Malay Rulers’ declaration to to forbid non-Muslims from using the word ‘Allah’. neglecting the rights and religious freedom of other races.

If the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government ever wonders why non-Muslim support is evaporating, they should look no further than the Malay Rulers’ declaration to protect the sanctity and status of Islam without neglecting the rights and religious freedom of other races.

That declaration was made at the 220th Conference of Rulers yesterday and is in line with Umno’s stand that had led the government to forbid non-Muslims from using the word ‘Allah’.

By default or design, the establishment is forcing non-Muslims to get protection and support from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition, who appear to have taken an enlightened view of the matter.

In fact, it would now take a blinkered non-Muslim to throw his lot behind Umno/BN and the monarchy, which proclaimed the translation of ‘God’ to ‘Allah’ had caused much confusion and dissatisfaction among the people of Malaysia, particularly Muslims.

“This issue, unless resolved immediately, will undermine the sanctity of Islam and, possibly, security and public order as well,” the office of the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal said.

The statement pointed out that Article 3 of the Federal Constitution provided for Islam to be the country’s official religion and the Malay Rulers to be the heads of religion in the states of the country.

“The Malay Rulers have the responsibility to safeguard the sovereignty and sanctity of Islam as the official religion of the country without neglecting the rights and religious freedom of the other races.

“The Malay Rulers give the undertaking to fulfill their responsibility to protect the sanctity and status of Islam,” it said.

The statement said the Malay Rulers took note that the issue over the use of the word “Allah” by the Catholic weekly magazine, Herald, was under consideration by the Court of Appeal.

And in a democracy where there is a separation of powers with the Rulers being the fountain of justice, it is best left to the judiciary to decide on the constitutional rights of all Malaysians.

As it is, some Malaysians are labelled as ‘kaum asing’ or ‘kaum pendatang’ even as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak valiantly tries to promote his 1 Malaysia concept.

None of these remarks can help draw back support to the BN, where some component parties are plagued by in-fighting that they have lost focus in regaining votes from their respective communities.

As days go by, BN is losing the trust and support of Malaysians of all walks of life that have kept it in power from Merdeka when it was the Alliance. PR is winning over that trust, enough to propel it to control four states and more than a third of the 222-seat parliament.

Just as Malaysians are now searching their souls for reasons to stay and support the government of the day, BN too will have to do some soul-searching about whether it represents all Malaysians because paying lip-service to Najib’s 1 Malaysia will lead to its downfall.

And while the Malay Rulers are only fulfilling their constitutional roles in speaking for Islam, Malaysians are looking to them for wisdom to handle a situation that is causing fissures in an otherwise harmonious country.

After all, they are constitutional monarchs for all Malaysians, not just for one community.

MI

13/02/10