Open Letter to UMNO Members

All your leaders are preoccupied, hence this open letter to you, the UMNO members who voted your leaders to power.

The constitution of Malaysia and the law fully supports the right of every Malaysian to exercise freedom of religion. The government of Malaysia has done a great job with this delicate balance of cultures and faiths in our multicultural society. Let’s not let a couple of misguided people destroy it.

I'd like to bring to your attention the vile threats that were recently expressed by self-serving UMNO politicians in their capacity as cabinet ministers and their supporters in the following sequence of articles:

Home Ministry to probe Catholic paper’s action
Differences over ‘Allah’ reach a new level
Jangan persenda guna nama Allah

Their actions and threats caused further misunderstanding and misperception of Islam which in fact promotes love, compassion and mutual respect.

They offended and unsettled the Malaysian followers of the Christian faith nationwide. You can read the public outcry and comments nationwide under each article and follow the links within the news archive listed at the end of this letter.

These are self-serving politicians and supporters who:
1. PLAY GOD. Grasping at straws to stay in power by whatever means. In the process, exposed Who They Really Are (definitely not God's messengers of love and compassion for all mankind).

Linguistic technicalities and theologies aside, by whatever name, Allah, Tuhan, Yahweh, Jehovah among many others names, refer to the same God of Abraham, the father of monotheism and the shared ancestor of three faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

2. PLAY HERO. The obvious conclusion drawn on a simple Q&A below:

Q: Why bring up this Allah matter now and not at General Elections or any other time in the past 50 years? 

A: UMNO elections round the corner. To distract UMNO members from focusing and addressing the real issues plaguing the party and; to unite the fragmented party at one stroke at the expense of others. How convenient and insensitive.
Being a race-based party whose members are all Muslims, your leaders need to think of other ways to win the hearts and minds of the members that would translate to winning seats ethically and professionally. Rational and thinking rakyat can see through the façade of defending Islam.

Your leaders and their supporters practically went against every tenet of the Rukun Negara, the de facto Malaysian pledge of allegiance:

• KEPERCAYAAN KEPADA TUHAN
Belief in God – only one God exists for all descendants of Abraham, irrespective of Linguistic technicalities and theology differences.
• KESETIAAN KEPADA RAJA DAN NEGARA
Loyalty to King and Country – the nation comes first, not partisan politics as demonstrated by your leaders.
• KELUHURAN PERLEMBAGAAN
The Supremacy of the Constitution – Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar’s decision to bar the Malay edition inside the weekly paper contravened Article 3(1), 10(1)(a), 11(1) and (3) of the constitution which “grants the right to freely practise one’s religion, the general freedom of speech and expression and the right of every person and religious group to propagate and manage its own religious affairs.” Home Ministry's letter.
• KEDAULATAN UNDANG-UNDANG
The Rule of Law – The ISA has been abused all too often for political persecution under the guise of National Security.
• KESOPANAN DAN KESUSILAAN
Courtesy and Morality – the vile threat made by Ahmad Zahidi “Don’t play with fire and challenge the Muslims. We are willing to do anything to protect our religion.”

These politicians acted against the spirit of Barisan Nasional; thus eroded the people’s confidence in BN, including all component parties’ credibility being a part of the coalition.

In view of possible By-Election(s) or State Election, I recommend that disciplinary action is taken on the two UMNO politicians and their supporters immediately:
1. To restore public confidence
2. To ensure Members of Parliament are in line with the spirit of Barisan Nasional

REMEMBER THE CALL TO NATION BUILDING
by His Royal Highness the Regent of Perak, Raja Nazrin:
1. Malaysians of all races and religions need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have a place under the Malaysian sun.
2. Take personal ownership over the well-being of the country.
3. Do not succumb to indifference and apathy. Hold on to your ideals. Do not give way to cynicism and opportunism. Believe that you can make a difference.
4. Choose leaders who were earnest in building unity and did not resort to religious or ethnic posturing to further their careers.
On behalf of the rakyat, we trust that UMNO members will take appropriate steps and action as soon as possible.

With love for God, King and Country.

Pat Lu
On behalf of Pahlawan Volunteers and Malaysian Catholics

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News archive on the “Allah” Ban:
'Herald' gets new permit with strings attached
Herald Continues To Use Allah Word
And Meanwhile .. Bumiputera Christians Fret