Allah issue: Find solution or face communal friction
The issue, if remained unsolved, would spark a communal friction between Christians and Muslims in the country, says Tan Keng Liang.
Athi Shankar, FMT
Kedah Gerakan Youth has urged the Barisan Nasional supreme council to take a firm and fair stand on the ‘Allah’ issue soon.
Out-going head Tan Keng Liang wants BN leadership to reach an amicable solution to resolve the contentious matter after seeking views of all its 13 component parties.
He said this in an e-statement in response to the Court of Appeal (COA) decision yesterday to stop the Catholic weekly periodical The Herald from using the term ‘Allah’ in its Bahasa Malaysia publication as a reference to ‘God’.
The COA reached the decision after the Home Ministry had appealed against a High Court ruling to allow the word to be used in the publication.
Tan said the debacle occurred after the Home Minister exercised his discretion under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 to impose the ‘Allah’ prohibition.
Pointing out that Christians from Borneo states had been using the term ‘Allah” for a very long time, he said the government should have considered those facts seriously before taking legal action.
He cautioned that the issue, if remained unsolved, would spark a communal friction between Christians and Muslims in the country.
He said the government should always consult with all BN components and take into account views of all communities before endorsing a national policy or legislation.
“Such issue wouldn’t have arisen if the views of all BN component parties, in particular those from Sabah and Sarawak have been sought before the decision being made,” he said.
“The BN supreme council should convene a meeting at the soonest possible to resolve this issue,” insisted Tan, who is vying for the position of national Gerakan Youth chief in the coming party election.
