Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing has described the latest resurgence of the bogey of Christianisation of Malaysia, raised by PAS dissident Nasharuddin Mat Isa, as yet "another dispiriting demonstration of Goebbels' dictum that a lie incessantly repeated will, finally, savour the truth."
The head of the Catholic Church in the Melaka-Johor diocese, who is concurrently president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, was commenting on Nasharuddin's remarks made at a seminar of the National Islamic Missionary Movement in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Nasharuddin is reported to have said: "I want to say, to encourage (fellow Muslims) to unite, face the strategy that is being planned by Allah's enemies, particularly in Malaysia."
Nasharuddin was purportedly referring to alleged attempts by Christian groups to proselytise Muslims, a claim that has waxed in recent years on the back of divisions among Malays over their political allegiance which, formerly, was monolithically for Umno and, latterly, fragmented to include PKR and PAS.
Bishop Tan said that just when one stoker - he was referring to sacked PAS state executive councilor Hasan Ali - of the bogey of Christianisation "has seemingly piped down, another emerges to fan the embers."
A cat with nine lives
Prior to Nasharuddin's rising to the bait, former PAS Selangor chief Hasan was the most vociferous dramatist of the bogey of Christianisation of Muslims which some years before had Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria as its lead vocalist.
"This beast of Christianisation of Malaysia is apparently a cat with nine lives," observed Bishop Tan.
"Barely is one dispatched than another rears to life," sighed the Jesuit-trained prelate.
Bishop Tan remarked on the irony he said was inherent in the assertion - "thus far, without proof, mind you" - that Christianisation of Malaysia is taking place.
"Those deploying this canard must take a dim view of the faith of Muslims in Malaysia. The reality is that it is not easy to convert a Muslim out of his faith but that fact has little traction on alarmists like Nasharuddin," he lamented.