please, people, will you write to the MCCBCHST and ask them if there is any truth in rumours that circulate that their leadership are all political appointees, that they make statements from time to time to give the impression that there is some ‘body of good men’ looking out for the religious interests of non-Muslims in this country. And if there is no truth in these rumours, ask them to tell you what their concrete plans are to defend our secular state and constitution.
We might as well know who is on our side.
September 7, 2007 at 11:15 am
Dear bro. Haris,
Somehow or other, I feel that religions cannot run parallel to politics, for in my opinion, if a religious leader CAN be politically motivated, then he has failed in his attempt to strive for whatever his religion teaches which will then result in presenting “false” views to his followers.
Again, I can see that the religious bodies in the country have no weight in their words, if they want something done, they have to go through political bodies and this in return, has added on mileage to the politician’s records. Sometimes, some politicians will make their appearances during religious functions, of course after having made arrangements through their runners, for they will want to have their appearances high-lighted in the media, so may I conclude(I may be wrong) that here runs more “selfishness” than “selflessness”.
So perhaps our religious bodies in the country will have to sing along and not bring discontentment, again not for the betterment of the religion but for “SELF”.
Thank you and may peace and good health be upon all.
September 7, 2007 at 3:21 pm
If the MCCBCHST does not go all out in order to champion the cause of its members or all Malaysian in general I can not understand the reason why it is there in the first place.
In championing for this cause there must be ways and means where it could be done effectively. Whatever that means may be the last people that MCCBCHST should really on are the political parties. There cronies in there are there to please their political masters.
MCCBCHST ought to constantly evaluate their performance and see whether they are worth their salt or not.
September 7, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Isn’t religious leadership a misnomer of sorts?
In the manner which a person gathers the flock in order to highlight their grievances automatically exclude the other faith adherents. Even those with sincere intentions will eventually succumb to peer pressure and inevitably, political ‘corruption’. MCCBCHST exclude muslims in as much as ABIM exclude all others, for example.
There was the golden opportunity for Inter-Faith dialogue organised by ‘Building Bridges’ in recent months but abruptly postponed/canceled due to our government’s retraction of official support. This gathering would have brought together internationally renowned religious scholars who may/can provide the benchmark for future ’solutions’.
If the UMNO-led BN government do not have the ‘religious will’ to spread peace, understanding and co-existence between the various faiths, the non-muslims will continue travelling the same path as well. With politicians in tow.
The definition of “Let’s pray together” used to imply ‘praying for the well-being of all’. Now, it’s meant for the believers only?
I don’t think so.