After the Temples, now the Cross...

Original Post at : http://www.kopipengkau.blogspot.com/

After the Temples, now the Cross...

I've just read the most disturbing piece of news in this blog which talks about a certain MP of Parit Sulong proposing on the demolishing of statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Crucifix in mission schools (apparently it was the actual words in BM of the MP). The rationale is that Muslim students go to missionary schools and since this is Islamic country, Tuan Syed Hood bin Syed Edros has proposed that these statues should be demolished (dirobohkan) and the crosses destroyed (dimusnahkan).

If you are wondering whether he really did say it, download the transcript of the parliament here and check out page 143 (it's available for the public). Here's another blog that mentioned about this. And another. And another. Obviously as an MP, he's not too well-versed in the Constitution of Malaysia, which he should be as he is, after all, a member of the parliament. I'm just saddened that after the Malaysian government has decided to go on a temple demolition spree, some crack pot wants to go after the mission schools. What will they think of next? It just amazes me that after being independant for 50 years, as a nation, it seems that we're just going one step forward and two steps back.

Surprisingly, there are quite a number of well-known folks who graduated from Missionary schools, to name a few, see below. I wonder, by going to mission schools, would all of these jokers develop a sudden urge to be a Christian, quite apparently, not. :

St. John's Institution (check it out here):

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, Sultan of Selangor
Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Perak
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn, Education Minister of Malaysia
Benedict Ponniah, Chairman of the First International Labour Conference in Singapore and First Under Secretary to the Secretary General of the United Nations (1949)
Dato' Abdul Azim Mohd. Zabidi, chairman of Bank Simpanan Nasional and UMNO Treasurer

St. Paul's Institution :
Zainal Abidin bin Ahmad, a Malay scholar familiarly known as 'Pendita Za'Ba'.
S Rajaratnam, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore (1965 - 1980), Minister for Culture of the Republic of Singapore (1968 - 1971), Deputy Prime Minister (Foreign Affairs) of the Republic of Singapore (1980 - 1984).
Tan Sri Dato' Chan Choong Tak, former President of the Malaysian Senate, currently Patron of the Old Paulians' Association.
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, Malaysia's first astronaut (dato'ship-got-or-naut)

St. Michael's Institution (More here) :
Dato' Seri Lim Keng Yaik, President of the Gerakan Party and Minister of Energy, Water and Communications
Tan Sri Dato' Seri (Dr) Lin See-Yan, Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia and former Deputy Governor of Bank Negara
Datuk Paul Leong Khee Seong, former Minister of Primary Industries and former Deputy President of Gerakan Party
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, State Legislative Assemblyman for Bukit Nenas, Selangor from 1969 to 1974; Member of Parliament for Kuala Lumpur Bandar/Bukit Bintang from 1974 to 1990; Vice-Chairman of the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation; Member of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Advisory Board; and Member of the National Service Training Council

SMJK Catholic PJ :

Ong Ka Ting (黃家定) - Ex Teacher
- Current MCA president, Minister of Housing and Local Development
Fong Kui Lun
- Bukit Bintang Member of Parliament - President of CHS Alumni



UMNO-Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament Question in Parliament

taken from http://www.parlimen.gov.my/hindex/pdf/DR-29102007.pdf - page143-144.

Tuan Syed Hood bin Syed Edros [Parit Sulong]:Tuan Yang di-Pertua, saya ingin menyentuh satu perkara tentang Kementerian Pelajaran iaitu sekolah-sekolah mubaligh seperti Convent, La Salle, Methodist dan sebagainya. Saya difahamkan Lembaga Pengarah di sekolah-sekolah ini sebahagiannya ditadbir dari gereja-gereja di luar negara seperti di Vatican City. Saya juga difahamkan permohonan untuk membina surau
di sebahagian sekolah-sekolah ini terpaksa mendapat kebenaran daripada Lembaga Pengarah
yang mana Lembaga Pengarah ini sebahagiannya ditadbir oleh gereja.

Jadi amat memalukanlah, bagi diri saya, tentang pentadbiran sekolah-sekolah ini yang
masih lagi dikawal oleh pihak gereja. Begitu juga saya difahamkan tentang iklim sekolah-sekolah
tersebut, banyak ibu bapa Islam menghantar anak-anak mereka ke sana, mereka kompelin
sebab ada kalanya sekolah dimulakan dengan lagu-lagu gereja. Ini saya tidak tahu benar atau
tidak, tetapi ia apa yang saya dapat daripada ibu bapa sendiri tetapi yang jelas di sekolahsekolah
ini terpampang simbol-simbol agama. Saya rasa kecewa di dalam negara Islam,
Malaysia ini, kalau saya pergi ke sekolah convent, ada terpampang patung St. Mary di depandepan
sekolah convent...

Datuk Haji Mohamad bin Haji Aziz [Sri Gading]: [Bangun]

Tuan Syed Hood bin Syed Edros [Parit Sulong]: Silakan Yang Berhormat bagi Sri
Gading.

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Dr. Yusof bin Yacob]: Ya, Yang Berhormat bagi Sri
Gading.

Datuk Haji Mohamad bin Haji Aziz [Sri Gading]: Bagi saya sudah tidak terkejut, Yang
Berhormat bagi Parit Sulong, cerita ini... [Disampuk] Bukan soal biasa. Soalnya kenapa boleh
berlaku seperti ini? Satu. Hari Raya yang lepas, saya diberitahu oleh seorang bapa, waktu
Aidilfitri disambut, sekolah jenis-jenis ini tidak ditutup. Terima kasih.

Tuan Syed Hood bin Syed Edros [Parit Sulong]: Bukan sahaja patung, tetapi Ahli-ahli
Yang Berhormat pergilah, tengoklah salib Kristian diletakkan di depan-depan sekolah. Saya tidak faham Kementerian Pelajaran, adakah pegawai-pegawai tidak nampak atau memang dasar kita membenarkan perkara ini. Walau bagaimanapun, saya sebagai orang yang bertanggungjawab kepada diri saya, agama, bangsa dan tanah air ini, saya menyatakan pendirian saya bahawa patung-patung ini hendaklah dirobohkan, salib-salib ini hendaklah dimusnahkan dan pengaruh-pengaruh gereja di sekolah-sekolah ini hendaklah dihentikan.

Begitu juga dana yang dikumpulkan di sekolah-sekolah ini. Adakah kita mendapat
laporan? Kalau boleh kementerian mendedahkan dana sekolah-sekolah ini. Saya difahamkan
ada sekolah-sekolah ini juga ditaja oleh pihak-pihak gereja. Dana-dananya datang daripada
gereja-gereja dan adakah pihak kementerian pantau sumber-sumbernya? Adakah audit-audit
dilaksanakan?