SILENCE. Silence. Nothing but silence.

This sums up the response from Prime Minister Najib Razak, one of his ministers and government agencies to repeated calls from Christians in Malaysia and abroad for information or action on the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh.

So far, the World Council of Churches has not received any reply from Najib to a letter addressed directly to him. Silence has also been the preferred option of Joseph Kurup, the national unity and integration minister.

Even the many vigils by civil society for the pastor, who was abducted in February, have been met with nonchalance. 

If this is a conscious strategy of the Najib administration, it is a dangerous ‎one, given that both Barisan Nasional’s so-called fixed deposit states, Sarawak and Sabah, have sizeable Christian populations.

“It is disturbing that there is still no news after repeated calls from both religious leaders and civil society groups,” said a clearly frustrated Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) general-secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri.

“There has not been any official feedback from the prime minister’s office and even ministers,” Hermen told The Malaysian Insight.

Koh was abducted from his car in Petaling Jaya on February 13 by 15 men in three black SUVs. The kidnapping, which took place in broad daylight, appeared to have been well coordinated. 

Churches and civil society groups said they have been pressuring Putrajaya for answers on the disappearance of Koh and three others, but there has been no response.

Koh’s abduction also prompted a response from the international community of churches.

In an open letter dated March 7, Secretary-General of the World Council of Churches Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, said he was “gravely concerned” over the events surrounding the abduction.

“It is highly appreciated that freedom of religion is enshrined in the Malaysian constitution and the majority of people live in peace and harmony in your multicultural and multi-religious country,” the letter said.

“But this disturbing incident, which is causing deep anxiety and concern for the life and wellbeing of Pastor Koh, is also promoting fear and mistrust among the religious minorities.

“I, therefore, respectfully ask you to order an intensification of the investigation into the abduction of Pastor Koh to ascertain his whereabouts, and ensure his immediate release and return to his family.”

The WCC represent a global fellowship of more than 340 churches from some 110 countries.

Closer to home, Hermen said the CCM have also met Kurup in March to raise their concerns on Koh but have been met with more silence on the case.

The Malaysian Insight also attempted to contact Kurup but he did not reply.

Hermen said the incident has prompted churches and congregations across the country to be vigilant and alert for signs of suspicious activities or intrusions on church grounds.

“And until there is some news, we will continue to raise this issue with Kurup,” Hermen said. 

The abduction of Koh and the disappearance of three other activists – Pastor Joshua Hilmy, his wife Ruth and Amri Che Mat Amir – also prompted civil society groups to form the Citizen Action Group on Enforced Disappearance (Caged) last month.

Unable to obtain any answers from the police or Putrajaya, Caged spokesman Thomas Fann said it send a report to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) on Koh after getting the consent of his family.

“We have sent the report to pressure Putrajaya to disclose what had happened to the missing four. We will wait for WGEID to query Malaysia over their disappearance,” he said.

Fann said apart from the UN, other international groups from the United States and Europe have also contacted Caged.

“The groups told us that they are also monitoring the status of the missing four closely.”

In international human rights law, a forced disappearance or enforced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organisation or by a third party with the authorisation, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organisation.

Joshua, a pastor of Malay descent, went missing on November 30, 2016 while Amir went missing on the night of November 24 last year after he reportedly told his eldest daughter that he was going out. –  May 17, 2017.