Conversations: Bernard Dompok
“THE COUNTRY IS ALLOWED TO CORRECT ITSELF”
His office in the Prime Minister’s Office with its tall glass windows afforded visitors a panoramic view of those grand buildings, manicured gardens and famous bridges in Putrajaya. The minister in the PM’s Department (and former deputy chief minister and chief minister of Sabah) was relaxed, very warm and hospitable, easy in his manners, informal and welcoming. Throughout the two hours he had graciously given to Bob Teoh and me, he was cool and collected. His answers to our questions came easily and he spoke without any sign of stress. His memory was good.He interacted with us. He spoke to the point. There was no rambling or boasting. Here was a man at peace with himself, assured and clear about what he was saying.
I explained to him that The Micah Mandate was a new venture, opened to the public only on May 05 and still in its experimental stage. It was initiated by a few Christians who were concerned that there should be a Christian voice on issues of nation-building on the net. That there was a need to encourage Christians to engage in the country’s political process at different levels and in different degrees irrespective of political philosophy or persuasions or risk losing our place in the decision-making process by default . We were still feeling our way forward.
Our conversation that morning on May 13 2008 covered a wide range of topics: his own beginnings in politics, the situation in Sabah then and now, his struggle in the cause of religious freedom, his role in the cabinet, his advice for Christians.
“Politics is something you go into knowing that you have to serve.”
“What advice will you as a Christian in politics to Christians especially of the younger generations who may be considering entering the political arena?” was my first question to him.
His answer came straightaway without pause or hesitation: “Politics is something you go into knowing that you have to serve. You have a people to represent. There must be a cause for you to go into politics and you must believe in this cause in order to sustain your political involvement.”
Then he went back to his own political beginnings: “For me, stirrings of politics began when the state government of Sabah was arrogant, running over others. The Chief Minister would just abrogate a district to spite the people for voting the opposition.”
His entry into politics was a “conscious decision just like Keadilan who never thought they would win. We went into it to make a statement.”
While acknowledging that “lots of good” was done, the regrettable things which were committed could not be overlooked. He spoke of infringements on religious freedom a cause for which he had long been engaged in.
“It had been a long struggle and remains a disappointment for many of us till this day.”
“Mass conversion ceremonies were held.”
The principles of freedom of choice in religion and freedom of practice in religion were “thrown aside” by Tun Mustapha.
“Not necessarily himself but his administration and many people were converted into Islam. Not that people cannot convert but it must be strictly by their own choice.”
But he said there was a certain amount of coercion applied.This was also true under the Berjaya government of Harris Salleh. There was injustice. Illegal immigrants were allowed in. The government’s stand was ambivalent. There were suggestions that this might even have been encouraged by the government from Kuala Lumpur. The state’s demography was changed to become more Muslim.
“Mass conversion ceremonies were held. At the end of the day, you get a baju, songkok, etc.”
This brought much hardship to the people involved. In his former parliamentary constituency of Ranau, there were many such cases.
“The birth certificates of the children of those who were involved in these mass ceremonies states that they were born as Muslims. But these children were never taught Islam. Then the boy meets a Catholic girl. The boy becomes a Catholic. They were engaged, baptised, and then married in the Catholic Church. When in turn they have their own child, the registration requires the father’s religion which has ben stated as Islam. So his child cannot be a Christian.”
He spoke with passion about the direction of Sabah today: “Sabah will see changes in administration with a probability of a change in government. Either you change or be changed.”
He said that there were lots of issues regarding race and religion.
“I do appreciate the constraints that others have. I do say there is a lot of foot-dragging. Implementation of policies is very slow.”
“Teach the young real history.”
There were serious differences in political ideology too.
“Ketuanan Melayu is in the hearts of our Malay neighbours. Subtly they would want to defend this. But they and others must understand that ketuanan is not something that is in the Kandazan psyche. We are an egalitarian people with no monarchy or raja. The last raja (referring to the British) left in 1963. The social contract that you in the semenanjung speaks about is a pre-Malaysia idea. We have points of agreement when Malaysia was formed.”
He complained that often reports and speeches were for a semenanjung-based audience.
“The date of Malaysia became 1957 (referring to the Federation of Malaya) rather than September 16, 1963. Thus, the government speaks of 50 years of Malaysia. It has gone into the psyche of our young people here in Sabah. Young people here have no idea of the 20-point agreement when Sabah and Sarawak assented to join Malaya to become the Federation of Malaysia. This is of great significance, the spirit of the formation of the nation. Don’t distort history. Teach the young real history. It cannot be that the minds of our children in Malaysia is semenanjung history.”
“We have to re-prioritise the budget.”
There are issues of development which are very much part of his new constituency, Penampang, where he is dealing with issues of sanitation “with people still having to dash to trees at night” and housing for the widows and disabled.
Some urgent issues of policy must be addressed: “There are certainly schools that are run down in the more remote areas. The government is trying to pay more attention to this. The geographical size of Sabah and Sarawak is so large compared to mainland Malaysia. Rural roads are waiting to be sealed in Sabah. The state has been grossly-underfunded in the five-year plan. Poverty cases in Sabah have been reported as the highest in the country. Basic infrastructure like roads, water, electricity and education (teaching people to read and write) are still lacking. There must be knowledge. Once the people have basic education, they will be able to access and use government assistance in agriculture and fishery. We have to re-prioritise the budget. The government was going to build the railway double-track at a cost of RM13 billion when there is still so much unsealed roadway!”
But help may be on the way: “The cabinet has already agreed for a review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan to allow for a more people-centric focus. Big projects that can wait should be postponed and other things more needed could be addressed. RM1.8 billion has been pledged to rectify the electricity supply problem.”
Regarding the March 08 general elections results, he said: “There is some hope that people are free to exercise their vote. (Referring to Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor) I don’t mind the new state governments that have been formed. It is good for the country that transition of administration can take place in a civil way. The country is allowed to correct itself.”
“Our churches need to become relevant and relate better to the people.”
He spoke of Christian influence in Sabah and Sarawak.
“Today SIB (Sidang Injil Borneo) is much in the forefront than before. During the time of Tun Mustapha, foreign Catholic priests were forcibly removed from Sabah. But on the plus side, such government action has spawned a new breed of local priests. But our churches need to become relevant and relate better to the people. Three-quarters of our church-goers will yawn through the service or mass. That doesn’t help our cause at all. Especially the young who are nominal Christians going through the motions of church attendance, baptism, communion, marriage and funeral! Therefore, the church must have relevance. SIB is a very relevant grassroots church. Quite a lot of people have attained a new culture and have stopped drinking, and the usage of Malay in the church and the use of the word ‘Allah’. The Catholic Church is also finding the need to be more relevant and are achieving this through the Base Community Groups. I like the ministry of Montfort because most of the boys come from the rural and they have attained skills and character and some day they would be working in Keppel Harbour in Singapore!”
“I have exhausted my energy talking with the cabinet about this issue.”
His own long-term struggle for the issue of the use of the word ‘Allah” in the Bahasa Malaysia Alkitab has come to a head.
“I have exhausted my energy talking with the cabinet about this issue until as late as before the elections. There is no political will for this. So let the courts decide. I like it to go to court. I want a definitive decision on this issue (of non-Muslims using the Arabic word, Allah, for God). Christian leaders have come to see me and I tell them I can get the books and bibles (detained for its use of the word ‘Allah’) out for you. But on principle, let’s test this in court. I am admitting that sometimes cabinet ministers’ words also fall on deaf ears.”
“I know what I said and I stand by it.”
Two hours later, we were preparing to take our leave from this remarkable man who had told us so much and had taught us the lesson about faith and the political process and his cause and ideology and struggle. I said to him, “Tan Sri, you have actually spoken without fear or favour. You have honoured us by trusting us with your utmost thoughts. When I have written up this conversation, I will send you a copy so that you can whet it and remove what you want from it.”
His reply? “Don’t bother. I know what I said and I stand by it.”
“I think the country has to grow up.”
I could not resist a final question: “Tan Sri, what is the secret of your boldness to speak up on things that may not be taken too kindly by those above you?”
This is what he said in reply: “I am not here permanently (waving his hand to indicate his spacious office). Only for a time. There were things I regretted I did not say in the past. Now- I want to say as much as I can in my remaining term here. The PM came to my party (UPKO) congress. In his presence, I spoke frankly about the Five Principles of the Rukun Negara. We are found wanting in some of this. So what has gone wrong? I think the country has to grow up. We are saying we are a democracy. We are the ‘light of Asia’. We are not going to be like the Burmese regime. So I am speaking my mind. Look at those who lost in the last elections. They wanted to be prim and proper with the government. Look at what has happened to them. In choosing to be silent, they lost.”
I left the PM’s Office and Putrajaya. Deep in thought and with much to think about. Having spent two hours with the man whom Haris Ibrahim of The People’s Parliament called, “Yang Berani”. With the words of a man of principle still ringing in my ears: “THE COUNTRY IS ALLOWED TO CORRECT ITSELF.”
Comments
Comments are subject to moderation.