AFTER the federal government withdrew its appeal against a High Court verdict favouring Jill Ireland’s right to use the name “Allah” as a non-Muslim, Bersatu accused Putrajaya of disobeying royal directives.
In 2021, Johor Ruler and Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decreed that Putrajaya file an appeal against the ruling of the High Court and that the relevant religious authorities in the two states file a lawsuit in support of the appeals.
Bersatu is of the opinion that Putrajaya cannot withdraw the request unilaterally without consulting the rulers and religious bodies.
Moreover, Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris stated that Bersatu is of the position that Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail does not have the right to decide on the withdrawal of the appeal without referring to the Council of Rulers, state religious authorities and the National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs’ Muzakarah Committee.
Yesterday (May 16), Saifuddin explained that Putrajaya withdrew the appeal after the Home Ministry studied the High Court judgement.
According to the former Kulim MP, the Home Ministry found that the 1986 rules applied to confiscate Ireland’s possessions containing the word “Allah” in 2008 were defective and contributed to her court victory.
In light of this, he stated that the Home Ministry is currently examining these instructions to better regulate the future usage of the words “Allah,” “Baitullah,” “solat,” and “Kaabah.”
Saifuddin’s justification is rejected by Bersatu, who asserted that the decision to drop the appeal was made only for political reasons.
“The decision was made to secure the support of MPs from Sabah and Sarawak as well as to attract the backing of non-Muslims ahead of the upcoming six-state elections,” claimed Razali.
The party also disagreed with the assertion made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the High Court’s decision in favour of Ireland only applied to Sarawak.
Furthermore, Razali pointed out that this is a shallow statement because Sarawak is a part of Malaysia where Islam is the religion of the federation and the Sarawak Islamic Religious Council is headed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Bersatu also urged Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar to state his stand on the issue and defend all efforts of the Malay rulers to ensure that matters concerning Islam are appropriately addressed. — May 17, 2023
Main photo credit: Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia
