Vote for religious freedom, says soundalike ‘SIB church’

Pastoral letter from ‘Sidang Injil Baru (SIB)’ church?

An email has been received from “Sidang Injil Baru (SIB) Sarawak”, using the same initials as the more well known and fast-growing Sidang Injil Borneo. The email, containing a “Surat Jemaat” on freedom of religion, urges Sarawak Christians to vote wisely and for candidates with integrity in the coming Sarawak elections, to safeguard religious freedom.

Coming in the wake of long-running controversies over federal government actions viewed as being anti-Christian, and in which the more well known Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) has been prominent, the letter seems aimed at trading on the familiar initials to remind Christians of the position of the Christian faith in Sarawak, shows how peninsular politics have eroded the political position of Sarawak Christians and Sarawak natives, and highlights the increasingly anti-Christian and pro-Islamisation policies of the federal government.

“Sidang Injil Baru” blamed the Barisan Nasional’s anti-Christian stance on Mahathir Mohamad’s policies after coming to power in July 1981. “Sidang Injil Baru” says he banned the Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible, under the Internal Security Act in 1982, later amending it in the face of protests, to restricted circulation in churches. Similar policies, “Sidang Injil Baru” said, had been carried on by Mahathir’s successors.

No information is available on “Sidang Injil Baru”.

However, the well-known Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB), or Borneo Evangelical Church, is one of the largest Protestant denominations in Malaysia, counting among its members Senator Idris Jala, the federal minister responsible for the government’s transformation programme.

The text of letter by “Sidang Injil Baru” can be read at the Micah Mandate, a Christian ministry.