Christians of Sarawak, be a Catalyst of Change!


by Martin Jalleh

Christians of Sarawak, your hour has come! May you have the courage to respond to the clarion call of leading the charge of change in your State and country.

May your vote convince the PM that the religious freedom of Christians and other faiths cannot rest merely on his sudden goodwill conveyed at cordial, congenial and courteous close-door meetings.

May your choice reflect the earnest prayer of Christians that the government honor and respect our basic constitutional rights, and not subject them to changes according to political expediency of the moment.

May your courage bring to the fore the problems related to religious harmony which the BN Government has created or is complicit to, its conceited responses and ad-hoc solutions which contradict its very own policies!

The challenge before you goes far beyond that of the recent Bible controversy. It is to express distinctly to the PM the deep disappointment and discontent of Christians being discriminated against over the years.

May you covey very clearly to the PM the concern and consternation of Christians of being made victims of the frequent contravention (with impunity) of the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.

May you echo the growing anguish and anger of Christians who refuse to be cowed by the constant taunts, threats and tirades of “Little Mullah Napoleons” in Umno, Perkasa, Pembela, the Home Ministry, etc.

May yours be a conscious stand against those who are a cog in Umno’s machine, a party which has politicised religion for its survival by creating unfounded insecurities and fear amongst Muslims and a distrust of other religions.

The PM was right. Change brings with it uncertainty. But God will see you through. A vote for BN will bring you the “certainty” of continued racial and religious polarisation and compound the culture of corruption, cronyism and crippling fear.

May your concerns be not confined to the well-being of Christians alone but may they envelope, and embrace the struggles encountered by the peoples of all races and religions, yes, even the Muslims too.

May you champion the common good and be an answer to the longing and prayer of deliverance of the long-suffering people living in long-houses and languishing in abject poverty.

May you make it your Christian duty to stand up for the marginalised indigenous peoples of Sarawak who have been deceived, discriminated against, displaced, dislodged, dispossessed, deprived and disempowered.

May your Christian compassion move you to act justly for those who have become disillusioned, demoralised and dysfunctional by the divisive and diabolical designs of the powers that be.

May God free you from the “contamination” of Semenanjung. May your Christian conscience prompt you to chose the side which Jesus would — those who have no cash, credit, clout, cables or connection!

By the grace of God, may your response to the Christian call to the conversion of heart (especially as we come close to the climax of Lent) be a personal transformation from one of compromise to courage and from convenience and comfort to commitment to justice and peace.

May God be with you as you exercise you Christian duty of casting vote in this crucial moment of Sarawak’s history! May God bless Sarawak!

(15 April 2011)

  1. #1 by pulau_sibu on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 2:51 pm

    One country two systems.
    The official religion in Sarawak should be Christianity.
    I think we should revive the original belief of Ibans/Dayak. Their culture was killed by Jesus teaching.

  2. #2 by hallo on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 2:51 pm

    The moments have come

    For those Justice, Righteous people out there in Sarawak

    We must believe Malaysia should be a land of JUSTICE and RIGHTEOUS, FREEDOM OF RELIGIONS

    For the first time the moment of glory CHANGE / UBAH have waited over 30 years, have come to the shore of SARAWAK, people of SARAWAK have a chance to make into MALAYSIA History to turn the VOTE into JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS, to stop the Injustice in our land from the corrupted politicians, continue to rob our native lands, continue to steal our tax money, continue to cheat us into believing their empty promises LIES

    We must stretch across all the corners from far to near, from sea to mountains VOICE OF JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS, your family, your friends, your brothers and sisters, from young to old

    To send a message across all the corners we are already to UBAH VOTE FOR CHANGE

    OUR LAND MALAYSIA will always be JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS, FREEDOM OF RELIGIONS

    It is the dream of all righteous Malaysians for so long over 50 years who have been cheated by so many corrupted politician liars

    On 16 April, we can achieve to put our hands on the MALAYSIA HISTORY and make a brighter future for all MALAYSIANS

    They have waited LONG TIME, on the 16 April because of your determined of JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS, what you did VOTE FOR CHANGE, the moment of CHANGE have come to Malaysia for a brighter future

    We have seen the CHANGE in our industrial states SELANGOR and PENANG, these two states are our most advance industrial states in Malaysia, the people out there are highly educated and high income, they were brave to elected the PAKATAN RAKYAT (opposition) to rendered their leaders courage, justice and selfless government administration

    We should thank to PAKATAN RAKYAT (opposition) leaders their brave, tireless, selfless to campaigned from their hearts, spoken to Sarawak people from urban to rural, for the love of JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS, for the crying voices of helpless poor natives in loss of their ancestor lands, we should grateful to them

    The Malaysia History of CHANGE would not be happen without the SARAWAK people love of JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS

    All Malaysians will never forget, the victory of CHANGE of Malaysia History will belong to SARAWAK people, UBAH VOTE FOR CHANGE

    And we Malaysians know you did it not just to win a state election, you did it because you want to bring JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS to all Malaysians

    You did it because you understand Malaysia is urgently need a justice, selfless and fairness government administrators

    There are people in rural lives without water and electricity without job, without income and wonder how they going to feed their children tomorrow and worst their ancestor land have robbed by corrupted politicians

    There are new jobs need to be created, there are new roads need to build, there are new schools need to build

    The job ahead will be long not within a year or a term, but the PAKATAN RAKYAT (opposition) promise to get you there

    They (PAKATAN RAKYAT) will be honest along the road ahead, and listen to you when you disagree.

    They (PAKATAN RAKYAT) will be fairness, justice and selfless to work with you, ask you to build with them the works of the state, roads by roads, bricks by bricks, hands by hands

    The UBAH/VOTE FOR CHANGE is the only chance to offer us to bring a HOPE of JUSTICE, SELFLESS government administrators to Malaysia

    It will NOT happen if we continue vote the corrupted politicians as the government administrators

    It will not happen without you, without your brave, without your courage, without your VOTE FOR CHANGE

    Let call up patriotism love of JUSTICE and RIGHTEOUS among the people near you and friends, from the sea to mountain, not for just to vote ourselves but VOTE for a BRIGHTER FUTURE for each other for a JUSTICE, SELFLESS governors

    Let’s us resist the temptation of the CORRUPTED POLITICIANS empty promises to fall back with their lies that has poisoned us for over 30 years

    Let’s the Malaysia History remember, it was the people of SARAWAK carried UBAH VOTE FOR CHANGE as the voice raised against the corrupted politicians, it will be the VOICE called out to free Malaysians from the corrupted politicians

    Make the world believe that Malaysia can UBAH/CHANGE, can be perfect.

    What we UBAH VOTE FOR CHANGE can give us HOPE of the BRIGHTER FUTURE for many generations to come in Sarawak and Malaysia.

    Let’s the 10th Sarawak election will be told for many generations to come that the people of SARAWAK cast their ballot in 16 April 2011 they stood up as one voice to make their voices in this election to be heard for one thing UBAH VOTE FOR CHANGE

    The voice of JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS was silence and dismissed by the corrupted politicians many years. We shall stand up let the voice to speak out and reach for the ballot.

    Yes, we can UBAH VOTE FOR CHANGE

    The world saw the people of SARAWAK conquer FEAR and TEMPTATION from corrupted poltician governors for a new bright future of UBAH VOTE FOR CHANGE for a JUSTICE, SELFLESS governors PAKATAN RAKYAT(opposition)

    On 16 April, when you are casting you vote, you know you can UBAH VOTE FOR CHANGE for a JUSTICE and RIGTHEOUS a BRIGHTER FUTURE for your children, your family, your friends and all the people in Malaysia,

    On 16 April, will be our chance to answer that call voice of JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS,

    It will be our moment to cast our vote to answer our dream of a land for Malaysia JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS, FREEDOM OF RELIGIONS, for a JUSTICE, SELFLESS government administrators.

    To free ourselves from the corrupted politicians, open the doors of JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS for our children, to reclaim our ancestor dream of PEACE, JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS for SARAWAK and MALAYSIA.

    Yes. We can UBAH … VOTE FOR CHANGE

    GOD BLESS YOU

    —————————-
    Hope this voice can reach from shore to mountain
    Help / Feel free to spread this voice
    Glory GOD JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUS

  3. #3 by Jeffrey on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 3:01 pm

    Martin Jalleh is not calling on just Sarawakians but specifically Christians, appealing to their compassion and duty, invoking the name of Almighty to bring change in Sarawak. Martin’s clarion call reminds me as if he is calling for a Crusade or some kind of religious sanctioned duty to vote for change. Martin should be cautious. Think he should bring in religion like that? What happens if Pek Moh invokes Islam and appeal for votes in same vein?

  4. #4 by k1980 on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 3:04 pm

    //Christians of Sarawak, your hour has come!//

    Boy oh boy, I wonder just how many of the Ibans there can read and understand English. 15%? 30%? Certainly not more than 30%. So this article can only reach a small fraction of the Christians there. So if jib were to tell them that Moses’ 11th Commandment is “Thou shalt not oppose bn”, they will most probably believe him.

  5. #5 by Taxidriver on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 3:22 pm

    Almighty Lord, we humbly seek that you take into account our many many mistakes but instead consider our few good deeds so that you will not close your ears to what brother Martin Jalleh wish and ask for in our behalf. Please, Almighty God, deliver us from the bullying antics of some of our Muslims brothers. Soften their hearts toward your humble servants so that we may worship you in peace, without harrassment and persecutions. Together with brother Martin Jalleh we ask all these in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

  6. #6 by dylsee on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 3:29 pm

    Yes, the change in the government’s attitude toward Bible is too sudden and it will leave a question to Christians as to how sincere they are on this matter pertaining to the use of Allah for non-Muslims, as well as the allowance of BM Bible. People questions why now? but also will continue to ask, what is there in future? Can religion become a tool for politicians?

  7. #7 by Taxidriver on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 3:43 pm

    correction: Almighty God, we humbly seek that you do not take into account our many …………..

  8. #8 by dylsee on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 3:44 pm

    Fukushima 50 are our heroes because they dare to go for the mission impossible. More Fukushima heroes should come from Sarawak!! Uncertainty is inevitable for mission impossible, so are these 50. Are they another 50 here in Sarawak?

  9. #9 by ChinNA on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 6:39 pm

    Are still any more there Christians in Malaysia?

  10. #10 by mjalleh on Friday, 15 April 2011 - 6:54 pm

    Dear Jeffrey, I am sure that you know that it is definitely not my intention to call for a “crusade”. The days of the “crusades” are long over. The article above follows my first article “Sarawakians, Seize the Moment! (which for some reason Mr Lim did not want to carry in his blog), wherein I have appealed to all Sarawakians. My specific appeal to Christians in Sarawak comes at a time when Christians and people of other non-Muslim faiths are seriously and increasingly discriminated against. In my article I have also urged Christians not to be myopic but also to take a stand for the rights of the common good which includes the muslims too.

  11. #11 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 16 April 2011 - 12:06 am

    Martin, thanks for taking time to clarify.

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