From Malay Mail · Julia Chan · · 2m
Sabah MPs want an apology for the Umno stage joke
A punchline about a priest, a nun and Psalm 129 at the Umno assembly has two Sabah leaders demanding a public apology.
In brief
A punchline about a priest, a nun and Psalm 129 at the Umno assembly has two Sabah leaders demanding a public apology. In a multi-religious country, a joke told from a national party's stage is never just a joke, and the people asking for the apology are from the coalition's own ranks. Originally reported by Malay…
Two Sabah MPs speak up
Tenom MP Arthur Kurup and Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau have both called on Sepang Umno chief Noorazli Said to apologise for remarks about Christianity and the Bible.
The joke on stage
At Saturday's Umno general assembly, Noorazli told a joke involving a priest and a nun, with the punchline attributed to Psalm 129 in the Bible.
The verse does not exist
The passage he credited to Psalm 129 does not actually appear there. The scripture was invented for the punchline.
Not the maturity expected
Kurup called the remarks highly inappropriate and said they fell short of what a political leader should show. Political differences, he said, are no licence to mock someone's faith for applause.
“Politics has its limits, freedom of speech comes with responsibility, and religion is not something to be made light of”
Six decades, same lesson
Kurup said it was deeply disappointing that leaders still turn religion into political comedy in a country built on multi-racial, multi-religious foundations. He pointed to the 3Rs: race, religion, royalty.
Unity cannot be part time
As BN Sabah chairman, Kurup noted Barisan Nasional was founded on unity and solidarity across races and faiths, a principle that has to hold even when it is inconvenient.
“We cannot speak about unity at one moment while, at another, allowing the religion of others to be turned into material for political jokes”
Tangau wants it withdrawn
Tangau called the joke grossly inappropriate and offensive, and asked Noorazli to admit poor judgment, retract the Psalm 129 reference and offer an unqualified public apology to Catholics.
“Sacred Scripture, Catholic priests and religious sisters should not be sexualised or ridiculed from the stage of a major national political party”
Noorazli's answer so far
On Facebook he said the joke was an analogy about focus, perseverance and wisdom, never meant to insult a religion, and that he had learned to be more careful with analogies.
“It was never meant to insult, belittle, or demean anyone or a religion”
In short
In a multi-religious country, a joke told from a national party's stage is never just a joke, and the people asking for the apology are from the coalition's own ranks.
