NUCC urges Govt to ensure compliance with 10-point solution

KUALA LUMPUR - The newly-formed National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) has called on the Government to ensure compliance with the 10-point solution announced in 2011, and said the recent Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) raid and seizure of bibles from the Bible Society of Malaysia, blatantly disregarded this.

"This is a blatant disregard of the 10-point solution made by the Federal Government in April 2011 and reiterated by the Prime Minister in Oct 2013", said NUCC chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman.

"NUCC calls on the government to ensure compliance with the 10-point solution and respond to the challenges to national unity with a greater sense of urgency.

"NUCC regrets the raid and confiscation of the bibles," he told reporters after chairing its inaugural meeting here Monday.

Under the 10-point solution, Bibles in all languages can be imported into the country, including those in Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia, and that Bibles can also be printed locally in Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

He also called on all parties to abide by the 10-point solution, which had been accepted by the Christian Federation of Malaysia.

Samsudin said NUCC's working committees on Law and Policy and Multiculturalism will immediately address the controversial issues.

"The working committees will host closed-door discussions with religious authorities, religious and community leaders to find a peaceful settlement.

He confirmed that Jais would be called to sit in on the discussions.

Samsudin clarified that the NUCC would not comment on usage of the word "Allah".

"We (NUCC) are not touching on the kalimah Allah issue, that is for the religious (departments) people to work out. We are talking about the raid on places of worship.

"Nobody should interfere with other people's religions," he said.

"At the moment, we are hopeful for a peaceful solution over the matter," he said, adding that all Malaysians must respect all places of worship and not hold demonstrations in their vicinity.

Last Thursday, Jais enforcement officers seized about 350 copies of Christian publications from the premises of the Bible Society of Malaysia in Damansara Kim here.

Earlier, Samsudin, who is the former Chief Secretary to the Government, announced that NUCC had been tasked with coming out with a National Bluerprint Plan on Unity in two years' time.