Allah issue: One too many lies for Borneo

Christians in Sabah and Sarawak were being convinced they can practice their faith in peace, but history tells a different tale.

KUCHING: Christians in Sabah and Sarawak are skeptical and uncertain about the reassurances being mouthed by their elected leaders in Putrajaya and in Borneo.

Both states have been assured that the perceived contentious ruling barring the use of the term ‘Allah’ in the Catholic publication, The Herald, would not affect them.

But history has a different tale.

Assurance and re-assurances aside, Borneo Christians have seen a litany of anti-Christian actions.

Among them the Home Ministry seizing bibles and ‘criminalising’ them with a “Christian only” and serialised numbers stamp.

They’ve heard calls to burn the bible and remove the term ‘Allah’ from its Bahasa Malaysia versions.

They’ve also read about acts of arson aimed at their churches and the alleged mass forced conversions for the sake of citizenry and to prop up a Muslim Umno-led government dating back to the late 1980s.

All this against a silent Umno-led Barisan Nasional federal leadership, which today sits in Putrajaya because of Borneo’s support.

Borneo contributed 47 MP seats to enable Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to retain his hold on Putrajaya. Borneo is predominantly Christians. Sarawak has a Christian majority and Sabah a sizeable closet Christian population.

The double-standard is decidedly obvious. The flexing and implementation of relevant laws bias.

The so-called social contract binding the communities interest by the founding federal fathers and the spirit and terms of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 have long since been overtaken by ‘political expedience’ and now buried.

The Court of Appeal’s decision last Monday overruling a December 2009 High Court judgment allowing Catholic publication The Herald to use the term ‘Allah’ in their Bahasa Malaysia version is being perceived as the “last straw”.

‘Judgment influenced by bigots’

While some see the judgment as peculiar to Herald publication, in that it was based on a Dec 5, 1986 Home Ministry directive anchored in the Printing Presses and Publications Act, others opined that the court ruling was too “wide” and allowed various interpretations, which incidentally the ‘ultras’ in peninsula have already latched on, pushing ahead with their Ketuanan Melayu and Islam agenda.

The written judgment, an observer summarised, had focused on Herald’s use of the term ‘Allah’ which had already been ‘outlawed’ by the Home Ministry in 1986 as part of its precondition to issuing publication permits.

The judgment by Justice Mohamad Apandi Ali ruled that Herald on record is 14-years-old and was privy to this knowledge.

The Herald, it deemed was not the bible and as such subject to the terms of the Printing Presses and Publications Act.

The judgment also noted that Herald had received an admonition in 1998 for use of the term. In 2002 it received a warning letter and in 2006 a second admonition.

Herald received three warning letters before a show-cause was issued in 2007 and the word Allah banned in 2008.

Irrespective of the socio-legal views expressed, the opportunistic reactions of the Malay ‘ultras’ and the politicians in the peninsular has driven a deep wedge between the communities in the country.

It has not only pushed away thinking rational Malaysians but also the “fixed deposit” native Christians here and its brethrens in Sabah majority of whom voted in Barisan Nasional in the state and parliamentary polls.

Senior lawyer and Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian said although the Christians had been assured that they would be free to practice their faith, he doubted if they “depended” on the government’s words.

“Do not for one instant believe that this (assurances by the government) is the truth of the matter.

“We have learned that even the words, assurance and undertaking by the prime minister himself does not hold water anymore.

“We know the government’s judgment may be influenced by the provocation and pressure from religious bigots like Perkasa.

“I find it absolutely mind-boggling that certain groups and individuals have responded to the court decision with apparent nonchalance, saying that the decision is confined to The Herald or to West Malaysia.

“It’s a naive view… the issue involving the use of ‘Allah’ has been affecting Sabahans and Sarawakians even before Herald case was mentioned in court,” Bian said.

Issues precede Herald

Citing a chronology, he said in 2007 SIB (Borneo Evangelic Church) brought a case against the Home Ministry for confiscating its Malay-language Sunday school materials containing the word ‘Allah’.

In 2008 the government seized audio CDs belonging to Sarawakian Christian Jill Ireland Lawrence, which also contain the word ‘Allah’.

“Both these cases were before the Herald which was filed in 2009,” vented Bian, adding that despite the High Court ruling favouring The Herald in 2010, 30,000 copies of the bible were detained at the Kuching Port in 2011.

He questioned the government’s decision to appeal the 2010 court ruling, if it was indeed concerned about peace and harmony.

“The BN/Umno government does not have the gumption or moral fortitude (nor any desire) to stand up to the likes of Perkasa.

“Why did the Home Minister and the government file the appeal in the first place – is it possible that it was because of the goading and pressure from a group of small-minded religious bigots?

“Can we expect this same government to really stand up for us in Sabah and Sarawak under more pressure from a now gloating and even more pernicious Perkasa?” Baru asked.

He also pointed out that the 10-points solution postured before the GE13 to “appease Sarawakians and Sabahans” was nowhere to be heard seen or felt.

Perkasa’s arrogant stand

In Sabah, Perkasa’s latest frothing demanding that the ruling be extended to the Borneo state has further upset natives who are already marginalised by legalised illegal immigrants and allegedly opportunistic forced conversions.

Back to back with Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali’s call to “educate” Borneo natives of the ruling, came the call from its deputy Zulkifli Nordin who asked that 32 words including the term ‘Allah’ in the al-Kitab be taken out prior to the distribution of the book in Sabah and Sarawak.

Said Sabah’s Bingkor assemblyman Jeffey Kitingan: “People are very bothered by the ruling.

“Eighty percent of the internet and Facebook users are talking about the decision. It will probably calm down once the government tells them the ruling doesn’t apply to Sabah and Sarawak. But I am sure it won’t end here.

“The Borneons don’t like what Ibrahim Ali (Perkasa pesident) said about educating Borneo about the decision of the court.

“They should arrest people like Ibrahim Ali who are constantly inciting racial and religious enmity.

“The majority of Sabahans and Sarawakians are upset at what the federal government is doing.

“This Umno government is pushing us to the edge and we must respond.. it’s our right,” said Kitingan.

Last week, another Sabah Christian MP Darrel Leiking blamed opportunistic politicians and individuals for the “confusion” and disharmony.

Leiking said many of the current federal leaders had gone to mission schools and were not “confused” but true to their respective faiths.