Pantau Penampang says mufti gone overboard with remarks

PENAMPANG - The Pergerakkan Pemantau Sukarelawan Penampang (PANTAU Penampang) a community movement established in Penampang today joined the chorus in criticizing the Mufti of Sabah, Bungsu @ Aziz Jaafar (photo) for his remark that a programme to Malaynize (make Malay) the Muslim indigenous in Sabah is needed.

The movement’s deputy President, Jerry Bensing said that as one of the State’s Government officials, the mufti had gone overboard with his careless and insensitive suggestion which has caused wide-spread anger and confusion among Sabahans, irrespective of their religion or race.

“I am pretty sure that the mufti issued his statement within his own personal capacity,” Bensing remarked in a statement emailed to the Borneo Insider.

“But as someone who is entrusted to ensure to look after the welfare and knowledge regarding to the Islamic issues in Sabah, he did went overboard when he came out with a suggestion that could potentially change the demographic pattern in Sabah

“When we look at the comments made by our fellow Sabahans in the social media such as Facebook and Twitter, we could see that even our own muslim-indigenous Sabahans felt indignant with the suggestion made by the mufti.

“So basically, this issue transcends religious and racial sentiments. It is about how Sabahans (irrespective of whether they’re indigenous or not, Muslim or not) voicing out their concerns collectively on a perceived attempt to make Sabah as a Malay-majority states in Malaysia,” he argued.

Bnesing said there are allegations in the past of how the illegal immigrants in Sabah were made ‘instant Bumiputera’ and PANTAU Penampang’s concern is that, apart from the local muslim indigenous, the suggestion to ‘Malaynize’ made by the mufti may also cover these these instant bumiputera too, he added.

Bensing was also full of praise with the immediate response and cohesiveness shown by the ordinary Sabahans irrespective of their political affiliation in ensuring that Sabah do not loose her special identity in Malaysia.

“In short, it shows us how Sabahans take full pride as Sabahans and their uncompromising stand on any attempt to change their identity within Malaysia,” he concluded.

PANTAU Penampang is a community movement established to oversee and seek political and socio-economic reform in the district and Sabah.

It is spearheaded by Tan Sri Simon Sipaun as the head of advisors, Mdm. Jennifer Lasimbang as the President and supported by a number of activists and volunteers.

Borneo Insider