Robert Lau was given advance notice by the DAP MP for Cheras, Tan Kok Wai that I would be in Parliament lobby to await his substantiating his allegation in Parliament that I had said in Sarawak in the early eighties that I would build a Christian University in Sibu if the DAP won the Sibu seat.
But Robert Lau dared not turn up for the appointment at the Parliament lobby when the time came.
I am now giving Lau three days to name the place, date and time in Sibu for him to produce evidence that I had promised to build a Christian University, and I will be in Sibu for him to produce the evidence.
As Lau had repeatedly claimed that he has the evidence to substantiate his statement and his preparedness to produce the evidence in Sibu, I am l giving Lau another opportunity to produce the evidence after he had backed down from the encounter in Parliament.
It is completely unthinkable that I would have made such a rash and reckless statement that I would build a “Chrisitian university” in Sibu if the DAP won the Sibu seat.
What I had done was to express support for the establishment of a Christian University in Sibu.
When the International Islamic University was set up in Kuala Lumpur in 1982, I called for the establishment of Christian, Buddhist and Hindu universities for Malaysia to be a model of inter-religious harmony and co-existence to the world and that an ideal place for the establishment of such a Christian University would be Sibu. I stand by what I had said.
This year 2001 is the United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations for all countries, governments, international organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to promote the concept of inter-civilizational dialogue.
What better way for Malaysia to promote the Year of Inter-Civilizational Dialogue and to make a signal contribution to fostering inter-civilisational communication and build the bridges to foster mutual understanding among the different civilisations than to proclaim that Malaysia shall be the home to the highest seats of learning for the different great religions to be found in the country - that Malaysia will not only have an International Islamic University, but also an International Christian University, International Buddhist University, International Hindu University, etc.
As Robert Lau is also the Sibu Municipal Council President, I challenge him as well as his party, the SUPP, to declare whether they support the establishment of a Christian University in Sibu and whether he would spearhead a campaign starting in Sibu for the government’s approval for the establishment of a Chrisitian University in Sibu.
(20/5/2001)