KUCHING: UMNO Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has called on the individual who made a joke involving priests and nuns at the recent UMNO General Assembly to issue a public apology, stressing that religion should not be made a subject of ridicule.
He said similar anger would have arisen had the joke involved an imam and Muslims instead.
“Imagine if the joke about the priest had been replaced with an imam and Muslims, surely we would also be angry.
“So, if we are angry when something like this is done to us, we should not do the same to others,” he said in a Facebook posting.
Dr Akmal said the remarks did not represent UMNO’s position, but were made in the individual’s personal capacity.
“Therefore, I urge this individual to publicly apologise to all Malaysians.
“The apology must be made,” he said.
The controversy arose after Sepang UMNO chief Datuk Noorazli Said made a joke involving a priest and a nun during the UMNO General Assembly with the punchline attributed to Psalm 129 in the Bible.
However, the purported passage does not appear in Psalm 129.
Noorazli has since apologised for the remarks, acknowledging that they could have been interpreted differently and caused misunderstanding, particularly in Malaysia’s multi-religious society.
He said the story was intended solely as an analogy to highlight the importance of focus, perseverance and wisdom in achieving a goal, and was not meant to insult, belittle or ridicule any individual, belief or religion.
“If my remarks have caused any misunderstanding or offended anyone, particularly the Christians, I humbly offer my apologies,” he said in a statement yesterday (Sept 14).
Noorazli also said he viewed the incident as a lesson to be more careful in choosing analogies and expressing his views in the future.
He stressed that he respected all religions and beliefs and would continue to uphold harmony, mutual respect and understanding as important foundations of life in Malaysia’s plural society.
