RANAU: The Federal Government will continue to guarantee religious rights in this country, including the rights of the Christian community, said Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Datuk Ewon Benedick.
He said that the permission for the Christian community to use the Bible containing the word of God is proof that the government respects the rights of all communities to practice their respective religions.
“The Federal Government also provides allocations for Non-Islamic Places of Worship (RIBI) managed by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT),” he said in his speech at the 60th Anniversary Celebration of the Borneo Theological Seminary (BTS) in Namaus, here, today.
Ewon said that his appointment, along with the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, to represent Malaysia at the Vatican last month to pay final respects to Pope Francis, sends a clear message of the government’s ongoing efforts to foster interfaith harmony.
“This sends a message that harmony and unity among the diverse religious communities in Malaysia continue to thrive and are guaranteed by the Federal Government as stipulated in the Constitution,” he said.
He also hopes that BTS continues to produce more graduates who become church leaders.
“My role is to lead in other areas, especially to ensure that religious rights continue to be guaranteed, and to make efforts to strengthen cooperation between races and religions in this country,” he said.
At the event, Ewon also presented an allocation of RM50,000 to the BTS Scholarship Fund in support of the development of theological education in Sabah.
