THE Sarawak government will hold steadfast to its policy of taking care of all religions, said Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new RM70 million unit for other religions (Unifor) headquarters in Kuching today.

Unifor is part of the chief minister’s office, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah.

Abang Johari then joked with his deputy Awang Tengah Ali Hassan that if he had been a politician on the peninsula, his approval for a church to be built in his constituency of Lawas would have been a career-ender.

“If you’re over there (in the peninsula), you’re finished,” he told the grinning Bukit Sari assemblyman who was sitting behind him on the stage.

“A Muslim giving financial allocation for the construction of the church, (you’re done),” Abang Johari Openg said, referring to Awang Tengah as a recent example of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition practising religious tolerance.

“No chance to win the election anymore,” he added in jest, much to the amusement of the guests present.

The chief minister said Awang Tengah’s action and that of Assistant Minister of Utilities Liwan Lagang – who on Saturday asked for a RM10 million mosque to be built for the Muslim minority in rural Belaga – are just examples of the state government’s philosophy to encourage religious tolerance and build a harmonious society.

“That is the beauty of Sarawak and we must protect this,” he said.

Abang Johari said, when the proposal for the Unifor headquarters was presented to the state cabinet there were no objections.

“We have collective responsibility. We must protect the religious harmony in Sarawak.” – October 20, 2020.