I've written before about how the Christian struggle is not a political one and how we should not be motivated to even attempt to create a more "Christian" nation but in conversation with people, I've decided it is important to stress a separate point regarding the role of Christians as citizens of Malaysia.
The struggle to assert the rights of Christians has been primarily a struggle with the current political administration led by Barisan Nasional, hence it is easy for Christians, experiencing such difficulty, to turn their support toward the government-in-waiting, Pakatan Rakyat. Based on my experience, while most civil themed sermons, speeches and forums in churches have emphasized the importance of being non-partisan and a "third force" in politics, the frustrations that are expressed are almost always against the Barisan Nasional leadership, implying what most know is fact: Malaysian Christians are generally more opposition leaning in their political views.
While there is nothing wrong with a Christian supporting the opposition, it is important to make explicit the fact that as a religious entity, Malaysian Christians are not obligated to be loyal to Pakatan Rakyat, nor should the church, in encouraging Christians to be more engaged in civil and political matters, imply that such engagement be expressed through support for the opposition coalition. This may appear as a trivial fact, but it is one that must be stressed lest our situation degenerate to mirror the American tragedy, where Evangelical Christians are associated almost exclusively as loyal supporters of the Republican Party and it is common for churches to express support for political issues that favor the Republican Party.
In campaigning that Christians be more active participants in the political arena, the leadership of Malaysian churches must be more careful to ensure the message is non-partisan, primarily when they vent frustrations concerning matters that involve the religion. While honest frustration with the ruling authorities is innocent, it can and will be misconstrued by some as a message on which side one should fall in the political game.
Also of equal importance is the message that when Christians be more engaged with civil society, that they make voting decisions not solely on the Christian dimension but considering all other aspects concerning a political party's governing capacity. Government and Christianity overlap on very few platforms, most prominently in the controversial domain of religious freedom. Issues such as the economy, social concerns, education and the redistribution of wealth, however, are where the Bible very often does not suggest very definitively of how things should be executed. We should still apply Christian principles in this arena, but Christian principles may not speak resoundingly of a particular side. Hence, on many issues, being a Christian does not suggest voting a certain direction. Yet, these issues that lack a definitive Christian perspective are still issues that concern us as members of society, hence we must, as responsible Malaysians, make educated and informed decisions concerning these matters. Therefore, as responsible Christians and Malaysians, we must consider all things in casting our votes, not only the issues that identify with our religious concerns, nor should issues of religious concern take precedence over other matters of governance when deciding how to vote.
Just as Jesus' struggle was not a political one, neither is ours. Jesus came to earth to win hearts, not elections, hence our major religious struggle is not to get our way on the political stage or to be a "force to be reckoned with" that politicians have to pander to. In fact that may be one of our least important struggles, as it was very unimportant in the life of Jesus Christ.
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