MCA: 'Allah' ruling ignores national interest

MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu said Monday's Court of Appeal decision in banning the use of Allah by Catholic weekly The Heraldgoes against national interest and religious harmony.

The ruling, Gan said, also goes against the principle of national reconciliation that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has pledged in his movement of moderation.

"There is terrible ill-will and bad faith generated over the Allah issue. For generations the natives in Sabah and Sarawak have been using 'Allah' in their worship. The Home Ministry's ban of its usage is tantamount to criminalising a long-accepted practice.

"This practice is even prior to the formation of Malaysia. The objective of such ban is highly questionable. The appeal by the Home Ministry in itself can be construed as ignoring national interest in racial and religious harmony and going against the principle of national reconciliation," he said.

Gan questioned whether it was an objective to monopolise the usage of a pre-Islam word in reference to the Almighty to the detriment of the native Christians and Sikhs in this country.

He said the Arabs and the Indonesian Muslims do not question the usage of "Allah" by Christians and he therefore wonders why Malaysia acted otherwise.

"I just fail to comprehend the rationale of the ban. Have we experienced security, public disorder and harmony issues all these while when the word was used by non-Muslims?" Gan said, and he went on to ask whether the government was reacting to the insecurity of some overzealous characters.

On Monday, the Court of Appeal court in a unanimous decision upheld the Home Ministry's ban on the Catholic publication The Herald from using the term 'Allah' for God.

Federal Court judge Mohamed Apandi Ali in handing down the decision ruled that the word was not an integral part of the Catholic faith and practice.

BN must address the issue
The court ruling, according to Gan, seemed to accept wholesale the subjective view of the home minister's apprehension that the publication will upset public order and security.

"But the matter is essentially a political and constitutional issue, not a mere legal issue. BN, as an inclusive political coalition, must address the issue and reach a rational consensus in the national interest. The cabinet's 10-point solution must also be honoured."

The MCA vice-president said the appellate court's decision would result in confusion.

"It has been suggested that it only applies to The Herald, that the ruling does not impose a ban on the usage of the word in other materials, including the Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesian versions of the Bible or in preachings and ceremonies in churches.

"However, how the overzealous in our midst may seek to interpret, extend and enforce the judgment is a matter only time will tell," Gan added in expressing his concern.

He hopes that the government will stem this and take an unequivocal stand that inclusiveness and the 10-point solution are the way forward and that national reconciliation is paramount.

Gan further welcomed and recognised the fact that some leaders of the Islamic party PAS have shown that they are intellectually honest about the genuine concerns of people of other faiths.