“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden….
let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:14-16)
Dear brothers and sisters,
For Malaysia, the three months of July, August and September are an integral part of our history, leading to the formation of Malaysia:
- Sarawak Independence Day on 22 July 1963
- Malaya Independence Day on 31 August 1957
- Formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963
This year, we celebrate 60 years of Malaysia as a nation. Each of the founding partners of Malaysia… Sabah, Sarawak, Semenanjung and Singapore (even for a brief 2 years) will have their own respective stories. I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the contribution of the Church in Sarawak in nation building.
Contribution of the Catholic Mission in Sarawak
More than 140 years ago, on 10 July 1881, Catholic missionaries set foot on the riverbank at the Kuching wharf. They were given 10 acres of land by Rajah Charles Brooke. By 1882 and 1884, two schools for boys and girls – St Joseph and St Teresa – were started respectively. Over the years, other rural mission schools, the Batu Lintang Teachers’ College, and mission clinics were set up in rural areas. Looking back, the social welfare, basic health services and education would have to be the most notable contributions for the development of Sarawak.
Today, the Archdiocese of Kuching runs 32 mission schools, of which 26 are primary schools located outside Kuching in the hinterlands of Bau, Penrissen, Padawan, Serian and Bunan. Our sister Dioceses of Sibu and Miri have 23 and 7 mission schools respectively. Today, the Catholic Church in Sarawak oversees a total of 67 primary and secondary schools, including St Joseph’s Private and International Schools.
Such contributions to society are often overlooked. Nevertheless, I would like to state that the initial education endeavours by Christian missions, followed later by the establishment of Government schools in towns and villages, have opened the doors for human and social development. Many civil servants were direct beneficiaries because of their education from the mission schools. It was here, during their school days, that the value of friendship and harmonious working relationships were inculcated.
Over the last decades, education and rural developments have closed the gap between the rural and urban areas, producing many new generations of graduates from the longhouses, villages and towns throughout Sarawak. There is still much work to be done for human development and empowerment in these rural communities.
In Sarawak, I invite all Catholics, Christians and people of good will to constantly keep in focus the MA63 Agreement and especially the ambitions of the Rukun Negara that was promulgated on 31 August 1970. Allow me to underline the objectives of the Rukun Negara that are often forgotten. These are urgently needed for our nation Malaysia today:
Whereby Our Country, Malaysia nurtures the ambitions of:
- Achieving and fostering better unity amongst the society;
- Preserving a democratic way of life;
- Creating a just society where the prosperity of the country can be enjoyed together in a fair and equitable manner;
- Ensuring a liberal approach towards the rich and varied cultural traditions;
- Building a progressive society that will make use of science and modern technology.
Let us encourage our students and young people in our schools, colleges and universities to participate in nation building. Just as our schools and parish churches have equipped and prepared many of us today for society and family, as part of succession planning and nation building, we have to prepare new generations to serve in our churches and society. May our Church in Sarawak be the beacon of light, bearing the spiritual and moral values to build up our nation into a harmonious land where there is true friendship, mutual respect and acceptance, unity in diversity of culture, race and religion.
There is still much to be done for the rural areas of Sarawak, Sabah and throughout Semenanjung Malaysia. I believe that Sarawak can humbly claim that our people from various cultures and races have lived in harmony and is an exemplary model of unity for Malaysia and other nations. We need to zealously safeguard our harmony and unity from any form of extremism or fundamentalism. Let us also keep in mind the rural communities who are part and parcel of our tanah air Malaysia. From Sarawak and Sabah, let us pray and work together to ensure a harmonious and inclusive Malaysia as we commemorate 60 years of the formation of Malaysia.
+ Archbishop Simon Poh
Rukun Negara: https://www.malaysia.gov.my/portal/content/30110
