SDP and PKR youth wings condemn church attacks

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Friday, 15 January 2010

Singapore Democrats

The youth wings of the SDP and PKR (Parti KeAdilan Rakyat) issued a joint statement regarding the recent attacks against churches in Malaysia.

PKR is the opposition party in Malaysia led by Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The statement was signed by YD President Priveen Suraj and Shamsul Iskandar, Chief of Angkatan Muda Keadilan.

We, the undersigned, condemn in no uncertain terms, the arson and violence against churches following the spate of controversy over the disputed use of the word "Allah".

We stand in solidarity with all segments of the society that promote peace and justice and urge all sides to exercise their utmost restraint in dealing with the matter to avoid playing into the hands of those who have vested interests in seeing violence escalate.

It is without a doubt that the recent attacks on churches in Malaysia are attempts to undermine the racial and religious harmony and understanding painstakingly built over many generations.

Given the close ties and cultural similarities that we have with Malaysia, Singaporeans are watching the incident closely and we, the Young Democrats, stand firmly with our Malaysian counterparts in calling for a peaceful resolution to the matter.

Violence has no place in our world today, and acts of violence at places of worship where the general populace seek peace of mind and solace are especially deplorable. However, these acts of violence should not, and must not be framed in the perception of communal and religious conflict between Muslims and Christians, as they are as much an insult to the tenets of peace as espoused by Islam and all religions, as they are to Christianity.

We enjoin all segments of Malaysian society to condemn this spate of barbaric and cowardly acts, call upon all groups with differing spiritual, cultural and ideological backgrounds to reach a consensus by rational dialogue.

Priveen Suraj
President
Young Democrats

Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin
Chief
Angkatan Muda Keadilan

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Comments (4)

Thu 14 Jan 2010 10:49 PM | seebeng

The way to go YD. You have rightly identified your counterparts in Malaysia. Beware of the DAP, an offshot of Lee Kuan Yew's PAP.

Fri 15 Jan 2010 9:34 AM | Tan Tai Wei

What is needed, assuming the disputants are honest and not merely politicising the matter, is more knowledge and understanding.

"Allah" had been the Arabic high God and creator above the many gods of pre-Mohammed Arabia. Mohammed converted to Jewish and Christian monotheism, and used "Allah" to name the Jewish "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob".

So, in a sense, both Islam and Christianity might avoid confusion by not identifying the only one God with an Arabic one-god-amongst-many of pre-Mohammed Arabia.

But "what's in a name?" Whether "Allah" or "Yaweh", both Muslims and Christians worship the same God; indeed, Muslims think they are truer to Him than Christians who, they think, blaspheme against Him by identifying Him with Jesus, whom they honour as a great prophet in the same prophetic tradition revered by Jews and Christians alike.

Sat 16 Jan 2010 9:09 AM | seebeng

As part of their divide-and-rule policy, the departing British colonialists gave their blessing and support to race-based political parties in Malaya, including Singapore. Those parties that advocated multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious approach to achieve independence from the oppressive and exploitative colonial rule were branded as destructive and confrontational.

In Malaya, excluding Singapore, the British made sure in 1957 that the power was transferred to the aristocratic Malay-led Alliance that included the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC).

In the strategically and economically important Singapore, the British cultivated their favored “son” Harry Lee to succeed them.

Following the 2008 general elections, the people in Malaysia have shown they want change. This wind of change is also blowing south, towards Singapore whose people have strong social, cultural and family ties up north.

Tue 19 Jan 2010 8:15 AM | Robox

The remarkable aspect of this story is that just the act of issuing a statement on an important development has likely raised the SDP's public esteem, even if no one seems to be alluding to it.

It is very professional and a standard practise in multi-party polities; it's also considered newsworthy, a newsworthiness that is further enhanced if the statement is also on a topical event such as this one.

I see that TOC has reported it. All other media outlets continue to lag in their own professionalism.

Just as remarkable is that it is the youth wing that issued this statement.

I hope that the both the parent party as well the YD will continue in this veinon other matters, just guarding for overkill: it has to be some thing that people - especially news professionals - anticipate and keep a lookout for.

(I'll be writing on the thread about Mohd Shamin's trip to Brussels with a related suggestion.)