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KOTA KINABALU: Political parties should not resort to sensitive religious statements that could cause disunity among the people of the country, says Acting Chief Minister Sabah Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said statements that affect religious and community sensibilities should be avoided if the nation is to move forward.
Shafie added that people should understand what was happening in America and the Middle East, adding that racial and religious issues were creating extremism that is not right for creating a united and progressive society.
“We want to be united and live in harmony. If we provoke racial and religious problems, unity will not be achieved, ”he told reporters after attending statewide National Day celebrations here on Monday (August 31).
Shafie said this when asked about PAS Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh, who declined to apologize for saying in Parliament recently that the Bible had been distorted.
Nik Muhammad’s statement had drawn criticism from churches in Sabah, as well as from political parties who demanded that he withdraw his statement.
Shafie said that statements like the one made by the PAS leader were unjustified as they did not bring anything good for the people and the future.
He said that leaders cannot focus solely on their political ideology, as this would destroy unity among the people.
“We have to foster unity, we must stand together to build our race and nation. We cannot be extreme or narrow in our way.
“Just because we want to be in power or achieve certain things, we should not jeopardize existing harmony by setting it aside,” he said.
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