Dr Kelvin Yii
KUCHING (March 11): Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) should use their ‘kingmaker’ status to persuade their partners in the government not to appeal against the High Court’s decision in allowing non-Muslims to use the term “Allah” in their publications, said Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) assistant secretary Dr Kelvin Yii.
Dr Yii who is Bandar Kuchng MP said he was referring to GPS partners in government like Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), United Malay National Organisation (Umno) and Parti Pribumi Malaysia Bersatu (Bersatu).
“This is important to protect the fundamental spirit of the formation of Malaysia which safeguards freedom of religion and the practices of other religions in peace and harmony,” he told The Borneo Post today.
Dr Yii was responding to a call by the Muafakat Nasional (MN) Consultative Committee for the High Court’s ruling on the use of the Islamic words be referred to the Court of Appeal.
Dr Yii pointed out that the High Court’s ruling was a victory not for a particular group over another in Malaysia, but for the spirit of multiculturalism and freedom of religion that is protected under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution and Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“That is why such ruling should be seen as a victory for all Malaysians as we defend each other’s constitutional right and guarantee of religious freedom in our country,” he said
He said the fact of the matter is that Christian communities in Sabah and Sarawak have been using ‘Allah’ for generations in the practice of their faith without any problem, adding that the then-Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government had resorted to banning the usage of the Arabic term even though non-Muslim locals in Sabah and Sarawak has been using it for ages.
“The fact that Christians here have been using it for 400 years without causing any public disorder or even confusion which was the reasons used to justify the decision by the BN Cabinet in 1986 to issue the circular giving a blanket ban of the usage of four words including ‘Allah’, ‘Baitullah’, ‘Kaabah’ and ‘Solat’ by the non-Muslims,” he said.
The post Dr Yii: GPS should use ‘kingmaker’ status to persuade partners in govt not to appeal against court’s decision on use of ‘Allah’ appeared first on Borneo Post Online.