'Selangor Umno 'Allah’ roadshow will up tension'

Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo noted that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, till today had not made any stand on the Allah issue, and his silence on the Selangor Umno move to organise a roadshow on the matter will indicate his failure to live-up to the 1Malaysia slogan.

In a statement today, he said that Najib should openly state his stand on the proposed roadshow.

“He should stop it. If he does not stop it, then I think it is clear that he is encouraging racial tension.

"This will further mark Najib's failure to live up to his 1Malaysia slogan, his promise to be a Prime Minister for all Malaysians and his call for national reconciliation,” said the Puchong MP.

Several media quoted Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar (left) as saying that the party plans to hold 30 roadshows to educate Muslims in the state on the Selangor's Non-Islamic (Control of Propagation among Muslims) Enactment 1988.

Events building up tension

This appears to be one of the side-effects of  the Selangor Islamic Department use of its powers under the state enactment to seize over 300 copies of the Malay and Iban Bible with the word 'Allah' earlier this month.

Gobind added the roadshows will further rile up the feelings of Muslims against non-Muslims.

This, he pointed out is evident from the Hulu Selangor Umno protest over the use of the word 'Allah' by Christians followed the burning of an effigy of the weekly, The Herald editor, Father Lawrence Andrew, at the end of the March.

The Puchong MP also  asked Najib what type of signal he was sending his party members by remaining tight-lipped  over such incidents.

“Is it a sign for public unrest and strained relations among the people?,” he asked.

It had been reported earlier that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who had backed the Selangor Umno protest in churches following Lawrence’s statement carried by a news portal that Christians in the state would continuously use Allah in their service, a matter in which he is being subjected to an on-going investigation.

Lawrence was merely stating the provision of the federal constitution under Article 11 (4) which allows every religion to manage its own affairs, and despite pointing this out he is still facing criticism and investigation.

Najib's cabinet had on April 2011, just before the Sarawak state, come-up with the 10-point solution which among others had allowed the use of the word 'Allah' in copies of the Malay/ Indonesian Bible that are imported or printed in the country.

Msiakini