Apologise to Catholics over crass joke, Sabah MP tells Sepang Umno chief

A Sabah MP has called on Sepang Umno chief Noorazli Said to apologise to the Catholic community for making a sexual joke about the clergy as well as a false reference to the Bible at the recent Umno general assembly.

In a Facebook post, Tuaran MP and Tamparuli assemblyman Wilfred Madius Tangau said the joke was “grossly inappropriate and offensive”.

“Sacred Scripture, Catholic priests and religious sisters should not be sexualised or ridiculed from the stage of a major national political party.

“The speaker should acknowledge his poor judgment, withdraw the false reference to Psalm 129 and offer an unqualified public apology to the Catholic and wider Christian community,” he said.

In his speech debating the Umno president’s policy speech on Saturday, Noorazli recounted a joke about a priest driving a manual Proton Saga who offered a nun a ride home after seeing her at a bus stop.

Every time the priest changed gears, his hand would brush against the nun’s thigh and remain there, prompting the nun to remind him of Psalm 129. He would then withdraw his hand.

When he reached home, the priest checked his Bible and found that Psalm 129 did not say what he thought it did.

“Do you want to know what Psalm 129 says? ‘Go forth and seek further up and you will find glory’,” he said – a line that does not actually appear in the chapter.

Noorazli said the story was about the importance of staying focused and knowing what one wants to achieve.

Several Facebook users in the comments section of Tangau’s post urged him to lodge a police report against Noorazli, saying the joke clearly touched on matters of religion.

“Religion is not a joke. How would it be if others joked about his religion? This is a 3R (race, religion and royalty) offence. Lodge a police report,” said user Ricardo Rozales.