frankly speaking, i’m dissappointed with the MCCBCHS’s reps comments. They should have been more direct and support the panel’s recommendations of allowing teaching of other religions in school since all taxpayers money is involved and setting up inter-faith dialogues.
Problem is in implementation, say religious groups
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/20070510075005/Article/index_html
KUALA LUMPUR: Walk the talk.
This is the call from religious groups in response to a proposed guidelines by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Unity and National Service on a multi-culturalism policy to promote national unity.
The religious groups said although there were provisions in the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara that provided an adequate understanding of national integration, the lack of implementation as well as inconsistent interpretation had resulted in a major setback to the government’s efforts to promote unity.
The Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism placed the blame for this on the “Little Napoleans” who wrongly interpret the provisions.
Its spokesperson, Rev Wong Kim Kong, said as a result, integration and multi-culturalism in the country seemed to be deteriorating, especially among the young generation. He said Malaysians were dissatisfied with the way issues relating to race, economy and religion was being handled by the authorities.
He hoped the proposed guidelines by the parliamentary panel would give some form of guidance to the authorities when it came to the implementation of the guidelines.
Wong, who is also the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship secretary-general, said the guidelines should come under the supervision of an authorised body with executive power, otherwise it’ll be just another powerless body.
“Hopefully, with supervised implementation, the guidelines will ensure discrepancies, discrimination and inconsistency of policies are eradicated and, instead, provide a clearer implementation process,” he said.
In echoing Wong’s views, Malaysia Hindu Sangam president Datuk A. Vaithilingam said the government now had various policies and guidelines, but there was still a lack of unity among the people due to bad implementation.
He said national integration and unity was not a problem when he was growing up, but only started in the 1980s.
“I don’t know why this is happening. Maybe it is due to insecurity and lack of understanding by the people.
“The younger generation is no longer together. You see them all segregated among their own race, so how can they be united?” he said.
He said besides finding ways to educate people on the importance of integration, the Rukun Negara should be revived and its principles practised.
On the panel’s call to the Prime Minister’s Department to organise interfaith dialogues among religious leaders, both Vaithi-lingam and Wong said the move would foster greater goodwill.
They added such dialogues should be continuously held in order to come up with concrete views. Now, it only meets on an ad-hoc basis.