arise malaysia! welcoming the jubilee year of our nation (english)

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Contents

1. Preface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

2. The Year of Jubilee ------------------------------------------------------------- 4

3. The Significance of the Jubilee as a Malaysian Christian ----------------- 9

4. History of Independence of the Federation of Malaya, Singapore,

Sarawak & Sabah --------------------------------------------------------------- 11

5. The Formation of Malaysia --------------------------------------------------- 16

6. Pictures of North Borneo Independence (Sabah) --------------------------- 25

7. 7.1 Historical Record of „Sabah Day‟ --------------------------------------- 30

7.2 Historical Record of „ Malaysia Day‟ --------------------------------- 39

8. Religious Liberty in East Malaysia: Promises and Assurances ---------- 43

9. Establishment of the Constitution of Malaysia – A Historical Process -- 49

10. The Sabah 20-points agreement prior to the formation of Malaysia ---- 51

11. The articles under constitution that related to the guarantee of religious Liberty 57

12. The Issue of Alkitab

12.1 Why we care about the controversy of alkitab ----------------------- 59

12.2 Sarawak Ministers Fellowship‟s 2nd

Media Statement -------------- 62

12.3 CFM‟s media statement ------------------------------------------------- 64

12.4 Statement from PFKK --------------------------------------------------- 66

12.5 Christian Group rejects Idris Jala‟s 10-point solution -------------- 68

12.6 What are the core issue of using “Bahasa Bible” in Malaysia ---- 74

13. Understanding the meaning of Jubilee -------------------------------------- 76

14. Churches in Sabah must enter into the year of Jubilee and revival

14.1 The myth of Sabah‟s Twenty Points --------------------------------- 86

14.2 The stone monument of Oath ------------------------------------------ 88

14.3 The obligations and responsibilities of the English and Chinese

Churches ----------------------------------------------------------------- 92



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Chapter 1 : Preface

In August 2009, Kota Kinabalu Pastors Fellowship, in line with the event

of the Malaysia Jubilee, has published two booklets sharing the importance of

Jubilee. On 16 September, the pastors throughout Malaysia gathered in Sutera

Habour arena court and prophetically built a national altar offering our nationto God for His blessing. Later in October 2009, our dear Prime Minister Najib

Razak surprisingly announced that the following year onwards, 916 will be

marked as Malaysia Day and was declared as a public holiday in remembrance

of the formation of Malaysia in 1963. From here, we see the mighty acts of

God, we believe that preparing for Jubilee is God‟s will and it pleases Him. At

the time, I thought my ministry for Jubilee is coming to an end then.

In December 2010, I had my very first meeting with Papa Jerry and Papa

Chin in the SIB office. (God told me to acknowledge them as fathers of the

land in November 2010, from then on I have started to call them Papa). There,

God spoke to me through a map that was hanging on the wall, it was a map

showing SIB of various regions in Sabah. I clearly heard the Lord in spirit,

said: "Go and tell them that Jubilee is coming!" It was clear that God wanted

this message to be brought to the indigenous people of Sabah. After two

restless nights, I went to seek for the confirmation of Papa Jerry and

surprisingly he was willing to open up all SIB divisions, so that they may be

informed of the good news of Jubilee and even gave me some good advice on

what to do too! With Papa Jerry‟s blessing, I called up a meeting and invited a

few indigenous pastors and those who were involved in the BM ministry, I

told them about this “mission” and they were excited about it. I deeply knewthat it was the Lord that had touched them, because God has a special plan and

destiny for the indigenous, 1st sons of the land.

Then, we formed a working team, preparing to publish a BM Jubilee

booklet and considered other means of sharing the good news of Jubilee with

the BM churches. Early this year, Pastors Fellowship Kota Kinabalu was

aspired to publish Jubilee booklet in Chinese and English again but I was

anxious as to whether we could accomplish this mission. Thanks to God that

He has gathered a wonderful team that enable us to complete this three

booklets in six months time and to present it as “The sacrifices of Jubilee” to

Him.



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Chapter 1- Preface

Hereby, I want to declare likewise God through prophet Jeremiah prophesied

over Israelite that they would return to Jerusalem after 70 years in the land of

Babylon, God has promised the Jubilee year for our nation too. Daniel after

discovering the prophecy, prayed for his country, and he saw the fulfilment of

God‟s people returning to Jerusalem. I believe when we pray for our country, for

the year of Jubilee, Malaysia will be aligned to the heart of God and will be going

into God‟s destiny for this nation.

Hereby, I would like to thank all my very dear pastors and core members for

working together in this important time of our nation, helping the churches and the

elder sons of the land to open up the door of our state to receive the blessing of God

in the year of Jubilee to come. You truly are the key instruments of God. I want togive a special thanks to all of you : Papa Jerry Dusing, Pastor Serena, Pastor Steven,

Pastor Janice,, Pastor Alex Buguk, Pastor Michael Liman, Pastor Cornelius, Pastor

Aster, Pastor Arifin, Pastor Walson, Pastor Wellon, Pastor Matilda, Bro Daniel

Kong and his wonderful team, Pastor Asriel Chok, Pastor Heng Sie, Pastor Ezra

and the presidents from the three different languages departments of PFKK, Papa

Chin, Pastor Esther Golingi and Rev Chong Fatt Kong as well as all the other

pastors for their dedication to this project. I am also particularly grateful to KKBread of Life, those who assist in getting information and documents from the

government departments and in the work of translation and editing. May God Bless

you all abundantly. I would also like to thank the Department of Information of

Sabah, Sabah Museum and Arkib Negeri Sabah for providing us with some

valuable historical photos and newspaper cuttings.

Finally, we recognise that our Heavenly Father is the one who gives us the

calling and initiated this work. We also understand that there are still many

shortcomings in the editing and content, yet we truly believe that God will use this

booklet to encourage the anak negeri and churches of Sabah to rise up and lead this

land and this nation into His will for the year of Jubilee to come.

Dear Lord! May Your kingdom come, may Your will be done in our country

as in heaven. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all of us . Amen.

Daniel Chin,

Pastor Fellowship Kota Kinabalu

August 2011



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Chapter 2: The Year of Jubilee

Pastor Jerry

The New Testament Context

In Luke 4:14-30, we read that: „the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was

handed to him … Jesus read the portion and sat down.‟ Luke‟s words capture

the atmosphere perfectly: „The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were

fastened on Him‟ (v20). What would he say? Would he give a dreary repetition

of some pious platitudes? Not a bit of it! His first words were electrifying:

„Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing‟ (v21). The meaning of his

words was absolutely clear - Jesus was claiming that when Isaiah wrote about

the Messiah he was writing about Jesus; that it was he himself who was theservant of the Lord, long foretold (Isaiah 61:1,2).

„Today‟, said Jesus, „this scripture is fulfilled ‟. In effect, he is saying,

what we have read about has arrived – „good news to the poor; the binding up

of the broken hearted; freedom for the captives and release for the prisoner .‟

His last line seems to say it all, „to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour ‟.

This was a powerful word. Jesus was proclaiming the year of Jubilee. To us a jubilee doesn‟t mean very much: an anniversary to be celebrated. But for the

congregation in the synagogue it would mean much more. It goes back to the

founding days of the Hebrew faith.

Let us look into the relevant passages of the Old Testament to have a

brief understanding of the concept of Jubilee. In Leviticus we read the

instruction: ‘consecrate the 50th year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return

to his family property and each to his own clan’ (Lev. 25:10).

The thought behind it was that God is the owner of the land, and his

people are stewards. In that 50th year the land was to lie fallow; slaves were to

be liberated; debts were to be cancelled, and all land acquired during the 49

previous years was to be returned. It was all part of God‟s provision for the

newly formed nation of Israel where God‟s rule would extend in all areas of its

life - spiritual, cultural and economics. We could put it like this - because God

is sovereign over His people and land, his people must act in harmony with

His character.



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Chapter 2- The Year Of Jubilee

In Numbers 36:1-9, we read that the purpose of Jubilee is to keep the

inheritances separate, preventing dispossession. This idea is further reinforced

in Ezekiel 46:16-18, where even the prince of Israel is not to dispossess

people of their inheritance. Gifts from the prince shall revert back to the familyof the prince at the year of liberty. In other words, the year of Jubilee ensures

that the Children of Israel do not lose their inheritance.

When Jesus alluded to the year of Jubilee what did he mean? To

understand the meaning of the words that he was proclaiming - the year of the

Lord‟s favour, the year of Jubilee - we have to see it in the setting of his three-

year ministry here on earth.

Jesus doesn‟t seem to have been inaugurating a Jubilee year. Rather, he

was announcing a Jubilee age - the kingdom of God. When Jesus spoke of the

„poor‟ he included people of all social grades, wealthy or not, whose lives

were impoverished by their failure to know and to love God, and by their

proud self-sufficiency. The „prisoners‟ were walking about quite freely, but

were in bondage to lust and greed. The „blind‟ included the physically blind,but took in those who had eyes but could not see, who lived by sight and not

by faith. The „oppressed‟ were the victims of evil spiritual forces and religious

authorities who exploited and mislead them. When Jesus meets someone with

a need, he takes into account all his or her humanity - body, soul and spirit.

Spiritual need, represented by slavery and oppression by sin, was met by

the offer of repentance and forgiveness. Physical blindness moved him totouch and heal. Hunger - whether spiritual or physical - called for a sharing of

his resources as he taught and fed people. His teaching ministry - we know it

as the Sermon on the Mount - announces the Jubilee age, the kingdom of God.

The Christian church is not that kingdom; rather it is God‟s agent here on earth

to bring forward and foster that kingdom. What a responsibility for those who

claim to be its members! „Mine are the hands to do thy will; my feet shall run

for thee.‟



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God does things in a way that the world calls foolishness (1 Cor 1). He

has chosen the power of powerlessness - it seems such a contradiction but it‟s

true. The film „Gandhi‟ it re-counted how this great Indian leader overcame

injustice and oppression, not by force, but by non-violent resistance. He said tohis followers, „so long as we‟re peaceful, the initiative is ours, we are in

control‟. This is a picture of the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. It would come

through suffering and servant hood - values that the wisdom of this world

scorns - but the kingdom of God finally will come in power. But belief in that

future hope isn‟t to make us indifferent to suffering and injustice in this world.

We are called to live out the Gospel in the here and now.

How did the Jews react to Jesus‟ claim that he was the living fulfilment

of Isaiah‟s ancient prophecy, his bold claim to be the promised Messiah? We

read that the people were amazed at his gracious words but they couldn‟t bring

themselves to believe and accept this word from the Lord. „No,‟ they thought,

„he couldn‟t possibly be the Messiah - isn‟t this Joseph‟s son? He‟s one of us

and he‟s no right to tell us what to do!‟ But having started down the road of

error, they reacted furiously when Jesus suggested that they were following theexample of their forefathers who had rejected the prophets while some of the

despised Gentiles had accepted the word of the Lord and its accompanying

blessings. What a responsibility it is to be hearers of the word of God - let‟s

not forget that he‟s speaking to us today. Jesus didn‟t come as a kind

of ‟patron saint‟ who can be ignored if it doesn‟t suit our purpose. He came as

the Saviour of the world, to be our Lord.

Today’s Context

As Malaysia‟s jubilee nears, it is important that we personally prepare

ourselves. What can we do to bring about this „year of the Lord‟s favour‟, the

year of Jubilee? What is our responsibility as Christians? How could the year

of Jubilee be personally relevant to each of us?

In a nutshell, Jubilee consisted of basically 3 things. Three things are tohappen on that 50th year that would make year 51 radically different from year

49.



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1. RELEASE:

The first is release, release of all of the

slaves and bond servants. Release means

that we, the Malaysian Christian, arebeacons of freedom and release for people.

Think about the world out there, the world

beyond these walls. They are slaves. They

don't know that they are slaves, but we

proclaim freedom in Jesus Christ.

We are the lighthouses of Freedom. People should be able to come to

us no matter what their slavery and find release. Come into this place and

find grace, the amazing grace of God releases us from being slaves to sin to

being slaves for Christ, which is ultimate freedom.

2. REVERSION:

The second is reversion. The land was to revert to its original owners. In

our context what?

We're not going to give the property back, but what would we be

required to give back to God? In a personal way we need to give back our

life to the Lord. He is our creator and our life belongs to Him - the originalowner! This includes our career, and our family and everything we have?

The way we need to move forward in Jubilee is to revert everything we

have back into the hands of God and to realize that we are not the owner

our life, we called to be a faithful steward, a steward who has been gifted

by God with all of these wonderful blessings, and we are to manage it for

the Kingdom and for the exaltation of Jesus Christ!



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3. RENEWAL:

Finally renewal, the land was to lay fallow for a year. They were not to

cultivate. They were only to eat what grew wild in the field.

What are the biblical analogies? Well there's the soil of our faith. Jubileemight mean that we could release our faith to grow “biblically wild for a year.”

Set at liberty from the comfortable and convenient living of a life dependent

on self-effort towards dependence on God. It would involve disengaging

ourselves from the earnest pursuit of material wealth toward pursuing His

Kingdom and His righteousness (Mat 6:33-34). The Biblical faith journey is

about stepping out, risking, trusting, living our life in the grace of our

awesome God.

The second part of this renewal is rest. The reason that they didn't plant

any crops in the land for that year was because they wanted the land to rest.

Jesus said, "Come unto me and I will give you..." What? "Rest"! Are you

resting? Are you finding time to rest in the arms of Jesus Christ and to allow

His renewal to come alive in your spirit. Are you resting in Him like that

Jubilee year of resting the land so that you can be renewed?

Final Challenge

Moving forward is what Jubilee is all about. Moving forward with God!

You and I will be able to move forward faithfully in the Jubilee when we trust;

when we know Jesus personally! It is more than just inviting Christ into yourlife to be your Saviour, but inviting Christ into your life to be your Lord, Lord

of every facet of your life. It is more than inviting Christ into your heart, but it

is taking the radical step of turning the whole deed of your life over to him and

saying "I trust you Lord." Jubilee is tough, it's risky!



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Chapter 3: The Significance of Jubilee as a Christian Malaysian

Alex Buguk

Psalms 139: 23-24

Search me, O God and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

1 Corinthians 11:17

But let a man examine himself.......

While we are excited about what God wants to do through us in this

nation especially in the coming Jubilee when Malaysia celebrates 50 years in

her formation, let us take this time to examine and search our hearts through

the Word of God like a mirror into our lives.

Psalm 90: 12

So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

We need to consider that time has passed us quite quickly and soon our

nation will be 50 years old. Regardless of whether you were born before or

after the formation of Malaysia, as a Christian 1st and as a Malaysian 2nd,

what have we done to invest in our nation? Have we complained more about

others and the situation around us but found ourselves not doing anythingabout it or without making a difference or finding a solution to the matter?

What have you and I sown into this beloved land of ours that will bring

honour and glory to our Lord when Jubilee sets in...

John1: 23

He said: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the

way of the LORD, as the prophet Isaiah said.”



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Chapter 3- The Significance of Jubilee as a Christian Malaysian

What are our responsibilities as a believer in Christ? Is it just going to

church on Sundays? Are we going through the motions of traditionalism? Or is

there more to this than the ordinary?

As Jubilee approaches, I believe that this is a wonderful opportunity tointroduce Jesus Christ to those that do not know Him personally. While we

eagerly wait for the Jubilee and what we believe it would bring forth, let us all

make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of

the Son and of the Holy Spirit and excitedly await for His 2nd coming to take

His Bride!(That‟s you and I)

Acts 1: 12 -14

...these all continued with one accord in PRAYER & SUPPLICATION, with

the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

The upper room experience is one of the most historic moments in the

Bible. Let us continue to be likewise as we proclaim Jubilee all over this land

of Malaysia. For God hears the prayers of the righteous and cause His people

to triumph.



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Chapter 4: History of Independence of the Federation of Malaya,

Singapore, Sarawak & Sabah

a) The History of Independence of Federation of Malaya

After World War 2, the British came again to Malaya and Britain

suggested the formation of the Malayan Union. Malayan Union not only took

away the power of the Malays over their nation, but also the rights that belong

to the Malays. Then, the people of Malayan Union started to realise that their

country has to be ruled by their own

people and not to be ruled by other

people of other nations.

Due to the Malay people‟s

opposition against Malayan Union,

British Government established

“Federation of Malaya” to replace the

existing “Malayan Union” in 1st of

February 1948.

In 1948, the British government and Malaya leaders signing the

agreement of establishing Federation of Malaya at King‟s House, Kuala

Lumpur.

After the founding of the first democratically elected Government, the

elected government went to achieve Malaya‟s independence. Tunku Abdul

Rahman led a delegation to England for negotiations of independence. After

negotiating for 3months, both parties came to an agreement in which Britishgovernment agreed to declare the independence of Federation of Malaya on

the 31st of August 1957.

In 1955, Tunku Abdul Rahman was chosen as

the prime minister in the first elections.



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Chapter 4 - History of Independence of the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak & Sabah

In 1956, Tunku Abdul Rahman led

a delegation to England for

negotiations.

The rule of British over our country for 172 years has ended, Federation of

Malaya achieved independence on 31st of August 1957. That day, Tunku

Abdul Rahman on a specially made dais stood high at Stadium Merdeka and

shouted “Merdeka”, that is, the independence of Federation of Malaya.



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b) The history of Independence of Singapore

The British forces returned in September

1945 and Singapore came under the British

Military Administration. David Marshallbecame Singapore's first Chief Minister on 6

April 1955. Marshall resigned on 6 June 1956,

after the breakdown of constitutional talks in

London on attaining full internal self

government.

Lim Yew Hock, Marshall's deputy and minister for Labor became the

Chief Minister. The March 1957 constitutional mission to London led by LimYew Hock was successful in negotiating the main terms of a new Singapore

Constitution. On 28 May 1958, the Constitutional Agreement was signed in

London.

Self-government was attained in 1959. On June 3, the new Constitution

confirming Singapore as a self-governing state was brought into force by the

proclamation of the Governor, Sir William Goode, who became the first Yang

di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State). The first Government of the State of

Singapore was sworn in on June 5, with Lee Kuan Yew as the island state‟s

first Prime Minister.

c) The history of Independence of Sarawak

On 8 December 1946, after the

Second World War, British took overSarawak. The colonial government began

to let Sarawak gradually move towards to

independent way. On 27 May 1961, the

Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul

Rahman, proposed closer political and

economic co-operation between the

Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak,

North Borneo (as Sabah was known then) and Brunei in the form of a merger.



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On 22 July 1963, Sarawak proceeded towards self-government as a sovereign

state with a state Cabinet headed by the first Chief Minister Tan Sri Stephen Kalong

Ningkan.

On 9 July 1963, The Malaysia Agreement was signed by Malaya,Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore and among others, included the 20-points

requirements raised by Sabah and 18 b-points Sarawak for the purpose of

establishing Malaysia. Its purpose in Sarawak is to protect the interest, rights and

autonomy of the people of the state after the formation of Malaysia.

Malaysia was thus formed on 16 September 1963, and consisted of the

Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah). Brunei

opted out. Indonesia and the Philippines opposed the merger. President Sukarno of

Indonesia worked actively against it during the three years of Indonesian

confrontation.

d) The history of Independence of

Sabah

On August 31, 1963 North Borneo

attained self-government. The idea for the

formation of a union of the former British

colonies, namely, Malaya, Singapore,

Sarawak and North Borneo was mooted by

Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul

Rahman, and was supported by the British. There was a call for completeindependence on that date by it was denied by the British Governor who remained

in power until Malaysia Day.In 1962, the Cobbold Commission was set up to

determine whether the people of Sabah and Sarawak favoured the proposed union.

The Commission had found that the union was generally favoured by the people,

but the people wanted certain terms and conditions incorporated to safeguard the

interest of the people. The Commission had also noted some opposition but decided

that it was minor. The Commission published its report on August 1, 1962 and hadmade several recommendations. Unlike in Singapore, however, no referendum was

ever conducted in Sabah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunku_Abdul_Rahman


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobbold_Commission

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobbold_Commission

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Day





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Most ethnic community leaders of Sabah, namely, Tun

Mustapha representing the Muslims, Tun Fuad Stephens representing the non-

Muslim natives, and Khoo Siak Chew representing the Chinese, would

eventually support the formation. An agreement was signed by Tunku Abdul

Rahman, Harold MacMillan, the British Prime Minister, and William Goode,

the lastGovernor of North Borneo, signed on behalf of the territory on August

1, 1962 putting to paper the agreement to form the union.

The intention had been to form Malaysia on 31 August 1963 but due to

objections from the Philippines and Indonesia, the formation had to bepostponed to 16 September. At that point North Borneo, as Sabah, was united

with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore, to form the independent the Federation

of Malaysia. To safeguard the interest of North Borneo in the new federation,

a 20-point agreement was entered into between the federal and the state

government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_Mustapha


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_Fuad_Stephens

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khoo_Siak_Chew&action=edit&redlink=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_MacMillan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Allmond_Codrington_Goode

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_North_Borneo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Malaysia


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20-point_agreement_(Sabah)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20-point_agreement_(Sabah)




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_North_Borneo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Allmond_Codrington_Goode

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_MacMillan

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khoo_Siak_Chew&action=edit&redlink=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_Fuad_Stephens






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Chapter 5: Formation of Malaysia

a) Formation

In the year 1961, Malaysia‟s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman

suggested combining 5 colonials, Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah,

Sarawak and Brunei, to form an emerging country.

During that time, Sabah and Sarawak still was a colonial of British.

Although Sabah and Sarawak was rich in natural resources, they are poor in

financial, educational and infrastructure. Brunei was rich in crude oil,

Singapore was also a colonial of British colony.

Tunku Abdul Rahman actively promoted that everyone agreed to form

Malaysia in Singapore. He said if the 5 colonials of British combine together,

many problems will be solved. However, the political parties initially rejected

the Formation of Malaysia. The reasons are as below:

Afraid that outsiders would have the chance to exploit the natural

resources in Sabah and Sarawak for their own financial and job support. Afraid that the politics of Malaya will force the native people of Sabah

and Sarawak to adapt to Islam religion.

The Muslims in North Borneo including the most populated Bajau,

Brunei Malays, Suluk and Orang Sungei felt that Islam religion should be the

country general religion, but they also agreed to let other religion to be

practised. The Chinese and people of other religions preferred that Islamshould not be the country‟s general religion, and at the same time, they think

they should fully enjoy choosing their own religion.

After Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee (MSCC) had thought

over the memorandum in forming Malaysia, they came out that Islam religion

as the general religion of the Federal Government will not affect the freedom

to adapt different religion. Their opinion is that if Malaysia‟s constitutionalprovisions state the freedom of religion to the people, then it will not affect

other people of other religion‟s activity and freedom.



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Chapter5- Formation of Malaysia

In order for British to determine the will of North Borneo and Sarawak

towards the planning of forming Malaysia, they need consultation with both of

the regions. Therefore, they decided to form a study tour to study and to

collect the information.

This delegated study tour was called the Cobbold Commission with the

Right Honourable Lord Cobbold as its chairman. This study tour was a

composition of a chairman and four members. Out of four members, two were

nominated by the British government, namely Sir Anthony Abell and Sir

David Watherson. On the other hand, the other two members were the

nominations of Malaya Government, namely Dato‟ Wang Pow Nee and Encik

Muhammad Gahzali bin Shafie. This study tour started on 19 th February 1962in Kuching, Sarawak. The study tour spent a whole month investigating in the

territory of North Borneo.

In 1962, Lord Cobbold along with the group members of Cobbold‟s study tour.

On behalf of Religion, Cobbold‟s study tour chairman and British‟s

representatives thought that in Sarawak and Borneo, since non Islam badly

requested the freedom to adapt other religion, education, vision field of other

religion, so there was the necessary to put these into the Malaysia‟s

constitution. Other than that, in the present constitution of Malaya was: “Islam

as the State religion and subsidize the development of religious affairs” policy,

it was not suitable to be stretched out to the territory of North Borneo.



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Chapter 5- Formation of Malaysia

The Malaya nominees of Cobbold‟s study tour think that all the Islamic

societies will welcome Islam religion as the religion of the Federation

Government. Because non-Islam were against the suggestion as stated above,

under the advance of Islam is not listed as their State religion, plus, in

Federation of Malaya Constitution clearly stated their basic privileges and

freedom of religion protection, in believing that non-Islam would go against

the Federation Government‟s stated Constitutions that Islam would be the

State‟s religion. In considering the above, they agreed that Islam will be the

Federation Government‟s State religion and strongly fight for the freedom of

religion in the constitution of Malaya. The constitution guarantee the freedom

of religion, and it should be more durable and will not change.Representatives of Cobbold‟s study tour says that, the people of Borneo

were concerned of a few problem, such as: The Malay people which is

currently the dominant would have the right to rule over the country, afraid

that the Islam people would request that their religion would be the religion of

the country and tried to capture people‟s mind, they were also afraid that

Malayan and Singaporean would come to Borneo for development and would

cause a large loss of employment, the chance of developing and the loss of

their land. Moreover, their language and culture would be threatened and

vanished.

At the end of 1962, there was still some disagreement over the formation

of Malaysia, but this eventually petered out. At last, Sabah and Sarawak

agreed the formation of Malaysia. Brunei were facing a few issues and would

not be able to reach the agreement, Brunei announced the withdrawal from

Malaysia League.

Formation of Malaysia by signing into law was delayed till 16 th

September 1963 due to the disagreement from Philippines, Indonesia and the

State of Kelantan.

On 16

th

September 1963, Malaysia was officially established, this FederalState consisting of the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.

Therefore, history tells that Malaysia was formed by four colonies of

Britain and formed a political union country.



20


Federation of Malaya is made up by 4 different countries, so to speak.

Therefore, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore should not be regarded as a member

of the 14 states. In another way: Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Federation of

Malaya each holds a quarter of Malaysia.

b) Considerations

1. Considerations and political objectives of the formation of Federal

Malaysia

Regional security considerations

- Tunku Abdul Rahman was concerned of the development of

communism in Singapore and that could bring harm to Malaya. So, hesuggested to unification Singapore and Malaya to stop the

advancement of communism.

Together to develop the potential of economic and resources

Cooperation to develop the necessary resources in the economic field.

- Prime Minister of Singapore hopes that they have opportunity to share

the development of natural resources in Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.

- Through the formation of Malaysia, the economics of Sabah and

Sarawak will develop in advance.

- Prime Minister Tunku saw that Singapore can help in development of

economics, so he invited Singapore to join into formation of Malaysia.

Speeding up the detachment from the hands of British in achieving the

power for independence

- Federation of Malaya – achieved independence on 31st August 1957

from the hands of British.

Singapore- achieved independence on 3rd June 1959 from the hands of

British.

Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei – colonies of British.

- If federation of Malaya successfully formed Malaysia, then Singapore,

Sabah and Sarawak may eventually achieve independence too.

- British were based on the colonial of British, British was also

concerned of the harm that Indonesia and Philippines would bring.



21


- Therefore, they (Sabah & Sarawak) were not allowed to achieve

independence on their own, but approved the formation of Malaysia.

Political considerations in balancing the difference of numbers of

peoples between races.

Balancing the differences in numbers of people of each race:

- The unity of Federation of Malaya and Singapore would bring down

the number of Malay population because the number of Chinese in

Singapore was estimated at 80 per cent.- In order to balance the differences of people of each race, Tunku

Abdul Rahman invited Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei to join into the

formation of Malaysia to increase the number of Malay indigenious or

Bumiputera people.



22


Representatives of the political leaders in each area

Federation of Malaya

– Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj

Sarawak – Stephen Kalong Ningkan

Sabah – Donald Stephen

Singapura

– Lee Kuan Yew



23


The local people

welcomed Cobbold‟s

study tour.

Cobbold‟s study tour meets the local leaders

In 1965, Malaysia‟s 1st Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and

Malaysian Chinese Association were concerned of Singapore‟s PAP forces

would develop in regions of Malaysia. Plus, the concept of political ruling

influences the differences in between. When Government of Malaysia felt the

threat, Singapore withdrew from Malaysia. On the other hand, Malaysia stillkeeps a good connection with Singapore in certain field.

Sabah in the formation of Malaysia‟s 20 points terms, the 7th term states

that Union States does not have the right to leave the Federation of Malaya.

Therefore, when Singapore was expelled from Malaysia, it meant that a

quarter of Malaysia has left. This also violated the original intention of

forming Malaysia.



24


In addition, this also means that Federation of Malaya can expel or

request other party to detach from Malaysia, but Sabah and Sarawak do not

have the power to detach themselves from the nation.

During that time, Sabah‟s Chief Minister, Donald Stephen proposed

because Singapore has left Malaysia, there was a must to discuss the upcoming

issues of the detachment of Singapore from Malaysia, but was opposed and

stopped by other parties. This in turn has made Sabah lost the chance to obtain

privileges for the people and the government.



25


Summary of our history facts:

16th

of September is the real national day of Malaysia

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Malaysia_Tree_Diagram.png

Till today,Malaysia is established for 48 years!

16th September 1963,Singapore, Sarawak, Sabah and Malaya

form a new country - MALAYSIA

Sabah self-goverment / independent in

31 August 1963

Sarawak self- goverment / independent in

22 July 1963

Singapore Independent in3 June 1959

Malaya independent in

31 August 1957

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Malaysia_Tree_Diagram.png






26

Chapter 6 : Pictures of North Borneo Independence (Sabah)

a) Pictures of The retreat of British colonial Government and the formation

of Malaysia

15th

September1963 midnight, the last Governor, Sir William Goode watch

the British flag lowered and prepared to leave Sabah.

Sabah‟s first Chief Minister,

Donald Stephens send off Sir

William Goode

Sabah‟s first Head of State,

Tun Mustapha send off Sir

William Goode

Chapter 6 - Pictures of North Borneo Independence (Sabah)



27

Local peoples and

students send off

Sir William

Goode

b) Tun Abdul Razak arrived

Tun Abdul Razak as the

Malayan Union deputy

prime minister arrived at

Jesselton on 15th

September 1963. Heshowed up at the second

day, 16th

September

1963 – The special

ceremony of

establishment of

Malaysia.



28


c) The swearing-in ceremony scene:



29


British representatives witness the establishment of Malaysia

Donald Stephens wearing Kadazan Dusun cultural clothings shouting

“ Merdeka” with Mustapha and Tun Abdul Razak.



30


Donald Stephens signing the contract

to be Sabah‟s first Chief Minister.

Tun Mustapha signing the contract to

be Sabah‟s first Head of State.



31

Chapter 7 : Historical Record of ‘Sabah Day’

7.1 Sabah achieved self-goverment day from British Goverment



32



33



34



35



36



37



38



39



40

7.2 Historical Record of ‘Malaysia Day’



41



42



43



44

Chapter 8 : Religious Liberty in East Malaysia:

Promises and Assurance

Berita NECF Articles

Title: Religious Liberty in East MalaysiaDescription: Promises and Assurance

Issue: July-August 2008

by David Phung, PhD

At the first anniversary of Independence Day, 31 August 1964, an oath

stone was unveiled at Keningau witnessed by both State and Federal leaders.

Inscribed on a plaque in Bahasa Malaysia were three principles agreed to by

local chiefs: (1) freedom of religion in Sabah; (2) the Government of Sabah holds

authority over lands in Sabah; and (3) native traditions and customs should be

respected and preserved by the Government. It is significant that freedom of

religion was the first principle.

I shall now look at how well the states of East Malaysia have observed

religious liberty since the formation of Malaysia in the larger sense of concerted

government programmes that have breached this liberty. Of the two states, it is

Sabah that has fared poorly.

During the era when Tun Mustapha Harun‟s United Sabah NationalOrganisation (USNO) led the Sabah Government from 1967 to 1974, there was a

governmentinitiated and planned programme to “integrate” Sabah‟s diverse

ethnic groups into the Malay culture. It was being promoted by federal policy.

Professor Gordon Means describes the programme as follows,

“This involved public emphasis upon symbols of Malay cultural identity, the

rapid development of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language, and the

promotion of Islam as the national language, and the promotion of Islam as a

means to create cultural and religious conformity within the state. Under the



45

Chapter 8 - Religious Liberty in East Malaysia: Promises and Assurance

direction of the United Sabah Islamic Association, which was supported by the

USNO government, a very aggressive programme of Islamic conversion

was instituted with much publicity given to mass conversions of many thousands

of new Muslims. In 1973 Islam was made the official religion of the state and

Bahasa Malaysia was adopted as the state‟s sole official language. Pressure for

conversion to Islam was particularly great on those in politics, since USNO

viewed Islam as a prerequisite to ethnic powersharing in the Mustapha

government. By 1973, within the Sabah Legislative Assembly only five members

still professed to be Christians, even though Muslim communities in Sabah

constituted less than 40 per cent of the population and most of the leaders of the

non-Muslim communities had earlier had nominal Christian affiliation.”

It was as a response to such programme that a pro-tem committee (later

called the Sabah Council of Churches) comprising the mainline churches in

Sabah, including the Roman Catholic Church, met to unite churches to speak in

one voice on issues affecting the Church‟s interest.

In the 1976 state election, USNO retained 20 seats and the newly-formed

Berjaya Party led by Tun Fuad Stephens emerged the victor capturing 28 seats.

Sadly Tun Fuad, the new chief minister, together with Datuk Peter Mojunting

and other ministers in the new cabinet met with an untimely death when the light

aircraft they boarded crashed just before landing at Kota Kinabalu on 6 June

1976. Datuk Harris Salleh, the deputy president of Berjaya Party, took over the

helm. The first four-year term of Berjaya saw rapid economic development in

Sabah.

In March 1981, Berjaya returned to power in a landslide election victory

capturing 43 out of 48 seats.

However, the Berjaya government would be remembered for an unsavoury

episode of blatant abuse of religious liberty through the manipulative

classification of indigenous tribes. In the 1980 Census, the Berjaya government

abolished the traditionally-accepted identification of tribal people and replacedthe diverse ethnic people groups with a catch-all category “Pribumi” which

unjustifiably include all the indigenous peoples of Sabah together with Malays



46


from Peninsular Malaysia, and immigrants from the Philippines, Brunei and

Indonesia.

The intended political effect was “to blur Sabah cultural and tribal identities.”

The Berjaya government stepped up the process to integrate Sabahans intoMalaysia; and in line with the federal policies, the Malay language and Malay-

Muslim culture were promoted as the basis for national integration.

In the period from 1976 to 1985, the Berjaya government claimed to have

converted over 32,000 to Islam in a flagrant disregard of the Twenty Points

assurance and the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. The Kadazan

indigenous people, among whom many were educated and raised in CatholicMissions schools, felt most maligned. The epitaph to the Berjaya government of

Harris Salleh was written by another multi-cultural party, Parti Bersatu Sabah

(PBS), led by the Kadazan Paramount leader Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan. In

the 1985 elections, PBS spectacularly defeated the mighty Berjaya Party.

The fall of the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the hands of the

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 intensified Islamic revivalism startingfrom Iran and spreading ripple-like throughout the Muslim world. Another name

for the Iranian Revolution was the Islamic Revolution. Multi-cultural and multi-

religious Malaysia was not spared. Some of the developments discussed below

could arguably be said to have flowed and gathered momentum from this world

phenomenon, and I would relate them briefly in passing.

Dakwah organisations directed or sponsored by the government have beenaround but Islamic revivalism has increased efforts to proselytise and to lead a

“pure” Muslim life in line with the strict dictates of the Qur‟an. The Pertubuhan

Kebajikan Islam Malaysia (Perkim) was one of the more notable ones. As the

voice for the right to an Islamic way of life gain ascendency, so the sphere of

Islam‟s dominance increased in multicultural and multi-religious Malaysia. The

territory gained by Islamic revivalism was at the expense of the religious space

accorded to the people of Malaysia who profess and practise other religions. Theheady mix of race and religion in Malaysia makes it an even more potent force.




47

The idea of Malaysia was built

upon goodwill and mutual trust

among different communities

spanning distinct racial groups

with separate religious beliefs.

No man is an island. Sabah and Sarawak, though situated on the island of

Borneo together with Indonesian Kalimantan, felt the effects of Islamic

revivalism. Dakwah has taken many forms. There were increasing complaints

concerning secondary school students in the interior of Sabah and Sarawak

being pressured to convert to Islam in theasramas (school hostels) ran by thegovernment. Many of these students have to live away from their homes to

attend schools that would typically take a few days‟ walk.

The overzealousness of the state Islamic authorities affected everyone. On

11 December 2003 the Sabah State Mufti made and published a fatwa (ruling)

in the State Gazette prohibiting non-Muslims from using 32 words in Bahasa

Malaysia in their teaching and in the propagation of their belief. Some of thosewords are “Allah”, “Quran”, “Fatwa” and “Syariah”. On 29 December 2003,

various government authorities entered and seized several titles in a Christian

bookshop. The reason for seizure was that the books contained the word

“Allah”.

The push for Islamic compliance is coupled with calls for a more Islamic

way of life. There is little tolerance for freedom of religion among theMuslims. As recent judicial decisions have shown, sadly for Malaysia as a

whole, there is no real freedom of religious choice for Muslims. There can be

no real freedom, for the subjugation of a citizen‟s right of access to the wider

and generally accessible civil courts (which dispense justice in accordance

with the law of the country) to the Syariah court (which by definition and

existence would defer to Islamic rules and regulations) is not religious

freedom. The basic human good that predicates religious profession and

practice – freedom of conscience – is ignored.




48

In Sabah, since 1978 it has been an offence for anyone to propagate any

religious doctrine or belief without the permission of the Sabah Majlis Ugama

Islam among Muslims, and the offence shall be tried before the magistrate‟s

court and punishable with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine up to

RM3,000 or both.

Attempted apostasy out of the religion of Islam is apparently also an

offence for the Muslim who has shown by word or conduct that he or she

intentionally claims to cease to profess Islam or declares himself or herself to

be a non-Muslim. The syariah court has the power to order that the apostate

(murtad) be detained in the Islamic Rehabilitation Centre for a maximum

period of 36 months on the pretext of rehabilitating the person so that the

person could repent of the attempted apostasy. If such a detention occurred, it

remains to be seen whether the draconian statutory provision contravenes

Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution and is unlawful.

All has gone awry. The idea of Malaysia was built upon goodwill and

mutual trust among different communities spanning distinct racial groups with

separate religious beliefs. The 13 May 1969 racial riots remained a blot in the

nation‟s short history.

The Rukun Negara, issued on 31 August 1970, is a document considered

by many to be an instrument required to unify the various communities of this

country into one united nation. It was intended as a complement to the

Constitution. Its five principles formulated in relation to the Constitution –

belief in God, loyalty to king and country, upholding the Constitution, rule of

law, good behaviour and morality – are printed on the back cover of all

Malaysian school exercise books. It is hoped that these five principles would

capture for all Malaysians, starting from young, in a readily-comprehensible

form the aspirations of all Malaysians with regard to their nation. Belief in

God is of course based on Article 3 and 11 of the Constitution.




49

The East Malaysian experience has shown that the promises given at the

time of Malaysia‟s formation were and remain foundational to the writing of

the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. The Article 11 guarantee of religious

freedom, read together with Article 3, ought to protect and sustain the

commitments made by the people of Malaysia.

This is an extract. The full article will be available in an upcoming book

about religious liberty in Malaysia published by the NECF Malaysia Religious

Liberty Commission. DAVID FUNG, an advocate and solicitor in Sabah, is a

member of the commission.



50

Chapter 9: Establishment of Federation of Malaya – A Historical Process

In the early 1956, chief minister of Federation of Malaya led a delegation

to London for negotiations, until 18th of February, an agreement has been

made. British agree in principle that Federation will achieve independence on

31st August 1957.

British decided to let Malaya achieve independence, British sent Lord

Reid on May 1956 to develop a constitution survey tour, to prepare to form a

constitution in Malaya. February 1957, they were suggested to establish a

supreme head of state after independence when the report was published and

establish united congress that consist two councils. The lower council are

elected by the people, the whole country consist of a hundred electoral district,

every district were elected a member. The higher council consist of 38

members, 22 members were elected by the states legislatures, another 16

members were elected by the chief executive of Federation of Malaya. As for

the Federation of Malaya‟s state government affairs, they are organized by the

prime minister.

After the publication of the constitution report, government of Malayan

Union have not yet reach a number of rules in the agreement. Therefore, on the

9th May 1957, Tunku Abdul Rahman led a representative tour again to London

and United Kingdom for the second negotiations. Both sides at last developed

amendments “Draft Constitution”, they order leaders of Federation of Malaya

to elect a Sultan, the house of Lords and the house of commons organization to

be run according to the original reservation, as for the independence date was

confirmed to be on the 31st August 1957.

21st May 1957, after signing contract of “Draft Constitution”, Federation

of Malaya officially established, Negeri Sembilan‟s highest ruler Abdul

Rahman was given the first highest head of states (Yang di-Pertuan Agong )

and Tunku Abdul Rahman appointed as the prime minister of the cabinet.



51

Chapter 9 - The history of Federation of Malaya developing constitution

The Blueprint of constitution of Malaya

In the year 1948, British and leaders of each state signed a contract

named “Federation of Malaya Agreement”. It was the current Blueprint of

constitution of Malaya. Federation of Malaya‟s main agreement are as thefollowing:

1. Malay ruler enjoys royalty rights.

2. Malay people enjoys privileged status.

3. Non-Malays can apply to obtain citizenship.

4. British are in charge of national defence and Foreign Affairs.

5. Malay and English language are listed as official languages.

Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee (MSCC) was established on

late July 1961

1. Donald Stephens was the chairman of Malaysia Solidarity Consultative

Committee (MSCC). Other members are from Malayan Peninsula,

Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak as representatives of authorities.

2. JPPM‟s main aim was to study the view of people towards the formation

of Malaysia.

3. JPPM‟s emphasize are as the followings:

In the year 1957 Malaya‟s constitution will be the constitutional

basis of Malaysia. But they must go through the social conditions in

Sabah and Sarawak to rewrite and adding new rules. Islam is the official religion, but government of Sabah and Sarawak

can choose to let Islam religion to be the state‟s r eligion or not.

Other races can also enjoy the privilege to have religion freedom.

Malay language as the country‟s language.

Congressional District Division is fixed according to population and

area.

Sabah and Sarawak have the right to manage immigration and

immigrant department.



52

Chapter 10: Sabah 20-point agreement prior to the formation of Malaysia

The 20-point agreement, or the 20-point memorandum, is a list of 20

points drawn up for North Borneo, proposing terms for its incorporation into

the new federation as the State of Sabah, during negotiations prior to the

formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Some of the twenty points were

incorporated, to varying degrees, into what became the Constitution of

Malaysia; others were merely accepted orally, thus not gaining legal status.

The memorandum often serves as a focal point amongst those who argue that

Sabah's rights within the Federation have been eroded over time.

The 20 point

Point 1: Religion

While there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia

there should be no State religion in North Borneo, and the provisions relating to

Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to North Borneo

Note : government of Sabah has made a constitutional amendment in 70’s to

let Islam religion to be the state religion and practise Islamic Law.

Point 2: Language

a. Malay should be the national language of the Federation

b. English should continue to be used for a period of 10 years after Malaysia

Day

c. English should be an official language of North Borneo for all purposes,State or Federal, without limitation of time.

Point 3: Constitution

Whilst accepting that the present Constitution of the Federation of

Malaya should form the basis of the Constitution of Malaysia, the Constitution

of Malaysia should be a completely new document drafted and agreed in the

light of a free association of states and should not be a series of amendments to

a Constitution drafted and agreed by different states in totally different

circumstances. A new Constitution for North Borneo (Sabah) was of course

essential.



53


Note : In fact, the expel of Singapore from Malaysia had not gone through

discussion in all aspects, it has destroyed the main meaning of

establishment of Malaysia. Later, many development of constitutions had

certain deviation and thus neglected the public interest of east Malaysia,

Sabah and Sarawak has also lost one third of the veto power in the

congress as was promised.

Point 4: Head of Federation

The Head of State in North Borneo should not be eligible for election as

Head of the Federation.

Note : There is a large difference between the status of head of state

compared to the status ruler of Malaysia, head of state should have

greater role and respect among the ruler of Malaysia.

Point 5: Name of Federation

“Malaysia” but not “Melayu Raya”

Note : Is used to emphasis that our country is multi cultured and races, not

emphasising Malay race, culture, religion and rights only.

Point 6: Immigration

Control over immigration into any part of Malaysia from outside should

rest with the Central Government but entry into North Borneo should also

require the approval of the State Government. The Federal Government shouldnot be able to veto the entry of persons into North Borneo for State

Government purposes except on strictly security grounds. North Borneo

should have unfettered control over the movements of persons other than those

in Federal Government employ from other parts of Malaysia into North

Borneo.

Note : Over the years, the director of immigration are most likely from theMalaysia Peninsular. The state has appeared many foreign migrations that

can easily obtain an identity card. The government has no Jurisdiction



54


rights to take actions against illegal immigrant and issuing identity

card/citizenship to qualified residents.

Point 7: Right of Secession

There should be no right to secede from the Federation.

Note : On 8th August 1965, Singapore was expelled from Malaysia. This had

seriously violated the agreement. Sabah had no rights to leave the

federation, but will maybe be expelled.

Point 8: Borneanisation

Borneanisation of the public service should proceed as quickly as possible.

Note : Federal departments within the state are mostly head by civil servants

from Malaya controlling majority of the state’s development projects.

Point 9: British Officers

Every effort should be made to encourage British Officers to remain in the

public service until their places can be taken by suitably qualified people fromNorth Borneo.

Point 10: Citizenship

The recommendation in paragraph 148(k) of the Report of the Cobbold

Commission should govern the citizenship rights in the Federation of North

Borneo subject to the following amendments:

a) sub-paragraph (i) should not contain the proviso as to five years residence

b) in order to tie up with our law, sub- paragraph (ii)(a) should read “7 out of 10

years” instead of “8 out of 10 years”

c) sub-paragraph (iii) should not contain any restriction tied to the citizenship of

parents – a person born in North Borneo after Malaysia must be federal citizen.

Note : Sabah government has these safeguards, but they did not have theexecutive power to issue the citizenship. Many people were not given

citizenship rights, although they were born in Sabah and whose parents were

Sabahan since before the establishment of Malaysia.



55


Point 11: Tariffs and Finance

North Borneo should retain control of its own finance, development and

tariff[8], and should have the right to work up its own taxation and to raise

loans on its own credit.

Note : Oil revenue given to Sabah has been too Low, only 5% and has now

became the poorest state in Malaysia.

Point 12: Special position of indigenous races

In principle the indigenous races of North Borneo should enjoy specialrights analogous to those enjoyed by Malays in Malaya, but the present

Malaya formula in this regard is not necessarily applicable in North Borneo.

Note : Anak Negeri Sabah are unlike Bumi Putera. Anak negeri Sabah is the

state’s indigenous. Bumi putera included people of Malaya and the muslim

from Philippines and Indonesia that came into Malaysia. These Bumi

Putera will affect the status and interests of Sabah’s indigenous.

Point 13: State Government

a) the Chief Minister should be elected by unofficial members of Legislative

Council

b) There should be a proper Ministerial system in North Borneo[8].

Note : State Chief minister’s appointment had been decided by west

Malaysia based party since mid 90’s.

Point 14: Transitional period

This should be seven years and during such period legislative power must

be left with the State of North Borneo by the Constitution and not be merely

delegated to the State Government by the Federal Government.



56


Point 15: Education

The existing educational system of North Borneo should be maintained and

for this reason it should be under state control.

Note : Education Act has made major changes, including submitting the

mission school to the control of the Federation. The freedom of Christian

education is also been control.

Point 16: Constitutional safeguards

No amendment modification or withdrawal of any special safeguardgranted to North Borneo should be made by the Central Government without

the positive concurrence of the Government of the State of North Borneo

The power of amending the Constitution of the State of North Borneo

should belong exclusively to the people in the state. (Note: The United Party,

The Democratic Party and the Pasok Momogun Party considered that a three-

fourth majority would be required in order to effect any amendment to theFederal and State Constitutions whereas the UNKO and USNO considered a

two-thirds majority would be sufficient.)

Note : Sabah’s history told us that many politician that were ignorance and

under pressure made to the state constitution that affects the interest of

our state.

Point 17: Representation in Federal Parliament

This should take account not only of the population of North Borneo but

also of its size and potentialities and in any case should not be less than that of

Singapore.

Note : East Malaysia representation had not enough of one third veto

power seats. As in the beginning, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak was given

the 1/3 veto power in the parliament.



57


Point 18: Name of Head of State

Yang di-Pertua Negara.

Point 19: Name of State

Sabah.

Point 20: Land, Forests, Local Government, etc.

The provisions in the Constitution of the Federation in respect of the powers of

the National Land Council should not apply in North Borneo. Likewise, the

National Council for Local Government should not apply in North Borneo.

Note : After 48 years of Malaysia establishment, lost of land fall into the hand

of listed corporate companies based in Malaya; local indigenous has lost their

customary land, affecting their living, turning them into poverty.



58

Chapter 11: The articles under constitution that related to

the guarantee of religious liberty

Article number: 3

(1) Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in

peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.

Article number: 8

(1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the

law.

(5) This Article does not invalidate or prohibit -

(b) any provision or practice restricting office or employment connected with the

affairs of any religion, or of an institution managed by a group professing any

religion, to persons professing that religion;

Article number: 10

(1)Subject to Clauses (2), (3) and (4) -

(a) every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression;

(b) all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms;

(c) all citizens have the right to form associations.

Article number: 11

(1)Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject to

Clause (4), to propagate it.

(3) Every religious group has the right -

(a) to manage its own religious affairs;

(b) to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes;

(c) to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with

law.

Article number: 12

(2) Every religious group has the right to establish and maintain institutions for the

education of children in its own religion, and there shall be no discrimination on the

ground only of religion in any law relating to such institutions or in the

administration of any such law; but it shall be lawful for the Federation or a State to

establish or maintain or assist in establishing or maintaining Islamic



59

Chapter 11 - The articles under constitution that related to the guarantee of religious liberty

institutions or provide or assist in providing instruction in the religion of Islam

and incur such expenditure as may be necessary for the purpose.

(3) No person shall be required to receive instruction in or take part in any

ceremony or act of worship of a religion other than his own.

(4) For the purposes of Clause (3) the religion of a person under the age of

eighteen years shall be decided by his parent or guardian.

Article number: 121

Subject to any limitations imposed by or under federal law, any order,

decree, judgement or process of the courts referred or of any judge

thereof shall (so far as its nature permits) have full force and effect

according to its tenor throughout the Federation, and may be executed or

enforced in any part of the Federation accordingly; and federal law may

provide for courts in one part of the Federation or their officers to act in

aid of courts in another part.



60

Chapter 12: Alkitab Issue

12.1 ) Why we care about the controversy of alkitab?

According to the Malaysia population survey in the year 2000, the

population of Christians in Sabah and Sarawak exceeded the total number of

Christians in the whole of Malaysia by 75%. East Malaysia has approximately1.5million Christians, mostly are bumiputeras who use their mother tongues or

Malay language in their daily lives. Since early 17th century, Malay language

has been used in their worship, preaching, prayer and religious education.

Bumiputeras in East Malaysia gain their spiritual food from the Alkitab. The

Alkitab was completed with the help of a Christian publisher in translating the

contents. There are also many Christians (eg. Indigenous) in West Malaysia

whose main language is Malay. Alkitab is their source of spiritual food and

religious education. For these groups of Christians, the role of Malay language

is irreplaceable. But, the prohibition of Alkitab, any book products and

Christian publications means that the Christians in West and East Malaysia

were disinherited on the language rights to be applied on religious education.

Opposition of the Government

On 30th December 2008, the Secretary of the Home Affairs, Datuk Seri

Syed Hamid Albar said to “Utusan Malaysia” that the government had stopped

Alkitab and other publications of Christianity to protect Muslims, to prevent

them from confusion, because Alkitab uses the word “Allah”.

On the same day, “Utusan Malaysia” also quoted another cabinetminister “The government is going to stop any spreading of Christianity,

including the translation of the bible into Malay language, because their

objective is to confuse the Muslims in our country”. Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad

Zahid Hamidi from Prime Minister's Department said, the government will put

full effort to stop publication of the bible in Malay language.” Maybe these

ministers had no knowledge of the completed translation of the Malay bible

back in the year 1731. Actually in the year 1633, the book of Matthew in the

Malay version was circulated in the market.



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Chapter 12. Alkitab Issue

The responses of Christians in Malaysia

As Christians of Malaysia Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak, we are

concerned and dissatisfied of the minister‟s remarks. The reasons are as the

followings:1) The phrase used, “Allah”, did not bring confusion. We do not intend to

confuse the Muslims in the country. If the translation of the bible into

Malay language would bring confusion, they can easily use the Islam

education, priest or clergy to clarify them.

2) Afraid that Malay bible version used the phrase “Allah” would cause no

basis of confusion among the Muslims. Because the phrase “Allah” was

used long before the establishment of Islam religion. But this phrase had

been used for decades by Muslims and Christians throughout the world at

the same time. Referring to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “the originality of

these names can be used to trace the earliest writer, the Jews called the lord

I1 or E1, the latter used the phrase “Lord” in the Old Testament of the bible.

“Allah” is the accurate Arabic language for “God”. The Arabic Christians

and Muslims are currently using the phrase “Allah”. At this point, it does

not emit any sort of confusion.

3) We oppose the minister‟s statement “we firmly oppose to the publication of

these materials. We will not accept any request to publish the Malay bible

version.” This statement is not only irresponsible but people also had a difficult time to accept it. This statement violates our rights to the use of the

Malay language, our national language. The comments made also

contradict to the national policy, encouraging the wide use of the Malay

language among the citizens.

4) The same minister gave an unreasonable and unnecessary warning, “Do not

play with fire and do not challenge the Muslims. We are willing to doanything to protect our religion”. The threat and intimidation in the

statement is contradictory to the spirit of the Federal constitution of

Malaysia, our Malaysia is a democratic society.



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Neglect and deprivation

If the ministers‟ statements are accepted, this will mean that our

members and the church will be banned from using the language and deprive

us of our own language to religious education.

Recently, the phrase “Allah” that was allowed to be used in the bulletin

has been revoked. It proved that the government is trying to limit us of the use

of the Malay language in translating the bible, let alone to use it for religious

education. This is almost absurd and unthinkable, as they totally violated the

11th and 12th term that was stated in the Federal constitution of Malaysia,

whereby the given rights to the citizens.

The ministers that stated the unreasonable statement intended to

discourage and hinder the Christians from using the Malay language in any

sort of their Christian works. They used their authority to show disregard to

the rights of indigenous Christians in West Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

Our stand

As the Christians of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, we are

very depressed by this situation. We therefore call upon the government to

take a sensible and rational action to recover this problem. We urge the

government to stop all attempts to prohibit the Malay language publications of

Christian educational journals and the circulation of Alkitab. In this way, we

believe that this will loosen the tension between Christians and Muslims and

not creating confusion as said by the minsters.

As the citizens of Malaysia, we accept the Malay language as the

country‟s official language. We will continue to use the Malay language bible

and other Malay Christian literature.

National Evangelical Fellowship of Malaysia April 2009



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12.2) Sarawak Ministers Fellowship’s 2nd Media Statement

It is about Religious Freedom - not just Bibles!

The Home Ministry‟s act of imposing two conditions for the release of the

Alkitab (Malay language Bibles), namely that each copy of the Alkitab:

1) is labeled “ For Christians only” and

2) carries a serial number

is wholly unacceptable to the Sarawak Ministers Fellowship(SMF), an alliance

of Churches throughout Sarawak which includes the Kuching Ministers

Fellowship, Miri Pastors Fellowship, Sibu Pastors Fellowship, Bintulu PastorsFellowship, and Gempuru Besai Raban Jaku Iban Malaysia (an alliance of

Iban churches).

We find it offensive that the authorities defaced the 35,000 copies of the

Christian Holy Scriptures in Kuching and Port Klang. This deliberate act of

desecration has deeply hurt the Christian community in Sarawak which

represents 43% of our State population.

SMF totally rejects these two conditions set upon the release of the

Alkitab. We believe that this directive from the Home Ministry is arbitrary,

unlawful and unconstitutional. There is no legal provision or otherwise to the

effect that the Alkitab is required to be stamped “For Christians only”.

The SMF cannot accept the position that the Alkitab or Bible, as

described in the schedule of the Internal Security (Prohibition of Publications)(No.4) Order of 22nd March 1982, is considered by our government as a

publication that is “prejudicial to national interest and security of the

Federation” and regarded as subversive when it teaches people to be God-

fearing, law-abiding and responsible citizens.

We view this state of affairs and the imposition of the two conditions as

yet another curtailment on the constitutional right of Malaysian Christians toprofess, practice and propagate our faith and to be taught and nourished

spiritually through our Holy Scriptures.



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We call on the authorities to rescind and withdraw any Orders, directives

and letters issued by the Home Ministry to refuse entry and the subsequent

detention of the Alkitab. We stand with the Christian Federation of Malaysia

(CFM) in their media statement issued on the 17th March 2011 in calling for

all Bibles to be released unconditionally.

Furthermore, we call our government to honour and uphold its promise

of religious freedom for all Malaysians as enshrined in our Federal

Constitution. Regrettably, this promise has not been honoured consistently for

the past 47 years since independence.

This brings to mind the concern of the late Temenggong Tun Jugah (a

key leader representing Sarawak in the formation of Malaysia) who repeatedly

voiced in the Iban language, “ Anang Malaysia sebaka tebu manis dipun, tabal

diujung”, which in English, means “ Malaysia should not be like the sugar

cane, sweet at the head and getting less and less sweet towards the end ”.

The Sarawak Ministers Fellowship hopes that, with the preservation and

guarantee of religious freedom in our land, Malaysia will stay sweet to the end.

We call for Christians all over Sarawak to come together in unity to pray

for religious freedom in our land. A Prayer Rally will be held in Kuching on

Wednesday the 23rd March 2011.

23rd March 2011

Sarawak Ministers Fellowship



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12.3 ) CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA Media Statement

PROTECT AND DEFEND CHRISTIANS’ RIGHT TO USE THE ALKITAB

We are grateful to Almighty God for bringing together Christian leadersfrom across churches in Semenanjung, Sabah and Sarawak to address the current

controversy surrounding the impounding of Bahasa Malaysia Bibles, the Alkitab,

at Port Klang and Kuching. This decision weighs heavily on us because of the

implications not only for Christians but for all Malaysians.

We are united in our reaffirmation of the freedom of religion and worship.

Therefore, our position is that there should be no restrictions, proscriptions or

prohibitions whatsoever on the Bible or the use of the language of our choice in

the practice of our religion, as it was in the days before and after the formation of

Malaysia. Christians, like any other Malaysians, are not demanding for anything

beyond our constitutional and fundamental human rights as enshrined in Article

11(1) of the Federal Constitution and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights.

The current controversy surrounding the Alkitab is just one of many issues

that concerns Christians. There has been a systematic and progressive pushing

back of the public space to practice, to profess and to express our faith. For

example, the wearing and displaying of crosses and other religious symbols,

using religious words and constructing places of worship have been restricted.

When Christians express this concern, we do so not just for ourselves but

on behalf of all Malaysians. Our faith forms a critical component of our identity

as Malaysians in nation-building as enshrined in the first pillar of our nation‟sRukunegara: Belief in God. As regards the offer made by the government on 22

March 2011, we respectfully state that this does not address the substantive

issues. In point of fact, our previous offer made in 2005 to use the term “A

Christian Publication” was only honoured in respect of one shipment of the

Alkitab. Subsequent shipments were similarly held up and subjected to further

arbitrary conditions for release.

In order to move forward, we call on the Government to commit itself onceand for all to remove every impediment, whether legal or administrative, to the

importation, publication, distribution and use of the Alkitab and indeed to protect

and defend our right to use the Alkitab.



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This includes revoking all orders made under the Internal Security Act 1960,

which have declared the Alkitab as a threat to national security. Neither can the

Alkitab be considered a threat to public order under the Printing Presses and

Publications Act 1984. We categorically reject the characterisation of our Holy

Scriptures in this manner. Instead, we see our Holy Scriptures as providing

enlightenment and direction. In the words of the psalmist, “Your word is a lamp

to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119 : 105). In the New Testament is

stated the teaching that we hold dear and true : “All Scripture is God-breathed

and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so

that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II

Timothy 3 : 16)

We remain committed to work with the Government for a viable and long-

term solution where the detailed processes and procedures are made clear and

unequivocal and so long as our fundamental liberties as enshrined in the Federal

Constitution are not infringed. As for the copies of the Alkitab that have been

impounded and desecrated, we reiterate our position that the action of the

Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) in stamping the Bibles amounts to an act of

defacement, disrespect and treating with disdain the holy book of the Christians.

Given the unfortunate experience of KDN‟s tendency of taking arbitrary

action without consulting affected parties or respecting the religious sensitivities

of the Christian community, any decision to collect copies of the Alkitab which

have been stamped and serialised would be with a view to prevent the possibility

of further arbitrary acts of desecration, disrespect or destruction being committed

against the Holy Scripture of the Christians by KDN and its officers.

We have left it to the 2 importers to decide whether or not to collect theAlkitab, based on their different specific circumstances and level of trust in the

authorities and the processes in their local context. Nevertheless, no matter what

their decision is, we remain united in our common stand to uphold the principle

of freedom of religion which includes the free availability without hindrance or

obstacle of the Alkitab and all sacred criptures in Malaysia. We continue to call

on all peace-loving Malaysians to pray for a dignified resolution to these critical

issues in the life of our nation.30th March 2011

Bishop Ng Moon Hing

Chairman and the Executive Committee

The Christian Federation of Malaysia



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12.4 ) Statement from PFKK

( Submitted to Prime Minister through YB Tan Sri Bernard Dompok )

Protect and Defend Christians’ Right to use the Alkitab

The Pastor Fellowship of Kota Kinabalu, consisting of Pastors from

Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia and English speaking churches view the latest

detention of 30,000 copies of Bible in Malay version at Kuching port and the

5100 copies of Alkitab held since 2009 at Port Klang with great concern and

disappointment over the unnecessary actions by the Government Authority.

We fully support the stand made by Christian Federation of Malaysia in their

latest statement – “Protect and defend Christians‟ right to use the Alkitab”.

What the Bible means to us

As Christians, we believe the Bible as the sacred, inspired Word of God. It

is God‟s very own Word given to us through His prophets over the centuries.

Through the Bible our Almighty God reveals to us His nature, His purpose for

mankind and His grand plan of salvation to save mankind from eternal

destruction. It is through reading the Bible and hearing it taught in the languagethat we understand that we come to faith and conduct for Christians here on earth.

As such, Christians are commanded to diligently study the Word of God and to

teach it to our children. This we do so in the language of communication of our

homes so that we can dutifully pass on our faith to our next generation.

Therefore the Bible is a legacy and heritage of indescribable importance and

value to us Christians. We uphold the sanctity of the Bible with utmost

reverence and would guard it dearly. We dare not compromise on the way wetreat God‟s Word for we shall all be held accountable to Him on Judgement Day.

Our belief in nation building

As Christians we believe in nation building, for the well being of Malaysia

is our well being. We hold dearly to the belief and aspiration of our founding

fathers that every citizen shall have the freedom to choose and practice the

religion of his/her choice as guaranteed by the Malaysian Constitution andMalaysia Agreement. We also espouse our National Vision 2020 to build a

society which is liberal and tolerant whereby all citizens are free to practice their

respective folklore, culture and religious beliefs. Religious freedom and

tolerance had been the pride of our nation for many years until recently.



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The Word of God in the Bible mandates to Christians their role and

responsibilities in society and nation building akin to being salt and light in

this world. We are called to pray for our rulers and leaders, to uphold justice

and righteousness and to serve our nation. We have been loyal to use Bahasa

Malaysia as our national language and to many Christians it is also our first

language at home. We do all this because we fear God first and foremost and

we love our nation.

We will defend the Bible

Because of the above reasons Christian are compelled to defend thesanctity of the Bible as the Word of God and the freedom of access to it. How

can any human authority stop a sincere seeker of the truth to read God‟s Word

in the language that he/she understands? Can any human authority decide that

it can control the movement of the Almighty God by controlling access to His

Word. Who will take responsibility for doing so on Judgement Day?

Any democratic authority should accord the due reverence to the Holy

Scriptures of any religious faith in the world even though it does not agree

with the teachings. We should do unto others what we want others to do unto

us.

2 April 2011

Pastor Chin Chi Kiong

Pastor Fellowship Kota Kinabalu



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12.5) Christian group rejects Idris Jala's 10-point solution

In a lengthy 10-point statement, the Council of Churches of Malaysia

(CCM) Youth did not mince its words in dismissing the 10-point

solution offered by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Idris Jala.

It said that the "quick-fix" proposal ignored the "the overt and covert manner

which the government had discriminated against the Christian citizenry for close

to 40 years".

The following is CCM Youth's press release expressing its views in

response to the various statements issued by the Christian Federation of Malaysia

(CFM), the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), the 10-pointsolution as proposed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Idris Jala,

and comments made in the media by the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein

and various parties.

1. 10-point proposal only addressed the Al Kitab issue.

The 10-Point Proposal presumed that Christians were only concerned with

the Al Kitab issue. That premise is incorrect.nThe 10-Point Proposal distractedboth the public and the church leaders from getting to the heart of the matter, that

is, the concern over the overt and covert manner which the government had

discriminated against the Christian citizenry for close to 40 years that had

resulted in the gradual deterioration of basic rights of Christians to freely

exercise their faith.

2. Restore full rights and full freedom enshrined in the federal constitution

CCM Youth denounced deplorable accusations that Christians were not

being “fair” or “reasonable” in resolving the Al Kitab matter. CCM Youth

disclosed that the Malaysian government had unreasonably and unjustly acted in

bad faith since the early 1970s to-date against the Christian community. Among

some examples were:

Gradual erosion of the control of mission schools which included even the

physical removal of words such as “Holy” and crosses from schools, even

though the land, building and board of governors belonged to the church;

Removing or disallowing “Christian Fellowships” from being recognised as

societies in schools and universities;

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/160443







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Harassing and transferring out Christian teachers found teaching Bible

Knowledge, a legitimate examinable subject for the SPM;

Gazetting the Al Kitab, the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia, as

a threat to national security under the Internal Security Act;

Denying the use of the word 'Allah' for the Christian God, even though it hadbeen used by indigenous groups way before independence, and being the only

Muslim country in the world to do so despite wide Arab usage;

Denying Christians land to operate churches or cemeteries.

And the list goes on.

CCM Youth was saddened that Christians today were openly abused,

harassed and provoked in the media and encouraged by the government, with

all sorts of erroneous information being placed on official government

websites put up as decrees; linking activities from Valentine's Day to 'poco-

poco' to crosses on football jerseys, to Christian beliefs without so much as a

dialogue or a clarification with the Christian community. So much so that even

the Islamic government machinery, with nods from cabinet ministers, the

Home Ministry and state governments, unashamedly encouraged over-zealous

religious officers and Islamic-based NGOs, to propagate and sow seeds of

hatred towards the Christian community.

CCM Youth was informed that recently a group of students went for an

excursion to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, and were denied entry just because

their uniform had a cross. After so many years of racial-religious polarisation

under the hands of government machinery, religious and racial bigotry is nowblatantly practised and widely nurtured in government departments against

Christians. CCM Youth believed that the 10-Point Proposal was superfluous as

Christian citizens were not asking for anything extra, but for their basic

constitutional rights, enshrined in the Federal Constitution, to be respected and

honoured.

3. Christians' birthright to read, speak and write in the national language CCM Youth opined that it was ludicrous to deny Malaysian Christian

citizens the right to use the country's national language for the purposes of

exercising their faith.



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On the one hand, non-Malay citizens are often criticised for their

purported lack of loyalty when they did not speak Bahasa Malaysia, but when

they did, like in this case in order to read the Bible, which they had been doing

for generations, they were denied that right. CCM Youth reiterated that as

citizens of this country, it was their God-given birthright, which “should not begiven up, negotiated, traded away, nor 'sold for a bowl of pottage'”, being

simply rushed into just because Christian leaders were offered a “quick -fix”

solution to the immediate problems that were originally created by unjust

parties.

4. The 10-point proposal does not carry the weight of law

CCM Youth decried attempts to create a 'band-aid' compromise solutionthat did not carry the weight of law. If the government were truly sincere, there

would not be a need for a 10-Point Proposal. Insofar as this matter was

concerned, all the government needed to do was to instruct the Home Ministry

to drop its appeal on the 'Allah' issue, which the Catholic Church won on Dec

31, 2009 when it took the case to the High Court. This action would

immediately lead to the withdrawal of the Allah and the Al Kitab from any

further restrictions in the country.

CCM Youth urged the government to uphold democratic principles and

not play games by taking a round-about route that did not reflect their

sincerity.

5. 10-point proposal sows disunity amongst Christians

The 10-Point Proposal served only to promote disunity amongst Christians,

playing to the ruling government's 'divide-and-rule' tune. CCM Youthquestioned how it could be plausible for a 1Malaysia, yet a 2Bible and 3Rule

solution?

If at all, it only cemented CCM Youth's opinion that 1Malaysia had been

nothing but political rhetoric. If Christian leaders had agreed to this proposal,

the Orang Asal of Sabah and Sarawak would have one rule; while believers in

the peninsula, including the Orang Asli, would have another rule. Should

Christians subject themselves to such confusion and be manipulated to accept

such terms? Likewise, by agreeing to such terms now, would Christians then

forfeit the right to resolve future outstanding matters beyond the Al Kitab issue?



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6. No guarantee that pledges or assurances will be honoured

Time and time again, the Christian community have been given

assurances but only to be disappointed later on. CCM Youth urged church

leaders to be wise, for what had been dressed as compromise could turn out to

be an entrapment – “Even the elect were deceived, if that were possible.”

CCM Youth pointed out that they were well aware that there were many

obstacles ahead, and they understood the “card game was in the hands” of the

government. Even if the federal government gave the impression of giving

way, they could fall back on the state government machinery that would kick

in and take that to another gear which involved harassing book stores, printers,forwarding agents, schools and so on, located in affected states.

7. The tipping point - today's decision will impact future generations

CCM Youth urged church leaders to take their time and not to be in a

hurry. It was imperative that they did not fail future generations, or act in a

manner that could adversely undermine or enslave future generations from

practising their faithfreely. CCM Youth urged church leaders to remain

faithful and to take as much time as they needed to ponder and to ask pertinent

questions without compromising the faith. Otherwise, future generations

would return to remind past generations of leaders of "compromises" made

today, or that the church leaders held silent when they could have spoken up,

having restrained themselves from pursuing justice when they had the

opportunity to do so.

CCM Youth urged church leaders not to worry about having to come to a

decision by the CFM's Biennial General Meeting on April 14, 2011, but to

take ample time to pray and seek the Lord before coming to a decision. CCM

Youth reminded church leaders that even the youths today were still learning

the full extent of the rights that had been eroded to-date as events unfolded,

and CCM Youth would endeavour to support church leaders to their best of

abilities to recover that which was lost, and hand over full freedom to future

generations as their legacy.



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8. Are we speaking to the right party with the authority?

With due respect to Senator Idris Jala, CCM Youth raised concerns that

there were no assurances that he had the full weight of the cabinet behind him in

this regard, given the underlying tones and lack of media support from cabinet

ministers. Even the prime minister himself had been strangely silent.

From remarks given by the home minister and various “shadow

gatekeepers”, there had been no assurance that the relevant ministries would

honour any form of agreement. What remained consistent so far had been the

consistency of the government's inconsistencies. The danger of flip-flops was not

a probability, but a given. CCM Youth believed that this rush to force a solution

was inadvertently linked to the outcome of the Sarawak elections and the

potential impact from its Christian majority population.

CCM Youth observed that it was this careless 'short-term opportunistic'

attitude of the government for political expediency that had made them wary of

such overtures and advised church leaders to exercise greater caution under such

circumstances. If the government were sincere in addressing the grievances of

the Christian community, CCM Youth believed that nothing less than the comingtogether of a task force from the Prime Minister's Department, the Home

Ministry, the attorney-general, the Education Ministry and all state governments

and Islamic departments had to take place.

9. Sorry seems to be the hardest word

CCM Youth pointed out that it was Idris Jala (centre) who apologised.

So far, no official statement of apology had been offered by any ministry,

especially none was forthcoming from the home minister, the main protagonist

who directed the stamping of the Bibles.

The public ought to know that this entire episode of the desecration of the

Christian's Holy Scriptures happened during the holy month of Lent which

precedes and commemorates the Lord Jesus Christ's crucifixion and celebrates

His resurrection. If an opportunity presented itself for reconciliation and

restoration to properly right the grave wrong committed, CCM Youth would

certainly offer forgiveness. Obviously, the situation had yet to present itself.



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10. Christian cabinet ministers must take leadership

CCM Youth noted that except for Idris Jala, many Christian cabinet

ministers have kept silent. One cabinet minister even called Christians foolish

for holding

prayer rallies. CCM Youth challenged cabinet ministers to be faithful and to

choose today whom they served - whether God or man.

CCM Youth reiterated that they were not being unreasonable, audaciously

demanding or stirring trouble. CCM Youth regretted that for a long time, the

church had remained silent, having compromised when it should not have.

In good faith, church leaders had been drawn into endless unproductiveclosed-door meetings, given verbal promises and handshake agreements that

never materialized. Unfortunately for the church, Christian goodwill had

not been reciprocated, and closed door agreements never honoured. The recent

desecration of the Al Kitab was the last straw.

CCM Youth called upon all Christians today to rally firmly behind their

Christian leaders as they worked towards a resolution for the community.CCM Youth urged the Christian community to uphold their leaders in prayer

more fervently. CCM Youth reiterated that they remained committed to

nation-building and bringing about justice, peace and reconciliation for all

Malaysians and migrants, and would stop at nothing to bring about change for

the betterment of all peoples regardless of creed, race or religion, through

proclaiming truth and bringing about justice and transformation to the nation.

8 April 2011

CCM Youth



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12.6)What are the core issue of using “Bahasa Bible” in Malaysia?

i. The Malaysia Constitution has guaranteed us the religious freedom

and in Malaysia agreement that was sign in 1963 has guarantee

religious freedom for Sabah and Sarawak.

ii. Root of problem: Parliament has violated the policy in 1986 religious

freedom.

iii. Islamic Council of Malaysia has declared that Christians in Malaysia

that are using BM version Bible cannot use the “32 words that are

commonly used in Islam” especially of Allah, Rasuh, and until now it

has not been withdrawn.

iv. Government has often lack of good will to solve the problem:

The government recently has encountered the state election in

Sarawak, giving promises but not solving the core problem just to

secure the victory in state election.

Malaysia Constitution, Article 11(1) in terms and provision of

the International Declaration of Human Rights Article 7

promises religious freedom.

Sarawak 18 and Sabah 20 points declare the rights in religious

freedom.

Bible in “Malaysia language” has been declared under ISA as the

threat to the national book, and then

Under Publication rule, the Bible in “Malaysia language BM”

version has been declared as a threat to the community

stability.



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v. From the perspective of Law and the policy :

As long as Security Act (ISA) is still considered the “Bahasa Malaysia”

version of Bible as the threat of national security.

As long as The Publication Act Statement “Bahasa Malaysia”

version of Bible as the threat to the public order.

vi. What we Christians should do? :

Emphasizing and uphold the constitution right in religion freedom.

Supports the 1963 Malaysian Agreement especially the assurance

of religious freedom to Sarawak and Sabah.

Upholding the sanctity of Bible is the word of God for all mankind.

Understanding the spiritual forces behind using “Bahasa bible”,

“Allah”etc.

If the law has stated “BM Bible” is an offensive item, then

where is our rights of religious freedom?



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Chapter 13: Understanding the meaning of Jubilee

1. Recovering the Lost of the Year of Jubilee for Malaysia

The year of Jubilee of a nation is set by God. Year of Jubilee is a divine

event, whereby God encounters His people. In the Divine calendar, 49th

yearcomes after 7 cycles of Sabbatical years. The following 50th year is the year of

Jubilee. Therefore, a national state's fifth decade is a crucial moment. The

state will experience major changes in the year of Jubilee.

The heart of God to His people in a country is to receive blessing in the

year of the Jubilee. The year of Jubilee is also a time a state entering God’s

blessing in recycling. When we declare “the year of Jubilee”, we ignited thedestiny God has given us. The year of Jubilee is therefore an important

moment of national transformation.

What exact year is the Year of Jubilee for Malaysia? Has it been over? Or

it has yet to come? On 31st

August 2007, the whole nation celebrated

national day of establishment of Malaysia for fifty years. Churches in West

Malaysia joined in to celebrate the year of Jubilee for Malaysia. Does this

mean that the year of Jubilee for Malaysia has been over? West Malaysia isstill fixing August 31

stas the National day. In fact, this is incorrect. Let us

retrieve the missed calculation of the year of Jubilee for Malaysia.

Malaysia Government celebrated “ Jubilee year” in 2007.



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Chapter 13-Understanding the meaning of Jubilee

31 August 1957 is the Independence Day for the Federation of Malaya.

The formation of Malaysia with the combination of Federation of Malaya, Sabah,

Sarawak and Singapore took place in 16th

September 1963. Therefore, till this

very day, Malaysia has only been established for 48 years. According to the

record made by the United Nations, there is only the name Federation of

Malaya in the year 1957. But in 16

th

September 1963, a new federation wasborn, that was Malaysia. The members in Malaysia were Malaya, Singapore,

Sabah and Sarawak.

Therefore, all this while, Malaysia celebrated National Day on the wrong

date. The correct date is supposed to be 16th

September. From 16th

September

1963 to 16th

September 2012, Malaysia has gone through 49 years. From 16th

September 2012 onwards, Malaysia has entered into its 50th

year. TheSeptember 16

th2013 will be the celebration of the year of Jubilee for Malaysia.

Therefore, we can say that the year of Jubilee of the Lord for Malaysia is yet to

come.

2. Year of Jubilee: God’s desire for a nation

In the bible, God has set important cycles of festival for his people such as

Sabbath day, Year of Sabbath, Passover, Pentecostal and Feast of Tabernacles.

The design of these festival cycles are used to break down dark forces from the

enemies, and to help the nation breaking free from curses and enter into the

cycles of God’s blessing.



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The 1st Key Point of the year of Jubilee is:

God’s people and the land must turn from toil into Sabbath.

( Leviticus 25:8-12)

We must break free from the cycle of poverty and enter into a new

season. We must learn sabbatical rest and recognize the Lord is the provider

for human being. The Year of Jubilee is ordained by God to bring blessing to the

land and the people. God wants us to learn to trust in Him. In the year of Jubilee,

the land and soil enter into a time of agricultural adjustment. The land must

enter into total rest without toiling and harvest. People must learn to trust God

for providence and rest in the Lord.

The 2nd Key Point is:

In the year of Jubilee, ownership of the land must be redeemed.

( Leviticus 25:23-28 )

Land is a God’s given common property to the people. The lord is the

permanent owner of the land. We have no rights to own it permanently. In the

year of Jubilee, all previous loses including jobs, family, businesses, marriages,

must be redeemed. Religious freedom, political rights, economical prosperity

must be recovered.



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Picture showing the Lawas

people in Sarawak defended

their land from being occupied,they opposed the plan of

implantation of the Petronas

natural gas pipe. This is

because the natural gas pipe

has crossed into their

reservation area.

The indigenous people in

Sarawak defended their rights

to maintain traditional

heritage.

http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7411:malaysia-

50-sabah-sarawak-gas-pipeline-workers-stopped-at-blockade-15km-out-of-lawas-

town&catid=62:southeast-asia-indigenous-peoples&Itemid=84

http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7411:malaysia-50-sabah-sarawak-gas-pipeline-workers-stopped-at-blockade-15km-out-of-lawas-town&catid=62:southeast-asia-indigenous-peoples&Itemid=84









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The 3rd Key Point is :

God wants his people to debts free

( Deuteronomy 15:1-6 )

The heart of God is to help His people breaking free from economic

constrains, so that there will be no poor people among us. In the season of

Jubilee, poor people could establish a new beginning. Aside from this, hurts

among people groups and within individuals must be released in forgiveness

and enter into a new relationship with reconciliation.

According to The World Bank economic report of Malaysia released

November last year for the year 2009-2010, East Malaysia states of Sabah and

Sarawak were still the poorest states in Malaysia. Sabah has accounted to 10%

of the whole country’s population, but the poor people of Sabah had accounted

to 40% of the whole poor population of the country.

http://www.seehua.com/node/2775（ Seehua – November 2010 ）

http://www.seehua.com/node/2775

http://www.seehua.com/node/2775



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The 4th

Key Point is :

God wants man to be set free from any unfair, injustice, oppression system.

( Leviticus 25:25-29, 39-46 )

Every individual is created in the image of God. Everyone is equal in God’s

eyes. The year of Jubilee is a day where man can be set free. It is the people’s

day of freedom.

In March 2010, some leaders

in the UMNO general

meeting, emphasised the

intention to defend Malay

people and the Malay

culture with a Keris lifted up.

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Hishammudddin_Tun_Hussein

31st

December 2009, Kuala LumpurHigh Court has judged that the Malay

version of Herald Newspaper has the

rights granted by the constitution to

use the word “Allah” and announced

that the prohibition of the Minister of

National Security is invalid. This

judgement made a great disturbance.

Many Islamic organizations opposed

this decision and held protest rally in

8th

January 2010.






83

http://malaysiajustice.blogspot.com/2010/01/malaysian-churches-burn-because-of.html


Left picture showing petrol

bombs were casted on threechurches in Kuala Lumpur and

Selangor on 9th

January 2010.

Nine churches have been

attacked by Muslims, but

fortunately no one suffered

injuries.

Metro Tabernacle in Kuala Lumpur was thrown with petrol bombs and

burned by fire. Only the ground floor among the three storey building has

been burned and destroyed.

http://www.bintulu.org/news/2010/08/13/kl-metro-tabernacle-church-attack-court-rule-brothers-guilty.php

3. Year of Jubilee, year of God

God treasures His words and He is a God of season. God always works

according to His words. In the Old Testament, we can see how God

remembered His convenient, and acted according to His words.

God prophesized that Abraham’s descendants will be slaves

Genesis 15:13-“And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy

seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve

them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; ”



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God prophesized that Abraham’s descendants will be slaves for 400 years

and the people of Egypt really tortured Israelites for 400 years.

God prophesized that He’ll lead the Israelites out from slavery.

Genesis 15:14,16- “14And also that nation, whom they shall serve,

will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity

of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Exodus 12:37-41 “And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to

Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside

children.38And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks,

and herds, even very much cattle.40Now the sojourning of the children

of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.41And it

came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even theselfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out

from the land of Egypt.”

However, Israelites were brought out of Egypt by God after

430years. God kept His promise. Numbers is very significant to God.

God does His work according to his Time.



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Daniel found the prophecy of Jeremiah

Daniel 9:2-5 “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the

number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the

prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of

Jerusalem.3And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer andsupplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4 And I prayed unto

the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great

and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him,

and to them that keep his commandments;5We have sinned, and have

committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by

departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments.”

Jerusalem was in abandonment for 70 years, Prophet Daniel Noted the

prophecy of Prophet Jeremiah in 530 BC, he began to seek God’s heart.

Jeremiah prophesized that Jerusalem will be destroyed for 70 years.

Jeremiah 25:11-13 “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an

astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy

years.12And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished,that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for

their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual

desolations.13And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have

pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah

hath prophesied against all the nations.”

Jeremiah prophesized in about 600BC that the Jews will be under captivityfor 70 years.



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50 years is a numerical number of God. The year of Jubilee is declared by

God. But we need to cry upon God so that he can intervene. We can learn

from Prophet Daniel on how he cried upon the Lord to fulfil His promise.

‘Dear Lord! Please enter our country, change our country’s administrative

system, political set up, cultural practices and other areas. Help our

country to enter into your will. Amen.’

God Himself accomplished what He said 70 years ago

(Ezra 1:1-4) “1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that theword of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the

LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a

proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing,

saying,2Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven

hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged

me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.3Who isthere among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him

go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the

LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.4And

whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men

of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and

with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is

in Jerusalem.”

Determining our country’s year of jubilee according to

history.

13/9/1963 – 15/9/2012 = altogether 49 years

16/9/2012 – 15/9/2013 = 50

th

year.

(that is our country’s year of Jubilee)



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Chapter 14: Churches in Sabah must enter into the revival year of Jubilee

14.1) The Myth of Sabah’s Twenty Points

(Genesis 25:29-34)

29And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I

am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

31 And Jacob said, Sell me is day thy birthright.

32And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this

birthright do to me?

33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him: and he sold his

birthright unto Jacob.

34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink,

and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

This story appears to remind us to pray about the rights which were granted

Sabah at the time of the formation of Malaysia, with the hope that all these rights

be restored in the promises of the year of Jubilee. Otherwise the Twenty Points

for the protection of the rights of the people will become red pottage! The eldest

son in a family has a very important status and responsibility, he will not only

inherit double portion of his father's wealth; he is also the leader of the family.

Esau did not treasure this status; he coveted food which was for a moment, and

gave up his right as the eldest son for just a bowl of red pottage. His brother

Jacob cheated him, and wrestled the right from him.

Malaysia was originally formed with 4 members. During the early stage of

promoting the concept of Malaysia, because of the special political environment

and background, Malaya, Singapore agreed, under the agreement between the

representatives of the United Kingdom and the United Nations, to give to Sabah

and Sarawak the Twenty Points and the Eighteen Points for the protection of

their rights, which included immigrant rights, land rights, the rights for religious

freedom etc. Hence, the two states of Sabah and Sarawak agreed with Singapore

and the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia. At that time, the governments of

Sarawak and Sabah and their natives were given special rights just like the eldest

son of the country.



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Chapter 14 - Churches in Sabah must enter into the revival year of Jubilee

Since the 1970s, the federal government had continuously implementing

policies imposing restrictions upon the states of Sabah and Sarawak. However,

the political leaders of Sabah were like Esau, who because of blindness and

personal interests, had sold out Sabah‟s birthright as the eldest son, i.e. the

rights of the state government, hence losing the opportunities to protect the

rights of the two states.

The Twenty Points and the Eighteen Points were originally the basic

protected rights given by the Malaya Agreement and the Federal constitution

to the two East Malaysia states. However the federal government did not

honor their promises, exploiting the development of the people of the two

states, resulting in the two states becoming the poorest regions.

Today, let us again ponder upon the story of the red pottage, let our

political leaders and the native churches stop despising the birthright of the

eldest son, but value the rights to inherit the land and the spiritual authority.

As such, churches must pray for the native churches of Sabah, help them to

come out of the spiritual bondage in the coming Jubilee, have the birthright of

the eldest son restored to them, and help them to lead Sabah to restore all therights which were lost in the past, so that we can enter from poverty into the

promises of abundance.

Core idea:

1) To recognize that in the establishment of the Malaysia

agreement, the Twenty Points and the Eighteen Points are meant to

protect the rights of the two states of Sabah and Sarawak

2) To recognize that the natives, the eldest son of the land hold the

key to revival of this land



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14.2 ) The Stone Monument of Oath

On the 31st

August 1964, the Stone Monument of Oath was established in

Keningau by Tan Sri Manickavsagam (Federal Minister), Donald Stephens (The

First Chief Minister of Sabah)， Datuk G.S. Sundang（ President of Pasok

Momogun）, Yeap Kee Aik (Federal Officials), Richard Lind（Keningau Pegawai

Daerah)， government officials, local chiefs etc. to commemorate the first

anniversary of Sabah autonomy and the establishment of Malaysia.

Leaders of the various local native tribes and Tan Sri Manickavsagam

(Federal Minister from West Malaysia) together witnessed the opening ceremony of

the Stone Monument of Oath.

.



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Three areas were covered by the contents stipulated on the plaque:

1. Religious freedom in Sabah.

2. The lands in Sabah are under the control of the Government of Sabah.

3. Native traditions and customs should be respected and preserved by

the Government.

The natives of Sabah expressed that they would be loyal to the Federal

Government of Malaysia if the government would protect their rights.

The oath taking ceremony was in the form of ‘Moningolig’ of the Dusun

and Murut tribes, conducted by bobohizan the local witch. The oath taking

ceremony covered witchcraft, and the oath included the recognition of the

power of the gods and the willingness to worship them, while praying to the

gods to protect this land and the people. During the ceremony, the

bobohizan killed a white roaster in front of the stone of oath, and sprinkled

its blood on the stone to indicate the strengthening of the agreement with

the gods. In order to remember this agreement, the bobohizan wouldconduct a roaster sacrificial ceremony at the stone of oath every year so that

this agreement would continue.



91


The picture above shows the native bobohizan conducting the ceremony in

front of the stone monument

The stone monument of oath was a very important stone monument to

the natives, it represented the pledge of the federal government to protect the

rights of the natives of Sabah, and the pledge of the natives to be loyal to the

federal government. However, the establishment of the agreement appeared to

be unilateral on the part of the tribal leaders, as there was no representatives

from the federal government to commemorate the agreement. Furthermore,

this agreement was not made with God, but with the spirits through the

bobohizan. Because of the mistake of making agreement with the powers of darkness in the process of taking oath, a gap had been created, not only

making the agreement ineffective, but had also brought about bondage and

curses, just like what happened to the Israelites when they forgot about their

God and turned to worship the golden calf. The native pastors must now rise

up and repent on behalf of their ancestors, pray and render powerless the

agreement made with the powers of darkness. We want to proclaim that the

land of Sabah belongs to the Lord, we want to covenant with God, and ask

God to bless and protect Sabah.



92


Examples of making covenant using stones can also be found in the Old

Testament. It is written in Deuteronomy 27:1-10: “Now Moses, with the

elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying: „Keep all the commandmentswhich I command you today. „And it shall be, on the day when you cross over

the river of Jordan to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, „a land

flowing with milk and honey,‟ just as the Lord God of your Fathers promised

you….” The Israelites used stones as witness, to remember that the Land was

given by God. The natives instead used gods and witchcraft to strengthen the

agreement between the people of Sabah and the federal government, and

offered the land and the people to witchcraft and gods, hence they had sinnedagainst the God who gave us the land of Sabah.

In the Bible, the covenant between God and the land of the nation is the

covenant of Jubilee. God said the land and the people are His, and shall

receive rest, freedom and joy in the year of Jubilee. Hence the people of a

nation shall enter the covenant of Jubilee on the fiftieth year, entering into a

new cycle and God‟s blessings for the nation and its people. The Lord is theGod who established the covenant of Jubilee, He will surely strengthen His

covenant. If we obey God's covenant, we shall enter the Jubilee promises. We

must believe that when our native church leaders, in their capacity as the eldest

son, once again offer to God on behalf of the land and the people the right to

this land, religious freedom, cultural development and political autonomy, and

make a covenant with God, the curses and bondage of poverty, backwardness,

oppression and inferiority which were brought down upon the land and the

people by the powers of darkness and witchcraft shall be broken, the land and

the people shall then be able to enter into the freedom and abundance brought

by the presence of God.

May the natives rise up to covenant with God, and offer to God once

again the land and the people, so that healing and revival shall come to our

land and our people. Amen!



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14.3 ) The obligations and responsibilities of the English and Chinese Churches

The natives are the owners of the nation and the land, they have the status

of the eldest son, and they hold the key to authority and revival of the nation and

the land. The Chinese and English speaking churches have received the propheticvision of the natives being the eldest son and the year of Jubilee, hence these

churches must rise up at this critical moment to help the natives regain the status

of the eldest son, enabling them to lead this country into the destiny that God has

for us.

After Daniel had seen the prophecy of prophet Jeremiah, he cried out to

God for the nation:

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and

supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my

God and made confession, and said, „O Lord, great and awesome God, who

keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who

keep His commandments, ‟We have sinned and committed iniquity, we have

done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your

judgments. ‟Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke inYour name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the

land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this

day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those

who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have

driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To

us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers,

because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and

forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him. (Dan 9:3-9)

Daniel repented for Jerusalem, God heard his prayer. After Judah had

become captives in Babylon for 70 years, King Cyrus decreed the construction of

the temple.

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the

mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus

king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and

also put it in writing: "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of

heaven, has



94


given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a

house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (Ezra 1:1-2)

Today the church must repent before God for having neglected the eldest

son of the land. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble

themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I

will hear from heaven, and I will f orgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2

Chro 7:14)

The Chinese and English speaking churches have the responsibility to help

the natives who are the eldest son to rise up to lead the revival of the nation. The

eldest son is the representative of the nation to covenant with the land, only they

can war in the frontline to regain the rights that had been lost.

In order for Sabah Malaysia to enter into God's destiny, the natives‟ status

as the eldest son must first be restored, and secondly we must help the natives

and other ethnic people to enter into a good relationship and unity. Finally, we

the Chinese and English churches must teach our believers to care, love and be

committed to our land and country. We must not be anxious to keep our children

overseas or migrate just because of the unsatisfactory environment here. God

has His own purposes for putting us in a certain place.

Acts 17:26,27 and Jeremiah 1:4

Let us affirm the spiritual status of the natives, bless the native churches,

care for and love our land. Let us in unity allow the native churches to lead us

into the jubilee of this land and the destiny of this country, to fulfil God‟s

purposes for our country. Amen!

arise malaysia! welcoming the jubilee year of our nation (english)

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