State Spot

Pahang

THIS year’s Lighting Up Our Nation programme, held in conjunction with Merdeka Day, will focus on praying for our own nation. Berita NECF will highlight in each issue a state for intercession. Last issue, we focussed on Terengganu and in this one, we look at Pahang, a state famous for the three resort mountains and beautiful beach. We hope that the information provided through “State Spot” will stir up more passionate intercession.

Pahang, the largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia, is home to many of the country’s major tourist attractions, including Taman Negara (the country’s largest national park), Tasik Bera and Tasik Chini, and the three highlands – Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands and Fraser’s Hill. Tourism remains the state’s main earner.

Islamisation, Religious Freedom and Rights
Apostasy or murtad (a Muslim renouncing his faith) is a punishable offence according to section 185 of the Administration of the Religion of Islam and the Malay Custom of Pahang Enactment 1982, and Pahang Islamic Family Law Enactment 1987.

The penalty is a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years and whipping of no more than six strokes. The state also enacted in 1989 laws to control and restrict the propagation of non-Islamic religions among the Muslims. However, these laws have thus far not been enforced.

The Syariah law covers a wide range of activities to outlaw what is considered immoral behaviour and ‘unislamic,’ including religious teachings that are regarded as deviations from the mainstream.

In February 2005, 95 deviant groups were identified by the state government. Actions were taken against 73 groups. The sentence handed down by the Pahang Syariah Court that June surprised many as it was the first time in Malaysian Syariah history that Muslims were sentenced to caning for consuming alcohol. Ironically, there were no provisions for the manner of execution with caning. The offenders were also fined RM5000 each.

This February, 65 students of a secondary school in Temerloh were disciplined for not wearing the school-approved headscarves. Responding to the incident, the Minister of Education affirmed the public that wearing the tudung (headscarf) was a matter of choice.

Observers have said that the trend in recent years not only expressed the religiosity of the state authorities, but also indicated that “the religious bureaucracy was taking for granted the constant proclamation of Malaysia being an Islamic country.” Others believed that the authorities were under increasing pressure to follow religious laws as the political parties strove to prove their Islamic credentials.
Such religious fervour has spilled over to communities of other faiths, even though the relationship among all religious groups is generally amicable. The Orang Asli (OA) community seems to be most affected.

In September 2003, an OA church building in Kampung Pasu, Temerloh, was demolished by the district Land Office. (The Federal Government approved in October 2005 a lump sum to compensate the Kampung Pasu Christians and a new church was built.). The Sungai Ruai OA Christians in Raub received a notice demanding them to tear down their ‘illegal’ church or face penalty of RM10,000 fine or one-year imprisonment or both. The Semelai people’s place of worship in Kampung Ganoh, Rompin, was also issued with a similar order in May 2004.

Other than matters of religious freedom, the OA community also faces long-term contention with the state government on land issues. Intensive harvesting for timber has not only caused an industrial slowdown and major environmental damage, it has also impinged on the livelihood of the OA villagers. Logging companies continue to encroach on their ancestral land.

In 2003, a group of OA was arrested for attempting to block logging trucks from entering their land. (It was then reported that they were released on bail, and the logging project was cancelled.) Last year, the Semoq Beri people had their land encroached upon by another highway project.

For many years, the OA community of Kampung Bukit Rok and Kampung Ibam have locked in a scuffle with the authorities over logging on their land. They finally won the battle after the recent April meeting with the authorities.

Mismanaged tourism development in the famous Tasik Chini has adversely affected both the lake ecosystem and the livelihood of Jakun people. Although the Chief Minister has vowed to protect the green lung and push for sustainable development, the uncertainty surrounding OA land ownership has made them vulnerable to exploitation.
 
Social issues and others
Incidents of date rape and consensual sex involving teens have alarmed the state authorities.

Habitual gambling gravely affects the social and family structures, especially of the Chinese community. Drug addiction among the youth remains a chronic problem, particularly among those who are under the Felda plantation schemes (April 8, 2005, The Star Online).

Although the state government has earlier refuted SUHAKAM’s claim that it has neglected the wellbeing of the OA community, the people continue to live in poverty and remain largely uneducated.

The latest state government statistics show that more than half of OA students drop out after primary school; 11,825 OA families are listed as hardcore poor and 3,347 as poor (Jan 26, NST).

Despite its rich natural resources, Pahang was identified in Dec 2004 by the Finance Ministry as one of the seven ‘almost bankrupt’ states due to its high financial deficit.

The Church
Many churches in Pahang are vernacular in nature, particularly in smaller towns where the majority are of either Presbyterian or Methodist background. There are about 25 churches in Kuantan itself, mostly English-speaking, and 10 of which are actively involved in the pastors’ fellowship. Out of the fellowship emerged the Rapha Children’s home, the only Christian-run home in Kuantan. The bigger churches here have an average of 200 or more members.

Churches in Pahang have often complained about insufficient manpower (lack of full-time pastors and church workers). The leadership crisis may arise as a result of the ‘priesthood’ mentality within the Christian community, which leads to a general unacceptability of the function of lay leadership. The demand for high living standard may have also caused many to shy away from going into fulltime ministries.
In general, churches in Pahang are active in evangelism and able to work well together. Two major hindrances in outreaches appear to be the misperception on Christianity being a ‘white man’s religion, and deep-rooted idol and ancestral worship. There is certainly room for improvement in discipleship and leadership training, and that members must move out of the comfort zone to make an impact in the community.