PAS MP's Bible remarks sets bad precedent in Dewan Rakyat, says DAP MP
Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii said he would continue to follow up on the issue of Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh stating in the Dewan Rakyat that the Christian Bible was distorted (dipesong).
Yii said Zawawi's statement sets a bad precedent in Parliament.
"Members of Parliament should show an example to promote unity and not divide us.
"That is why I will continue to pursue the matter. It is not because I am 'offended' or 'cannot forgive', but we need to set the record straight that no one is above the law, even in Parliament," Yii said in a statement today.
He said he sent a letter to Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun under Standing Order 36(10)(c) to get a ruling on Zawawi's statement, which Yii said crossed the line and can be deemed as insulting the Christian faith.
Yii also raised the issue last week in Parliament to urge for a ruling.
He also regretted that Zawawi said he refused to apologise and that Christians have no "right to be offended".
Yii said the Pasir Puteh MP's remarks highlighted Zawawi's lack of understanding and remorse on the sensitivity of all communities in a multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia.
Zawawi made the offending remarks in the Dewan Rakyat last Wednesday while debating the Road Transport Act amendments bill, which seeks to increase punishments for drink driving.
In his speech, he claimed all religions forbade the consumption of alcohol.
When Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham, a Christian, corrected him and said it was intoxication that was wrong, Zawawi doubled down and said in Christianity, before the Bible was "distorted", alcohol was not allowed.
The Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) later demanded an apology over the "direct insult" to the Christian holy text, but when contacted, Zawawi said he did not need to apologise and claimed he was right.
He also said Christians had no right to feel offended and claimed what he said was fact, not an accusation.
However, Zawawi added that he was willing to have a harmonious dialogue on the matter.
