Putrajaya today unveiled new members of the Committee
to Promote Understanding and Harmony among Religious Adherents (JKMPKA) for the
2016-2017 session.
Its 32 members were announced by Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Najib Razak in his office in Putrajaya and with 29 present to receive
their letters of appointment today.
The committee’s new chairman is Datuk Azman Amin
Hassan, the former director-general of the Malaysian National Unity and
Integration Department (JPNIN), and the deputy chairman is Rev Dr Hermen
Shastri, general-secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM).
Among the main committee members are Tan Sri Datuk Seri Simon Sipaun, the founding chairman of the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) and a former Malaysian Human Rights commissioner;
Datuk Seri Jit Heng, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST); Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok, Archbishop of Southeast Asia’s Anglican Church; Prof Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong, head of the History, Heritage and Social Cluster of National Professor Council; and Datuk John Sikayun, former Sabah Law Association head.
Others are Datuk Mohan Shanmugam, president of
Malaysia Hindu Sangam; academics Associate Professor Madeline Berma and
Associate Professor Mohamed Md Yusoff; Negara-Ku steering committee chairman
Zaid Kamaruddin; Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) president Mohammad Raimi
Abd Rahim; former MCCBCHST president Sardar Jagir Singh; MCCBCHST office-bearer
Daozhang Tan Hoe Chieow; and Tan Kong Beng, executive secretary of the
Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM).
Najib, at the ceremony to hand out the appointment
letters, said efforts to strengthen Malaysia's multi-faith and multi-racial
society should be “formalised and institutionalised”.
"It has to be a concerted effort, a well-planned
coordinated effort for us to strengthen national unity, or national
integration. We may have national harmony but we must work towards an ideal
(situation) that is a true sense of national unity.
“This (committee) is the mechanism to find solutions,
there are solutions and we must find solutions that are fair and just,” he
said.
He said the process of nation building should continue
even though Malaysia had managed to overcome challenges after independence in
1957.
“This process should not have an end because to build
a harmonious nation would take a very long time.”
He said Malaysians also should find core values that
cut across all faiths and communities.
“Some of the core values that we should try to identify is that we should conduct
ourselves as Malaysians in a moderate way – moderation, mutual respect and
working together, the spirit of give and take, wanting to find solution, not to
create problems.
“These are some of the core values as Malaysians and
we should adhere to the core values.”
Najib said Malaysians should also refer to the Federal
Constitution as a guide to binding people together with “respect, belonging and
togetherness”.
He urged the committee's new members to fulfil their
roles in working for a peaceful and harmonious Malaysia.
“There will be problems, there will be challenges
because we are living in a complex
society but with a positive attitude, I'm confident that as Malaysians we will
continue to live in peace and harmony.
“I’m counting on you to play your part to achieve and
cherish these goals.” – February 24, 2016.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-unveils-29-new-members-of-religious-harmony-panel#sthash.ToDKhsmJ.dpuf
Published: 24 February 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment