PM a ‘toothless tiger’ on Allah issue, says Ong

Serdang MP says confiscation of CDs and Christian books shows Najib is not serious about his promise to East Malaysians.

PETALING JAYA: MP for Serdang Ong Kian Ming said Prime Minister Najib Razak’s pledge to East Malaysians that they could use the word “Allah” in their religious text was nothing but an empty promise.

Ong said this in reference to the recent confiscation of CDs and Christian books at KLIA2 that were bound for Sabah. They were taken from a Sabahan Christian who brought them in from Medan Indonesia because the material contained the word Allah.

In a statement, Ong said, “I call upon the Prime Minister to order the Home Minister to release the material belonging to the Sabahan Christian immediately.”

Extending this demand to an earlier incident where Christian CDs belonging to Jill Ireland were also confiscated for the same reason, Ong said, “The failure to do so would only confirm that the Prime Minister is a ‘toothless tiger’ who is incapable of ensuring that his own Ministers implement the Prime Minister’s promises to the people.”

Ong also lambasted the federal government for failing to protect the people’s fundamental right to freedom of religion as per Article 11 (1) of the Federal Constitution.

He added, “It also shows the failure of the federal government in trying to keep up the pretence of having an inconsistent promise of ‘one country, two systems’”.

Ong was referring to the two sets of laws in which those in Peninsula Malaysia are prohibited from using Allah in their religious texts while those in Sabah and Sarawak are permitted to use it.

The DAP MP also said the recent confiscation was proof that “Najib’s assurances to the Christian community in Sabah and Sarawak are completely undependable and unreliable.”