Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	PUSAT DAGANGAN DUNIA PUTRA, 
			KUALA LUMPUR 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	25/04/97 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	MAJLIS ULANGTAHUN KE-50 MAJLIS 
			GEREJA-GEREJA MALAYSIA 



   1.  Terlebih  dahulu  saya  ucapkan  terima  kasih  kepada
  Majlis  Gereja  Malaysia kerana menjemput  saya  hadir  di
  Majlis   perayaan  Jubli  Emasnya  malam   ini.    Sempena
  perayaan  menyambut  Jubli emasnya  saya  ucapkan  tahniah
  kepada Majlis Gereja-Gereja Malaysia.

  2.  That  the  Council is  able to celebrate  this  golden
  Jubilee  is proof of its ability to work together  in  the
  spirit   of  cooperation  among  Christians  of  different
  missions and denominations.

  3.  I  hope the council will continue with this spirit  of
  cooperation  and  extend  it to all  Malaysians  of  other
  religious  groups  so that we can together  build  a  more
  united,  mature,  strong, tolerant and  vibrant  Malaysian
  society.  I  am  making  this  call  because  this  is  an
  important  prerequisite for building  a  united  Malaysian
  society.

  4.  We  are  very  fortunate  that this  multi-racial  and
  multi-religious society of ours has had a long  experience
  and tradition of living in harmony with each other.  As  a
  direct   result  we  have  achieved  tremendous   economic
  progress  that  have considerably lifted  the  quality  of
  life  of our people.  This cooperation regardless of  race
  and  religion will further reinforce our capacity to build
  a more liberal and tolerant society.

  5.  However, we  cannot  afford to be complacent with  our
  achievements.   We  have to improve this  cooperation  and
  understanding  as we move forward towards  a  more  modern
  economic  society.   If we simply maintain  what  we  have
  achieved,  we may find that the challenges ahead  will  be
  too  difficult for us to face, as there are forces  within
  and without which will try to derail us.

  6.  It  is a  fact that Malaysia is predominantly a Muslim
  country.   Our official religion is Islam as enshrined  in
  our  Constitution.  But the Islamic tenets command  us  to
  be  tolerant  towards other religious  groups.  The  Quran
  says  clearly  "To you your faith and to us  (Muslim)  our
  faith".

  7.   Islam  teaches  us  to   allow  complete  freedom  of
  worship to other religious groups who are willing to  live
  in  a  Muslim country.  Islam teaches us that  all  humans
  are  created from the same parents, Adam and Eve,  and  as
  such  the Quran says, "O men! Behold, We have created  you
  all  out  of a male and a female, and have made  you  into
  nations  and  tribes, so that you might know one  another.
  Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the  one
  who  is most deeply conscious of Him.  Behold, God is all-
  knowing,  all-aware".   (Q.49:13)   There  is  clearly  no
  difference  between  men  as far as  their  beginning  and
  their status in the sight of God.

  8.  Islam  also teaches us that there is no compulsion  in
  matters  of  faith.  Every one is free  to  make  his  own
  choice.   Of  course  every one is completely  responsible
  for  his  own  deeds in the end.  The Quran says,   "There
  shall  be  no coercion in matters of faith.  Truth  stands
  out  clear  from error: whoever rejects evil and  believes
  in  God hath grasped the most trust worthy handhold,  that
  never  breaks.   And God heareth and knoweth  all  things.
  (Q.2:256).

  9.   Based  on the above, freedom of worship is  part  and
  parcel   of   the   Islamic  teachings.    Secondly,   the
  difference  between  man is in his religious  beliefs  and
  not  in  race,  colour or ethnicity.  As  such,  the  same
  respect  should  be accorded to all men as  human  beings,
  despite   their   religious  differences.    The   Prophet
  Muhammad  was  reported to have stood  in  respect  for  a
  Jewish  funeral which was passing in front of  him.   When
  his companions asked why he did so, he replied, "He is  as
  human  as  we  are".  In another incident, a Jew  used  to
  place  all  the  dirty things he could find  on  a  street
  where  the  Prophet used to pass. The Prophet  had  to  be
  careful, to avoid the dirt and filth, when he passed  that
  street.   One day, when the Prophet passed the street,  he
  found  the Jew was not anywhere to be seen.  He  asked  of
  him  and  was  told that he was sick and remained  in  his
  house.   The  Prophet immediately paid him a  visit  which
  shocked the Jew, who asked why the Prophet did that  after
  all  that  he had done. The Prophet replied, "You  are  as
  human as I am".

  10. It  is  obviously based on such teachings that  we  in
  Malaysia  practise tolerance and mutual  respect  for  one
  another.   Our  non-Muslim friends,such as  the  Buddhists
  and  Hindus enjoy the freedom to live according  to  their
  cultural values and religious norms in a way that  is  not
  possible in many other countries.  Violence as a means  of
  solving  inter-religious  disputes  is  abhorred  by   all
  religious  communities  and  political  parties  in   this
  democratic  nation.  The relationship  between  Islam  and
  Buddhism  in  a predominantly Muslim State of Kelantan,for
  example,   has  been  most  peaceful  with  the   Buddhist
  community  proudly preserving one of the biggest  sleeping
  Buddha  statues in Southeast Asia, a fact not  known  even
  by  many Malaysians.  And the present Muslim Menteri Besar
  attends ceremonies in a Buddhist Wat.

  11.  Malaysia  is  currently marred with  numerous  social
  ills of almost every conceivable type.  The government  is
  trying  its  best  to contain these ills because  we  know
  that  such  ills  can  spread wildly  and  erode  all  our
  achievements.  We therefore cannot afford to allow  it  to
  spread,  weakening  our  social fabric,  and  eroding  our
  strength.   One  of  the factors that  could  nurture  the
  development  of  a  united,  strong  and  morally  upright
  society  is the role of religion.  We also know  that  all
  religions teach their adherents to be good.  Any  religion
  that  teaches its followers to be bad will be doomed.   We
  have  seen  the  mass  destruction of  human  lives  among
  various  religious cults from time to time.   These  cults
  are  not followers of religions but are really due to  the
  loss  of direction in a materialistic world which  has  no
  time  for  religion.  Unable to understand their existence
  in  this world and the confusion around them, they  invent
  their  own  beliefs  and  commit  crimes  including   mass
  suicide.

  12.  Christian  ethics  and  morality  therefore  are  not
  different   from   Islamic,  Hindu,  Buddhist   or   other
  religious  ethics and morality.  This is  evident  by  the
  adoption of a "Declaration toward a Global Ethic"  by  the
  Parliament  of  the  World's  Religions  in  their  latest
  centenary  meeting in Chicago in 1993.  We know  that  the
  Parliament  of  World  Religions represent  all  religions
  that  are  being practised throughout the  world.   Faiths
  may  differ but ethics and morality can be similar or even
  identical.

  13. Looking  beyond our  relatively peaceful  history,  it
  would  appear  that  the prospect of a  universal  set  of
  ethics  binding races, cultures, religions and traditions,
  is  encouraging and possible.  Malaysians should therefore
  work towards it by example and by precept.

  14. I  wish  therefore to appeal to all leaders and elders
  of  all  religions  in  this country  to  instil  positive
  ethics and morality among their followers, to ensure  that
  each  and  every  member of our society  will  consciously
  uphold  our traditions, our beliefs, our morals  and  seek
  to  live  with the highest level of integrity so that  our
  society  can  be  a  model of attainable  harmony  between
  people  divided  by  differences of religion.   This  will
  indeed  be  a  great  contribution from  you  to  our  own
  Malaysian society.

  15.  Sekali  lagi saya ucapkan terima kasih kepada  Majlis
  Gereja-Gereja  Malaysia kerana menjemput  saya  ke  Majlis
  Perayaan  Jubli  Emasnya.  Adalah  diharapkan  majlis  ini
  bukan sahaja akan berusaha untuk mengukuhkan perpaduan  di
  kalangan  penganut-penganut  Kristian  tetapi  juga   akan
  berusaha  untuk  menjalin  hubungan  yang  lebih  baik  di
  kalangan  kaum-kaum  yang menganuti berbagai-bagai  agama.
  Sebarang   usaha  ke  arah  meningkatkan   perpaduan   dan
  kerjasama  yang  lebih  erat antara rakyat  berbagai-bagai
  kaum  dan  agama sudah tentu akan membantu negara mencapai
  kejayaan yang lebih cemerlang.