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IMAGINE a Malaysia that is free of religious sensitivities, with each religious group practising its own faith without another finding fault with it. With no group feeling threatened by another or clamouring to be treated as being superior. With everyone respecting the guarantee of freedom of religion enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
If this utopian situation could prevail, we would not have such a tempest over the use of the word “Allah”, with groups like Pribumi Perkasa planning to stage a protest over the High Court’s decision to let The Herald use it to mean “God”. Its secretary-general, Syed Hassan Syed Ali, has asserted: “We want the Government to revoke the court decision.” Has his religious zeal clouded his understanding of our democratic set-up? The Government CANNOT revoke any court’s decision. The judiciary is independent; well, that was the original proposition in our Constitution, anyway. There is (supposed to be) separation of powers between the executive (of which the Government is a part) and the judiciary. If the Government were to step in and revoke any court decision, God help us all! That would be the end of the rule of law.
The trouble is, when religious fervour rears its head, rationality can fly out the window. It is therefore imperative that fervent religious quarters are reminded that however strongly they may feel about a certain issue, they cannot ignore the fact that the law is what rules the land. Unless and until the law is changed, it has to stand as it is.
It does not help the Government for groups like Pribumi Perkasa to agitate for action to be taken as it compromises the 1Malaysia policy of the Najib Administration. Besides, the Government has already filed an appeal against the High Court decision. During Abdullah Badawi’s premiership, the Government did nothing when a meeting to discuss Article 11 of the Constitution in Johor Baru was unceremoniously cut short because of a protest by PAS Johor, Umno Youth and Muslim NGOs. This did not go down well with sensible society. Abdullah also called for the proposed setting-up of an interfaith commission to be deferred, scuttling the potential of healthy dialogue being conducted among the various religious groups in the country. Would dialoguing not be a better, more rational way to resolve issues as sensitive as those pertaining to religion?
Perhaps it’s not too late to revive the idea. As Malaysians – citizens who are all on the same team or in the same boat, however you’d like to call it – we should all be willing to converse with one another without being contentious or aggressive, without feeling that one must be on a higher pedestal than the rest. We’re all in this nation together, aren’t we? Let’s all be humble and just talk to one another – without the interference of the politicians, the Government, the media and all those who can sidetrack us from what really matters, that is, understanding one another. Let’s just put tempers aside and talk. You never know what miracles might come out of simply this.
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