PETALING JAYA (Aug19, 2008): The Home Ministry’s warning and "show cause" letters to curtail The Herald goes against the Federal Constitution, Catholic Lawyers’ Society (CLS) Kuala Lumpur president Mabel Sabastian said yesterday.
She claimed the warnings and letters deprive the right to freely practice one’s religion, the general freedom of speech and expression and the right of a religious group to manage its own affairs.
Mabel said the ministry's intention in trying to control the content of the Catholic weekly, accusing it of being 'politically inclined and touched on Islamic issues', is against Article 3 (1), Article 10 (1) (a) and Article 11 (3) (a) of the constitution.
"Such controls would deprive the Catholic community of current information and education relating to their faith and such an act by the authorities is tantamount to a curtailment of religious freedom," she said in a statement.
"The interpretation of what constitutes religious matters should be left to the leaders and adherents of the faith in question," she said, adding that the Home Ministry is not in a position to dictate to Catholics or proponents of any other faith, the scope of their religion.
The CLS called on the Home Ministry to withdraw its warning and "show cause" letters and maintain the Herald’s publishing permit.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar had earlier said that the Herald should restrict its articles to matter pertaining to religion only, stating that "it supposed to touch on matters pertaining to questions on rituals, adherence to God, followers and anything related to your divine mission."
Mabel said that it was significant the minister referred to matters pertaining to the adherence to God, followers and anything related to the divine mission.
"The Catholic Church teaches that it is the duty of Christians to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of the society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity and freedom," she said, adding that the contribution to society is rooted in love.
"This love manifests itself in social and political charity. Social charity is to seek the good of all people not only as individuals but as a larger, social community," she added.
She said as such, it is necessary to organise and structure society so that no member is left in need and structuring society requires the application of political charity.
CLS feels that Herald's reporting was in line with the Catholic church' teachings on social and political charity and Catholic’s mission as an adherent of the faith, she added.
Karen Arukesamy
The Sun
19/08/08
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