MCA has criticised Sepang UMNO chief Datuk Noorazli Said’s conditional apology over his controversial “priest and nun” joke, saying a genuine apology should be unconditional and accompanied by accountability.
The controversy erupted after Noorazli delivered a sexually suggestive joke involving a Catholic priest and a nun during the recent UMNO General Assembly, while incorrectly attributing its punchline to Psalm 129 of the Bible.
The remarks drew criticism from political leaders across party lines, Christian groups and UMNO members, while a police report was also lodged over the incident.
MCA Ethnic Relations and Religion Affairs Bureau chairman Chan Wun Hoong said Noorazli’s initial response, offering to apologise “if” his remarks had caused offence, fell short of what the situation required.
“A genuine apology needs to be sincere and unconditional, rather than with an ‘if’ and suggested only after public backlash, reproach by fellow party members and attributed to ‘misunderstanding’,” he remarked in a statement.
Chan said the public reaction showed that Malaysians of different backgrounds understood when the boundaries of respectful public discourse had been crossed.
“The widespread disapproval demonstrates that mocking another faith is unacceptable,” he stressed, adding that the police should be allowed to investigate the matter independently following the report lodged.
He also criticised the sexual innuendo in the joke, saying it trivialised sexual harassment and the sexualisation of women while undermining interfaith understanding.
“The sexual innuendoes in the crude joke are particularly distasteful. They trivialise issues of sexual harassment and the sexualisation of women, causes which Barisan Nasional and MCA have consistently fought to tackle,” he said.
Chan noted that criticism had come not only from opposition politicians but also from within UMNO itself, showing that concerns over the remarks went beyond partisan politics.
He further said Noorazli had a responsibility to verify religious references before using them in a public speech, noting that the quotation attributed to Psalm 129 did not exist in the biblical passage.
“A simple online search would have established that the quoted verse does not exist in Psalm 129,” he said.
Chan also pointed out that Catholic priests and nuns undergo years of formation before taking lifelong vows of celibacy, making the hurt felt by Catholics and the wider Christian community understandable.
“It is never too late to offer a simple, sincere apology. Christians are taught to forgive, but forgiveness does not remove the need to correct a crass insult,” he said.
Chan added that the controversy had overshadowed other important discussions during the UMNO General Assembly, including concerns over the rising cost of living. ‒ Sept 16, 2026
Main image: Free Malaysia Today
