ASIA/MALAYSIA - The Church in prayer for the general elections: "A responsible vote"

Thursday, 3 May 2018 politics   elections   human rights   religious minorities  

Kuala Lumpur (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Church in Malaysia has invited all the faithful to express "a responsible vote" in the upcoming general elections and to accompany the political process with the prayer for peace and for the common good. On May 9th, citizens from all over the country will vote, to select representatives in the new federal Parliament, consisting of 222 seats. The coalition so far in government, the "Barisan Nasional" (NL), led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, will challenge the opposition alliance "Pakatan Harapan" and the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS). Najib Razak is facing corruption allegations related to the financial management of a Malaysian sovereign fund, but his coalition is however in the lead in the polls.
In this framework, the Episcopal Conference of Malaysia has released a pastoral letter on the "responsible vote" and launched the "24 hours of prayer for the elections", as Fr. Joshua Liew, priest of the diocese of Kota Kinabalu reports to Agenzia Fides. Hundreds of people in groups, communities and ecclesial associations took turns to pray in the churches of various dioceses. From April 30 to May 8, several parishes have organized a novena in three languages (Indian, Mandarin, Malay) that reflects the composition of the Malaysian population, divided among Malaysian, Indian and Chinese citizens.
"As responsible citizens, they all have a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this land in some way better than before", explains Elizabeth Angang, a Catholic from Kuala Lumpur commenting on the Bishops' text.
"Catholics are called to exercise their civic responsibility, and this means putting the good of society and of our fellow citizens above individual wishes and needs. A primary question to which we must respond as Catholic voters is if so far politics has responded to the needs of the weakest and most defenseless. With the vote, we have the opportunity to contribute to our nation and promote the common good by bringing the values of our faith into our society", he adds. "The Church does not say who to vote, nor does it approve an official list of candidates. Catholics must use their judgment and follow their consciences thinking of Jesus' teachings and the fundamental values of faith, when they will be in the voting booth" , he notes. "We need to consider the issues and candidates in the light of our faith, actively participating and engaging in civic activities", concludes Angang. (SD) (Agenzia Fides 3/5/2018)


Share: