Need to relook Malaysia Agreement to ensure religious freedom, says Sarawak minister

Jan 21: A decree by the Sultan of Kedah, who is the reigning Yang di-Pertuan Agong, that several words including Allah are exclusive to Muslims, is a signal that “dark clouds are approaching”, says Sarawak’s outspoken minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing (pic) who is calling for a detailed study of the Malaysia Agreement.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) politician said it was getting ominous for Christians in the country with a clear trend now to push the use of the word Allah exclusively for Muslims.

“There’s a clear pattern,” the Sarawak Land Development minister told The Malaysian Insider, admitting that he is “now a bit worried” by the trend.

On Sunday, the Agong, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, had said that several words, including Allah, were exclusive to Muslims. He had cited a 1986 decree by the National Fatwa Council on the use of the Arabic word Allah and several other words.

The King had said this in an address read out by the Sultan of Kedah Council of Regency chairman, Tan Sri Tunku Annuar Sultan Badlishah, during an investiture ceremony at Istana Anak Bukit in Alor Star in conjunction with the Sultan’s 86th birthday celebration.

Masing, who is strongly against any attempts to curb Christians in Sarawak and Sabah from using the word Allah in their prayers, religious publications and Bibles, said: “It would be appropriate now for Sabah, Sarawak and Putrajaya to revisit the Malaysia Agreement and look at what had been agreed on.

“That should be the order of the day. We have to look at it in detail. One of the details that could not be missed out is the first point which is on religious freedom.”

He said the revisit should ensure “we – the signatory states – do not deviate from what had been agreed on”.

“The government has to religiously adhere to what had been agreed,” he added.

Masing also believed that it is Putrajaya who is pushing for the word Allah to be used exclusively by Muslims.

Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian agreed, saying that the Agong’s address was an attempt by Putrajaya to pre-empt the Catholic church’s appeal before the Federal Court next month.

“The government is putting pressure on the court,” said Baru, adding that the Agong is normally advised by the government and his palace advisers on what to say in his addresses.

The state opposition lawmaker said he suspected Putrajaya had a hand in advising the Agong on his royal address.

Baru also questioned the timing of the Agong’s message, saying it seemed rather suspicious that a 28-year-old fatwa that many had long forgotten was brought up again in light of the Allah row.

“I suspect, very strongly, it must have been the work of the government or pro-government palace advisers. They are the ones who vet his address and nomally advise him on what he could say. For what purpose, you might ask.

“I say it’s to pre-empt the case that is going before the Federal Court. But we want to believe that the Federal Court is not intimidated and that it would make a decision based on facts of the law and not emotion.”

Baru said the decree is very unfortunate because it is clear that the Agong has no jurisdiction over the religious matters of non-Muslims in this country.

“Religious freedom is enshrined in the constitution and therefore the decree by the Agong or state rulers on religion cannot override the constitution.”

Baru said since any fatwa or religious rulings by the Agong, state rulers and national or state fatwa councils are not applicable to non-Muslims, the 1986 decree does not apply here.

He added that the Allah issue has been blown out of proportion simply because Umno has chosen to politicise it.

Sarawak’s sole independent lawmaker, George Lagong, however, called for sanity to prevail, saying it was pointless arguing over this issue when the case is still in court.

Religious tension had been running high since the end of last year following the Court of Appeal’s ruling which overturned a High Court decision that had allowed the word Allah to be used in the Bahasa Malaysia section of the Catholic weekly, Herald.

It escalated following the seizure of the Herald at the Kota Kinabalu international airport late last year and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s raid on The Bible Society of Malaysia in Damansara Kim where more than 300 copies of the Bahasa Malaysia and Iban bibles were seized.

Recently, Selangor Umno and several Malay groups whipped up a campaign against Herald editor Rev Father Lawrence Andrew who had said that churches in the state will continue to use the word Allah in their masses despite a decree by the Sultan of Selangor that the word is exclusive to Muslims.

Non-Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak, particularly the Christians, now fear the Agong’s decree would erode their religious rights which are guaranteed under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963.

Christians form about 9% of Malaysia’s 29 million population.

Almost two-thirds of Christians in Malaysia are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as “Allah” in their prayers and holy book.

Besides the Bumiputera Christians from Sabah and Sarawak – some who have moved to the peninsula to live and work – Orang Asli Christians in the peninsula also typically use Bahasa Malaysia in their worship.

 

 

source: The Malaysian Insider