Iban-language Bible: Church leaders hopeful
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian church leaders are hopeful that a positive decision over the banning of Bup Kudus, the Iban-language Bible, can be reached after a meeting on Tuesday with Acting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Council of Churches general-secretary Dr Hermen Shastri said that an official decision would be announced soon by Abdullah.
He described the hour-long meeting with Abdullah, who is also Home Minister, at his ministry in Putrajaya on Tuesday and attended by Iban and Sarawak church leaders, as very cordial and conducive.
“The translation of the Iban Bible started more than 100 years ago by missionaries but it wasn’t until 1988 that it was fully translated.
“We are happy with the decision reached during the meeting and church leaders can bring the good news back to Sarawak,” he said.
Abdullah had said that the translation of the Bible should state clearly that it was meant for the Iban community to avoid confusion among the other races.
The Association of Churches in Sarawak last week appealed to the Home Ministry to review the ban on Bup Kudus after they found that it was among 35 books banned by the ministry last week.
According to the Home Ministry’s Film Censorship and Publication Control Division enforcement chief in Sarawak Elias Mat Rabi, Bup Kudus was banned because it breached the guidelines for non-Islamic religious books.
In Kuching, the Association of Churches in Sarawak chairman Pastor Lawrence Banyie said he was thankful to Abdullah for his open-mindedness and sensitivity to the various religious beliefs.
“We appreciate his (Abdullah) openness. We assure him of our support.”
Pastor Banyie, also Seventh-Day Adventist Church president, said yesterday that the association had agreed to accept Abdullah’s suggestion that future prints of the Bup Kudus carried on its cover the wordings of “ This is the translation of the Bible in the Iban language.”
The Bup Kudus has been widely used by Iban-speaking Christians since its first edition came out in 1988.
Pastor Banyie said the association was grateful to Energy, Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Amar Leo Moggie, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Douglas Uggah and Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu for their help.
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