Comments By Mr Wong Kan Seng, DPM and Minister For Home Affairs In Response To Media Queries
9 February 2010
Comments By Mr Wong Kan Seng, DPM and Minister For Home Affairs In Response To Media Queries
09 February 2010
When asked by the media to comment on the insensitive remarks of Pastor Rony Tan, Mr Wong said:
"What Pastor Rony Tan said and did at his evangelism sharing sessions was clearly offensive to Buddhists and Taoists. In fact, it has angered even Singaporeans who are not Buddhists and Taoists.
I am glad to note that Pastor Tan has realised his mistake and has met up with the Buddhist and Taoist leaders today to personally apologise for his actions. This is the right thing to do. I am also heartened to learn that the Buddhist and Taoist leaders, while understandably upset with the incident, have accepted Pastor Tan's apology and have urged restraint on the part of their religious communities. This is also the right thing to do.
When there is a problem, we must resolve it rationally and constructively. The Government cannot allow anyone to exploit and escalate any issue to whip up emotions and tensions on the ground between our ethnic and religious communities.
Mutual respect, tolerance and restraint are critical to maintaining communal peace and harmony in our multi-ethnic, multi-religious society. Religious leaders especially, must lead and set the right example in this regard.
While each of us is free to propagate our religious beliefs, it must never be by way of insulting or denigrating the religious beliefs of others. This is a fundamental OB marker that we must all steer by in Singapore."
When asked why the three youngsters on Facebook were treated differently from Pastor Tan, Mr Wong added,
"It is a very serious matter if anyone were to be hauled up and investigated by ISD. It is not less serious than getting investigated by the Police. I assure you that it is not.
The bottom-line in such cases is that we must ensure that the OB markers are clear and that transgressions are dealt with in a balanced and professional manner. Our agencies must be allowed to exercise their professional judgement on how best to achieve this outcome.
In the case of the Facebook incident, a complaint was made to the Police of an offence. The Police are investigating it and will refer it to AGC who in turn will determine the appropriate conclusion to the matter. We should let this Police investigation take place without interference or prejudging or speculating what that outcome will be or should be."
Issued by Ministry of Home Affairs 09 Febuary 2010
MHA's statement in Response to media queries on the Lighthouse Evangelism (LE) videos and comments made by Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism
08 February 2010
The Internal Security Department has called up Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism (LE) today in connection with his comments and insinuations about Buddhism and Taoism at LE sessions. These sessions were video-recorded and made available on LE's website; video-clips of these sessions subsequently became available on YouTube and other websites.
2 Pastor Tan's comments were highly inappropriate and unacceptable as they trivialised and insulted the beliefs of Buddhists and Taoists. They can also give rise to tension and conflict between the Buddhist/Taoist and Christian communities. ISD told Pastor Tan that in preaching or proselytising his faith, he must not run down other religions, and must be mindful of the sensitivities of other religions.
3 Pastor Tan has expressed his deepest apologies and remorse. He deeply regrets that he has been insensitive and offensive towards the Buddhist and Taoist faiths, and that his comments have saddened and hurt their followers. He has promised that it will never happen again and has also affirmed that he will tell his members to respect other beliefs and build a harmonious Singapore.
