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Gerakan Youth deputy chief Andy Yong said that the churches should not mix religion with politics.

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22 Nov 2016

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EATING HUMBLE PIE

BLAMING THE MEDIA

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Bishop Paul said from what Andy Yong is quoted as saying, the Gerakan leader is in the wrong political coalition because he insists that religion must not be mixed with politics.

“Even a cursory survey of the Malaysian political landscape is enough to tell you which among the political parties fuses religion with politics,” argued the cleric.

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Gerakan Youth deputy chief Andy Yong has been accused of singling out Christians in his recent statement on why religion and Bersih should not mix.

Yong, however, claims his views were misconstrued by the media and said he was sorry if any churches were offended.

In a statement today, the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM), the umbrella group for Malaysian churches, said Yong appeared to have ignored the fact that Bersih supporters were made up of Malaysians of all faiths.

“Yong has chosen to pick out Christians but it baffles everybody as to why he has remained silent on the participation of thousands of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and others who have exercised their right to dissent.

“Can he show any evidence from leaders of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism who have made statements to deny the right of participation of their adherents in the said rally.

“So why pick on the Christians?” asked CCM general secretary Rev Hermen Shastri.

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Catholic Bishop Emeritus Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing said he was appalled by the extent of Gerakan Youth deputy leader Andy Yong’s ignorance of the Christian churches’ stand on Bersih 5.

In a statement issued yesterday, Yong criticised Christian clergymen whom he claimed took a partisan stand on polls reform advocacy group Bersih’s decision to organise a protest march in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

“To the extent one can decipher Andy Yong’s meaning from the muddle of his dysfunctional English, he said he thinks Christian clergymen had urged their congregations to wear Bersih colours to a prayer service in church and from there both priests and laity fanned out into the streets as partisan supporters of a political cause,” said the Jesuit-trained priest.

Bishop Paul said the truth was more nearly that Christian clerics saw the Bersih demand for clean and fair elections and corruption-free governance as inseparable from the social justice that all Christians must struggle for in this world.

“Churches’ decision to support Bersih’s aims was not mixing religion with politics as Andy Yong claims,” said the former head of the Catholic Church in the Malacca-Johor diocese.

“The churches’ stand was a projection of the social justice values of the Gospel and not a matter of dragging it into being a partisan supporter of political parties and their agendas,” iterated the prelate.

“Catholic clergy are forbidden from taking part in politics. They can voice support for social justice ideals but cannot be politically aligned players of the game,” said Bishop Paul.

“The laity can take part in politics but the clergy must stay above the partisan fray,” he clarified.

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21 Nov 2016

A Gerakan Youth leader has reminded churches that joined the call to attend Bersih 5 last week not to mix religion with politics.

He noted several churches held services before the rally with believers dressed in a particular colour.

“A archbishop (sic) who joined the rally also encouraged his followers to do the same,” said Gerakan Deputy Youth chief Andy Yong in statement.

“The archbishop (sic) is, of course, free to make a decision if it involves church matters, but to use the sacraments to encourage support or affiliation to certain political agendas is not appropriate.

“He should consider whether he risks fuelling the anger sentiment towards others with different faith and political support.

“He must consider the consequences of his actions,” Yong said.

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