CM says government committed to fostering religious harmony
KUCHING: The beauty of Sarawak is its people who often share each other’s festivities despite having different cultures and religions.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (pic) said Sarawakians are like relatives who have much respect for one another’s culture and religion.
“In some parts of Sarawak, there are Christian and Muslim families who live together under the same roof without many problems,” he said in his Christmas message, yesterday.
He said there are also Muslim and Christian places of worship that happen to be neighbours sharing car parks on Fridays and Sundays, true to the spirit of brotherhood and camaraderie among Sarawakians.
“We are able to live together and religions do not create walls between us because we believe that ‘your religion is your religion and my religion is my religion’.
“That’s the way it has been for us in Sarawak for hundreds of years and that’s the way it should be in the future,” he said.
Abang Johari also stressed that the government’s commitment to foster religious unity and understanding is not merely in words but also in deeds.
“The Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) was formed to assist our friends who are not Muslims to build or carry out repairs to their houses of worship,” he said.
He said RM20 million was allocated to Unifor, and many had benefited from the initiative which other states might not have.
“Next year, the approved allocation is RM30 million and let me give the reassurance that the state government will continue to provide the funds so that many more can benefit from it in the future,” he said.
He hoped that in the spirit of Christmas, Christians would continue to pray that Sarawakians would have the strength and courage to be free to decide their own destinies and not to be too dependent on assistance from others.
“Being a part of Malaysia does not mean we cannot chart our own future according to the hopes and aspirations of all Sarawakians. There are countries, like Canada where there are autonomous areas that are able to prosper within the context of a larger nation,” he added.
