BSM moving to Kuala Lumpur

PETALING JAYA: With no positive response coming from the Selangor government on the seized Bibles, the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) has decided to move its headquarters and operations to Kuala Lumpur by June.
BSM president Lee Min Choon (pix) said the decision to move its headquarters is due to better protection given by the federal government to religious minorities.
"By moving to states where the 10 points apply, BSM hopes to avoid incidents like that of Jan 2 that could disrupt their operations in supplying Bahasa Malaysia Bibles to Christians and churches throughout Malaysia," he told reporters at a press conference at its office in Damansara Kim today.
Apart from shifting its base, Lee said BSM will no longer import Bibles via Port Klang, Selangor but will ship the Bahasa Malaysia Bibles or Al-Kitab directly to Sabah and Sarawak, where most Al-Kitab readers are.
"As for Peninsular Malaysia, we will ship through the state of Penang, which does not have a law like the 1988 Selangor Enactment," he said, adding that Christians and churches wishing to obtain Bahasa Malaysia Bibles can do so at BSM's new office in Kuala Lumpur and its outlets in Penang, Kuching, Miri and Kota Kinabalu.
On Jan 2, Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided BSM and arrested Lee, his general-secretary Simon Wong and office manager Sinclair Wong.
It was reported that Jais confiscated 16 boxes of materials containing 320 Al-Kitab and Iban language Bibles (Bup Kudus), which were largely purchased from Indonesia for Sabah and Sarawak Christians.
"We have given up waiting for the Bibles seized by Jais," said Lee, adding that the state government has to make Jais accountable for its action and respect other religious minorities.
Meanwhile, the Selangor government is keeping mum on BSM's move to relocate its headquarters to Kuala Lumpur due to Selangor's inability to solve the issue amicably.
"I have no comment on that, I wish them all the best," Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said outside the state assembly today.
He said BSM is always welcome in Selangor but the state government has to act in accordance with the law, specifically the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988.