The appeal was launched by the Catholic Church in Malaysia against a government ban in 2007 on the use of the word in the Malay language edition of its Herald newspaper.
A Malaysian government statement says "The Government respects the decision of the court and asks all parties to abide by it. The ruling only applies to the Herald newspaper's use of the word 'Allah'. Malaysian Christians can still use the word 'Allah' in Church."
But Sabah assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan says the ruling is a restriction on what Christians read.
Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, MP State Reform Party, Sabah and President, Borneo Heritage Foundation in an interview with Sen Lam as follows:
KITINGAN: I feel very disappointed and I'm sure a great number of Malaysians are also equally disappointed with this decision. It shows that there is really no religious freedom, the constitution has not been respected. And in a way we are also not surprised because in the first place this issue should not have been brought up, it should not have become an issue at all. The Herald publication actually (is) meant for Sabah and Sarawak, Bumiputra readers, and it is in these two states that there is no official religion.
LAM: It might be argued that no one is being prevented from practising their own religion, it's just a word?
KITINGAN: Well, in a way this is a restriction on the practice of the religion by preventing Christians to read what they have been reading all this while.
LAM: In the Malay language?
KITINGAN: In the Malay language yeah.
LAM: But what is the problem with using the word "Tuhan" as opposed to Allah?
KITINGAN: There's no problem, in fact we use the word Tuhan, we use the word Allah, but equally what is the problem of using the word Allah?
LAM: And of course Sabah, your state, saw its fair share of drama last year with the incursion of the Sulu claimants, the issue of false identity cards, also the issue of phantom voters. Let's begin with the fake ICs, the false identity cards, how big a problem is that for you as a Sabahan?
KITINGAN: This is a very big problem in Sabah, one of the biggest problems for the people of Sabah, especially the natives, because the giving out of these identity cards to foreigners who are not qualified to be citizens for the purpose of political convenience and advantage, to us is equivalent to disenfranchising the natives.
The numbers (of foreign IC holders) are very big. The population of Sabah is three-point-two-five million. Out of this only one-point-five million are locals. That means they are larger in numbers than the local population.
LAM: So they've overtaken the local population?
KITINGAN: Yes. This has been happening over 30 years since 1975-76. The very obvious reason at one time was to topple a government who was led by a non-Muslim government, by Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who happened to be my brother.
LAM: He's your older brother?
KITINGAN: Yeah, that was the most cited reason during the Royal Commission of Inquiry hearing. The other reason is to increase the Muslim population so that UMNO will have more Muslim seats, so-called Malay seats, in order for UMNO Kuala Lumpur, to directly tak eover and rule Sabah. Most of them come from our neighbouring countries, the Philippines, the southern Philippines, Mindanao, Sulu area, and also from Indonesia.
LAM: You are also disturbed by the fact that the eastern states - Sabah and Sarawak, that they are punching above their weight if you like but not getting anything in return. That they contribute a lot to the centre, but not getting anything back?
KITINGAN: Yes Sabah and Sarawak contribute over 40 per cent of the national revenues from oil, gas, tax revenues.
This frustration is shared by many people, certainly the young people. And there has been a survey by a University academician (sic) and a slight majority of the people wants out. When a survey was done on the internet, over 90 percent responded supporting that (secession).
So I would say that increasingly there is an overwhelming trend of people who are frustrated, they want a solution, they want a review of the Malaysia Agreement, or they want out.
LAM: Is that dangerous talk, do you think? Can the two eastern states survive on their own?
KITINGAN: Yes definitely. I mean right now, Sabah alone is capable of producing of up to anything between 50 to 70 billion a year.
LAM: Billion ringgit?
KITINGAN: Yeah, compare that to what we get, which is our annual budget is only about four-point-three billion.
LAM: So you're saying that Sabah alone will be able to generate revenue of over roughly 20 billion US dollars a year?
KITINGAN: Definitely, Sarawak even more.
LAM: Both the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak have been described as fixed deposits, as safe states for the ruling Barisan Nasional government. Politically, you should be holding quite a lot of clout. Why is it that these two states, your states, are not being heard in Putrajaya, what's wrong here?
KITINGAN: Well for one thing, the leaders in Sabah and Sarawak are not moving together, they are not united. Sabah is ruled by UMNO directly and when they are ruled directly you are beholden to the appointer, not to the electorate.
Even though Sabah and Sarawak at the moment are actually king-makers, they are not capitalising on that role because of not being able to move together because one is governed by UMNO, the other one is by local political parties.
LAM: So lack of unity is the key problem, but what about the opposition? Why can't the opposition galvanise itself and if the people indeed, feel that they are being unfairly treated by Putrajaya, do you see an opposition organising cohesively, like they have done in peninsular Malaysia?
KITINGAN: Yes I see that they are learning from their past mistakes. We are actually now talking to each other, trying to move together, that's why we are able to have common programmes on the issue of state rights.
But what is preventing the people, the people are very poor. So when they are poor they are dependent, they are dependent on the government, and when they are dependent they become hostage to the political situation.
LAM: So you're referring to vote buying?
KITINGAN: Yeah, yeah, so easily when they are given economic assistance or whatever handouts during election, then they easily bend.
LAM: Do you see a generational change happening in Sabah?
KITINGAN: Yes, the new generation, the so-called Gen Y, are now very active politically in the cyber community, they're also very vocal, and I feel that in the coming (next) election there will be more of this group coming to vote, and they will replace many of the old generation to change the pattern of voting and hopefully, they will make an impact.
(credit to Sen Lam)
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