Elak retorik memecah-belahkan, hormati semua agama, gesa Uskup Agung Kuching

On Malaysia's National Day, Archbishop Simon Poh urged the Malaysian people to leave behind animosity and prioritize sincere friendship and brotherhood. The Catholic Church of Malaysia (CBCM) urged citizens to avoid suspicion and shun political or religious rhetoric capable of dividing society, stemming from a recent unseemly comment by a senior Umno leader.

In his National Day message, Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching stated that mocking religious figures should not be made in any official gathering in the country. He addressed a video circulating on social media showing Umno Sepang Noorazli Said making an inappropriate joke about a pastor and a midwife during the Umno Grand Congress on Saturday.

Poh, who is also the president of CBCM, described the incident as a wound to the hearts of the Catholic community because preachers and midwives are highly esteemed. "For generations, dedicated midwives have consecrated their entire lives to managing hospitals, charitable institutions, and schools that serve and educate the Malaysian people from all races and religions.

However, it is realized how many citizens were affected, urging legal action, an open apology, retracting the mockery, and the appropriate action to handle defamation of religious sensitivity," he said in a statement. Calling for harmony preservation, Poh also urged the Malaysian people to avoid political or religious rhetoric that could ignite community harmony among different ethnicities.

"As citizens of this country, let us be careful with our words and guard our hearts from suspicion, hatred, and stereotyping when referring to one another's ethnicities, religions, or communities," he said. He also invited the public to cherish the common identity as "children of Malaysia" by abandoning animosity and embracing sincere friendship and brotherhood.

The statement was released after the National Catholic Pastoral Convention held in Sibu, Sarawak, from September 9 to 13. The convention gathered 1,000 Catholic representatives including cardinals, archbishops, priests, pastors, nuns, and community leaders from Peninsular, Sabah, and Sarawak. Among the issues discussed were family life, youth, environment, charitable services, and efforts to build the nation.