EDUCATION Minister Maszlee Malik came under heavy fire again, this time, from politicians on both sides of the divide after urging religious teachers in Sabah and Sarawak to make the states new fronts in their Islamic propagation activities.

They described Maszlee as ignorant about the Malaysia Agreement 1963 when it came to matters of religion and slammed him for using civil servants to act as “religious salesmen”.

Taking the cue from Sarawak church leaders who earlier criticised Maszlee, the politicians also demanded that Putrajaya stop using civil servants from carrying out any form of Islamisation in Sabah and Sarawak schools.

PKR national women vice-president Voon Shiak Ni went a step further and demanded that Maszlee retract his “insensitive statement”.

On December 11, when answering a question in Parliament, Maszlee appealed to religious teachers from Kelantan, Trengganu and Kedah teaching in Sabah and Sarawak to make the states new fronts in their Islamic propagation.

Voon said Maszlee should be aware that his statement not only did not go down well with Sarawakians as it “goes against the wishes of the majority of Sarawakians who are non-Muslims but it was also against the federal constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

“I would like to say it would be wiser for Maszlee to retract the statement immediately before it triggers religious tension and disrupts peace and harmony among our people here,” she said.

“Do be mindful of what you are going to say and the messages you are sending to the people (should) be informed and thoughtful of the cultural and racial diversity of Sarawak.”

Sabah’s United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) education bureau chief Dr Lucas Umbul agreed with the general consensus that the school system should not be used to proselytise non-Muslims.

“It should be assisting the development of characters of pupils who come from various faiths,” a disappointed Umbul said in response to Maszlee’s call to make Sabah and Sarawak these teachers’ “medan dakwah”.

“It is not right for the minister to have said such a thing, making Sabah and Sarawak a battleground for them to convert non-Muslims.”

Sabah Assistant Education Minister Jenifer Lasimbang questioned Maszlee if he is educated enough to know the peculiarities and differences between Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula when he made the statement.

Lasimbang said Maszlee’s statement is another proof that policies coming out of Putrajaya are peninsula-centric.

“Aside from school issues, Mazlee must know there are many things to discuss (in the development of education in Sabah).

“There are many things in Sabah that have been neglected. They (Putrajaya) never asked what is happening in Sabah.

“If you look at some of the policies and instructions made at the federal level, all of them were peninsula-centric,” she said.

The president of small Sarawak race-based party, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru ( PBSDB), Cobbold John said the much-maligned Maszlee should focus on the real issues affecting schools in Sarawak, not religious propagation.

John said Maszlee’s use of the term “medan dakwah” to describe Sabah and Sarawak has caused much consternation among party members and supporters.

“Maszlee should be cleaning up, not continuing this religious policy of the ousted Barisan Nasional government.

“This sending of religious teachers from the peninsula to Sarawak and Sabah was a policy with hidden agenda of the previous Umno-led BN government.

“Whatever mess Umno and BN had left behind, Pakatan Harapan must clean up or else the fault of the previous government would continue to be borne by PH,” he said. – December 20, 2018.