— Jacob Sinnathamby
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 04, 2012
JAN 4 — I just read the report in The Malaysian Insider that Prime Minister Najib Razak is to meet selected Christian church leaders for lunch today.
I have some sympathy for the church leaders because, if they were to poll their individual congregations, then the overwhelming view would be that the likes of Archbishop Murphy Pakiam and his friends should decline to break bread with Najib because the administration and even the PM have not been honest in their dealings with Christians. If anything, certain individuals and groups have been given the freedom under the Najib government to denigrate Christianity like never before.
But some of the main tenets of the faith are forgiveness and compassion, so I can understand why many Christian leaders will go ahead and meet Najib today. Still, may I caution all Christians to remember a few things and events and not to view the lunch in isolation.
Fact 1: The last time Najib met church leaders for a meal last year, after the discredited claims by Umno bloggers and Utusan Malaysia of Christians wanting to take over Malaysia, he ended up asking them to reaffirm their commitment to Federal Constitution and Islam’s primacy. He DID NOT apologise to them for this defamation nor chastise Utusan.
Fact 2: On his return from the Vatican, Najib spoke to a group of Umno members and told Christians to respect the Islamic leadership of the country. This move was ridiculous given the fact that Christians have been law-abiding citizens all along and have given the Federal Constitution its greatest respect. Najib was just posturing and decided to use Christians as the whipping boys.
Fact 3: During the Umno assembly, the PM did not say one word when his party members whacked DAP as agents of Christianity. I would have expected the PM to step in and say that while it is OK to attack a political opponent, it is not OK to attack a religion. But I guess politics is more important than anything else.
Fact 4: Despite absolutely no evidence of large scale apostasy or conversion to Christianity as alleged by the discredited Utusan Malaysia, the Najib administration has kept silent.
The simple fact is that Christians have been treated like the enemy by Umno and its agent, Perkasa. And the PM has allowed all this to happen under his watch.
He probably wants to have a meal because elections are near. It would not surprise me if Najib offers a few “goodies” to church leaders. After all this is what happened just before the Sarawak elections.
But possibly the worst attack on the integrity of Christians in Malaysia in the history of this country was allowed to prosper in the months after the Sarawak elections.
#1 by SENGLANG on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 2:14 pm
There are many issues that BN government are not sincere about. The above is one and the other that has been affecting the Chinese is the SRJK( C ) in Malaysia. If 1 Malaysia is sincere in its implementation and not mere slogan shutting, then BN must have courage to solve the shortage of teachers in SRJK( C ). We know from the news that this year many SRJC ( C ) has face the acute shortage of teachers, worst still government put more hurdle on the employment of temporary teachers by these schools. This has affect many Chinese primary students that start their term today.
We all know this problem is not new but the BN just short their eye and come up with many excuses. This WKS is the new actor try to provide what excuses that he could and this will not solve the problem.
It is the tactic that they use to disheartened the Chinese and all they hope is they give up hope of sending their children to the Chinese primary school. The effect is that as from the news report at least one school in KL is thinking of downsizing the class. If this kind of problem persisted I am sure in years to come the Chinese will find its difficult to survive.
#2 by Winston on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 2:25 pm
When he wants your votes, he’s your best friend.
Once the votes are in hand, he’s your worst enemy.
Time to get wise, Christians!!
Cast your GE13 votes very, very, very wisely!
Don’t let the boat go by this time!!!!
#3 by yhsiew on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 4:07 pm
It is obvious that Najib’s meeting with the selected church leaders is to fish Christian votes.
Najib should use actions to prove his sincerity, not mere sweet talks.
#4 by dagen on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 4:19 pm
How sincere is jib?
Oh come on. Need you ask? Of course he is not sincere. Not at all. And who doesnt know that?
#5 by Godfather on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 4:22 pm
Then the Christian leadership will come out with statements like “we had a fruitful meeting” or “PM promises full protection” or “PM understands accusations against Christians baseless”. Najib will as usual keep quiet. Then in Perkasa and Perkida circles he will deny he ever conceded anything to the Christians.
Isn’t it business as usual with this guy ?
#6 by monsterball on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 4:43 pm
Najib’s flip flopping is legendary.
Meet him….to pass time.
He plays the good guy and the bad guy role.
He is not a PM at all.
He is acting under UMNO b’s lawmakers command.
Since another episode came and gone…no improvements in vote getting…the good guy role is out….for another plan.
Cow heads incident…made Ibrahim Ali said streets protest ..no more effective….because he knows smart Malaysians will not fall into this low class trick to arouse angers.
Meet Christians..do this…do that..Najib have so much time.
Announcing the date for 13th GE…so so so difficult…..WHY????
#7 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 4:52 pm
John F Kennedy once said in his inaugural speech, “sincerity is always subject to proof” and in this respect the four facts cited by Jacob already raises at the onset presumption of political insincerity of such an initiative. What’s proof of political sincerity? Well if he dares to repudiate publicly, and ensure it is reported in MSM that all allegations about conversions of Muslims, alleged Christian conspiracy to topple the government and alleged proselytisation attempts at DUMC’s Dream Centre are spurious and baseless buttressed by an undertaking to withdraw the govt’s appeal over Dauk Bee Lan’s High Court decision on use of the word Allah in the Kitab. It would be wrong, or compounding the earlier wrong, if his idea of managing for the coming election the alienation of 850,000 Christians forming 10% of the country’s population with majority in BN’s fixed deposit states of Sabah and Sarawak by just saying some reassuring words over dinner, make some gestures by donations to the church and then lapse back to silence when extremists next scale up their rhetoric and spurious allegations against the Christian community.
#8 by Loh on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 5:08 pm
///He probably wants to have a meal because elections are near. It would not surprise me if Najib offers a few “goodies” to church leaders. After all this is what happened just before the Sarawak elections.///–author
Najib uses public funds to do charity to make a name for himself. That is corruption of the largest scale in the most subtle manner.
Public funds should be spent by the government based on budget provisions, approved by the parliament. The PM is just a final caretaker of public funds, and he has no right to spend it as if it is from his own pocket.
#9 by DAP man on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 7:38 pm
These 14 are not Christian leaders? They will have lunch with Judas or the Jews who crucified Jesus or even with Satan.
Are these 14 so poor that they cannot afford their own lunch? Aren’t the people in their churches giving them more than enough to live luxurious lives without having to sweat for their daily bread.
These Christian leaders are all parasites living off their poor members who are in fact poorer than them.
These leaders fear persecution and so play safe by dining with their Oppressor who will continue to humiliate the Christians.
These 14 are traitors!
#10 by Bunch of Suckers on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 9:10 pm
It’s because Election is coming! This sucker is so generous as to pull & win more votes! After Election, those will be brushed off with their heads tangent to your individual dicks…
Every move by those BN suckers always have motives…
#11 by cemerlang on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 9:31 pm
The 1true God is omnipotent, omnipresent ad omniscient and the Vatican still have the say. That is why the PM paid him a visit. How sincere is he ? Well, God is great and He knows the degree of sincerity in all of us. If you have believers in BN and you have believers in PR, ever wonder how they think of one another ?
#12 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 10:04 pm
Be wise as serpents, be harmless as doves.
Do not cast pearls before swiney.
And Jesus dusted his feet and left……
#13 by sheriff singh on Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - 11:32 pm
I am told next week he wants to have lunch and say hello to the Royal Selangor Golf Club members. What will he say and what is he up to? Talk about handicaps?
#14 by boh-liao on Thursday, 5 January 2012 - 12:59 am
Wonder if NR showed 2 d selected Christian church leaders d KERIS dat he held high up many years ago while crying loud 4 nonMalay blood
Hee yah, poke poke!
#15 by limkamput on Thursday, 5 January 2012 - 1:45 am
Hello, Christians are not just robe and frock wearing Roman Catholics ok.
#16 by cemerlang on Thursday, 5 January 2012 - 6:17 am
It is a rich big boys club, something Malaysia needs.
#17 by k1980 on Thursday, 5 January 2012 - 6:51 am
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/NA05Ae01.html
Money for nothing in Malaysia
By Anil Netto
The bad news, from the perspective of ordinary Malaysians, could come after the next general elections. If the ruling coalition wins a stronger mandate, then a new goods and services tax could be imposed in the next parliamentary term, albeit with a range of exceptions for essential goods.
Such a broader-based consumption tax would cast the net much wider: at present just over a million Malaysians pay income tax out of a workforce of 11 million among a population of 28 million. The concern is that the new consumption tax would hurt worst the large number of households currently earning less than 3,000 ringgit in monthly income.
The health ministry, meanwhile, is in the midst of reviewing health care financing. From the little information that has trickled out to the press, it appears that the ministry is studying the possibility of setting up a national health care financing authority to which all Malaysians would have to make regular health care insurance contributions.
Electricity tariffs, too, seem set to rise higher…
#18 by undertaker888 on Thursday, 5 January 2012 - 7:32 am
Christendom ah Christendom. The scarlet woman would ride the wild beast while drunk with innocent blood. The beast instead will make her stark naked and eat her flesh.
#19 by rockdaboat on Friday, 6 January 2012 - 1:24 am
Will Father of All Cameleon not change it’s color?
You tell me!