KOTA KINABALU: Sabahan leaders have reprimanded Pas' Pasir Puteh member of parliament Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh for saying that the Bible was distorted.
Parti Warisan Sabah treasurer general Terrence Siambun said that Nik Zawawi lacked self-control when he uttered words that clearly demean other people.
"There is no need to engage in dialogue with Nik Muhammad Zawawi because it is useless to do so as he has already made up his mind.
"But what the Sabahan Christians can do is to demand for Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Solidariti Tanah Air (Star) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) to pressure their political allies, Umno and Pas, to correct the situation.
"This is the best time to do so since PBS, Star and PBRS will be dependent on Sabahan Christian votes in the state election," he said, referring to the big demography of Bumiputeras who are of the Christian faith in states like Sarawak and Sabah.
Echoing the same sentiment was United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) deputy president Datuk Donald Mojuntin, who described Nik Zawawi's recent statement as being against Malaysia's multi-religious and multi-cultural fabric.
"I condemn any acts which disrupt unity. UPKO condemns this 'holier-than-thou' attitude, and we cannot tolerate bigotry.
"Respecting one another, living in harmony must be our routine norm in life," said the senator in a separate statement, while urging Nik Muhammad to retract his statement.
On Aug 26, Nik Zawawi had uttered in Dewan Rakyat that "Kitab Injil ini dipesongkan atau pun diubah" (The Bible was distorted or changed). He made the remark when debating the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020 which is proposing for heavier fines for drink-driving offenders.
Nik Zawawi's statement was believed to have been corrected by Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, but the former insisted he was correct and claimed he said it based on his study of comparative religion.