Tuesday 28 April 2015

[Today] Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act key to peace here

The report “We forgive anti-cross protesters, says emotional pastor” (April 27) shows Mr Paul Packianathan, pastor of the Community of Praise Petaling Jaya church, exemplifying the tenets of his faith through his actions. He has chosen the path of peace to combat religious fanaticism.
Malaysia enacted the Prevention of Terrorism Act on April 7 to combat terrorism, but the country has no equivalent to our Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA), which came into effect in 1992.
The MRHA empowers the Minister for Home Affairs to issue a restraining order against a member or leader in any religious group or institution, if the minister is satisfied that the person has committed or is attempting to commit any act that might cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different religious groups.
In Singapore, there has been racial and religious harmony, save for the Maria Hertogh riots in 1950 and the racial riots of 1964. And in Johor, the relationship between the church and the royal family of Johor had been a harmonious one.
In 1837, the Reverend Benjamin Keasberry came to Singapore and in 1843, he founded the Malay Mission Chapel on Bras Basah Road. In 1848, he set up a boarding school for boys on River Valley Road, which he renamed Mount Zion. The students were taught the art of printing, lithography and bookbinding. Among his students was Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor.
Sultan Abu Bakar later bestowed three acres of land at Jalan Gertak Merah in Johor for the purpose of Christian worship. The Holy Light Church was established there in 1886 by Reverend John Cook, with the help of Mr James Meldrum, the son-in-law of Rev Keasberry.
Religious intolerance if left unchecked can cause animosity between people of different faiths, and the MRHA is key to religious harmony in our pluralistic society.