Who’s the boss in Selangor?

MAIS, JAIS, AG and MB – does anyone have the authority to resolve the Bible issue in Selangor?

By Jasmine Wong

So much authority and no clarity!

Never before has one state in Malaysia been run with such utter discord, lack of authority and total disregard for the rule of law.

Despite the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail saying in no uncertain terms that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) must return the Malay- and Iban-language Bibles to the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), the chairman of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) has taken the law into his own hands by insisting BSM be prosecuted instead.

Can a religious body like MAIS overrule the AG? Is this body above the law? And is Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim completely powerless to do anything constructive and definitive in his capacity as Selangor Menteri Besar?

With everyone speaking above each other and standing by their convictions, no mater how convoluted some of those convictions may be, the people who are left with the short end of the stick are the BSM and Christians in general who have to contend with rationales that defy logic as spouted by MAIS chairman, Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa.

According to the wise and venerable Datuk, returning the Bibles to BSM may cause confusion among Muslims.

In his eyes, there is a valid case against BSM under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation among Muslims) Enactment 1988 of which MAIS is in direct ‘control’ over, a statement agreed to by the Selangor State Exco in charge of Islamic religious affairs Sallehen Mukhyi.

Stepping into the fray is DAP, whose MP in Puchong Gobind Singh Deo says the AG must order both MAIS and JAIS to do as instructed.

It boggles the mind and boils the blood as to why so many people have to step in.

Who in the end has the final say? Certainly not Selangor’s MB whose hands seems to be tied… certainly not JAIS…  and worse yet, not even our AG from the looks of it.

And this is the Selangor our dear Anwar Ibrahim wants to use as his launch pad to Putrajaya? Good luck with that, dear sir!