OPPOSITION leader Matthew Wale has called on Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and his cohorts to “stop misleading the public on the status of Christianity in China”.
Sogavare on arrival Tuesday declared that Christians in China are free to express their beliefs and get together without fear or intimidation.
But the Opposition leader questioned if the PM even know of why there is existence of underground churches, saying this is yet another propaganda spelt on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
“I wonder what both the Christians and Muslims in various parts of China are thinking of this statement by the Solomon Islands’ ignorant leader,” Wale stated in a statement.
“Does the PM even know that China’s Communist party is intensifying religious persecution as Christianity’s popularity grows, with a new state translation of the Bible will establish a so-called ‘correct understanding’ of the bible?
“Or is he just ignorant of these facts because of economic benefits?”
Wale said the current drive fuelled by government unease, over the growing number of Christians and what is deemed of their potential links to the west, is not only aimed at destroying Christianity but bringing it to heel.
“The government has orchestrated a campaign to ‘sinicise’ Christianity, to turn Christianity into a fully domesticated religion that would do the bidding of the party.
“over the past year, local governments have shut hundreds of unofficial congregations or ‘house churches’ that operate outside the government-approved church network, excluding those that are said to be registered under the authority’s close supervision.
“And did Sogavare knows that the church he attended for service while in China, is also part of the number of churches registered under the authority’s system, having been under heavy watch?”
A statement signed by 500 house church leaders in November last year says authorities have removed crosses from buildings, forced churches to hang the Chinese flag and sing patriotic songs, and barred minors from attending.
“Does the PM even ask himself why are families in the Muslim dominated region of XinJiang province, being sent to camp-like facilities to be taught the Communism religious ideology, under the disguise of re-education?
“Or does he even know about all these?”
Wale said it is sad the PM chose to ignore all the realities of what’s been revealed, where China has built a vast network of detention camps and systematic surveillance over the past two years in a state-led operation to convert Muslims and Christians into loyal, secular supporters of the Communist Party.
