"We agree with Maximus Ongkili about not dragging religion, or politics for that matter, court.
"We also disagree with politicians suing each other for defamation.
"Political statements should be handled politically.
Maximus is talking about restraint on the part of the Christians on Allah when it was the Muslims who started the trouble and/or alternatively he’s behaving as if he’s the Pope. No one is stopping him from using whatever terms he wants but he has no business telling the Christians that Allah – the one and only -- is not an attribute of God in Arabic and Malay.
The Home Minister had no business issuing a policy directive to the Herald, the Catholic weekly, not to use the term Allah in Malay print. The Malay/Indonesian Bible is a version prepared under the Vatican’s oversight and has its seal of approval. Teams of experts worked on it for some 25 years or more. the Court of Appeal did not consider the merits of the Herald's case and instead confined itself to compliance on administrative procedures. there's nothing that states that the Court cannot go beyond administrative procedures with Judicial Reviews.
Mahathir, when he was Prime Minister, had the Constitution amended without going through the Conference of Rulers as required to enable the states to pass enactments against propagation of any religion to Muslims. The state enactments, being inferior law, are null and void to the extent of their inconsistency with the superior law, the Federal Constitution.
So, what law is Maximus talking about?
Even if there’s a law, it does not exist if it cannot be enforced, is unenforceable and is widely flouted.
As long as Christians use the term Allah in song, prayer and worship at every mass in Malay, the law on Allah -- if there’s any -- does not exist.
Umno harping on sex, Allah, Bible, Christians, and Chinese serves a purpose: to keep the rural vote bank firmly with Umno. Change will come when their MPs decide that Umno is no longer a sustainable model to remain in power. Umno meanwhile is gearing itself to warm the Opposition benches in Parliament for a very long time to come while at the same time hanging on to some Tanah Melayu or Malay reservation states.
Mahathir will do what Hitler did: kill himself.
In Mahathir's case, it won't be by a bullet. He will commit hara kiri.
These Umno extremists, prejudiced, racists and fanatics don't have a leg to stand on.
Again, the law ceases to exist, as if there's no law, if it's not enforced, cannot be enforced and is widely flouted. All Christians gather for the Bahasa mass throughout the Federation at the same time, any day, and pray and sing about Allah.
Beyond Allah, it’s our stand that it's just enough for anyone to declare publicly that he or she is no longer a member of this or that religion or is now a member of this or that religion and it would suffice.
The intention is clear.
No law can force him or her into any other position. No law can force him or her against doing any about turn any number of times."
Daniel John Jambun is President of Borneo's Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPIM)
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