Statement by Dr. Chen Man Hin in Seremban on Saturday, 9^th January 2010:

UMNO led opposition to the use of Allah by Christians in Malaysia, is against world Muslim opinion and will backfire on the promotion of 1 Malaysia reforms of the Prime Minister

PM Najib open support for UMNO’s retrogressive stand against the use of Allah by Christians, shows that his 1 Malaysia so called reforms for a multicultural society with religious freedom will once again fail to deliver his promises to the people.

Firstly, the majority of world muslims, including muslim Arabs, muslim Africans, muslim Indonesians, and muslim Malaysians have no problem with the use of Allah by christians living amidst them for centuries.

So why is the Home ministry objecting to the use of Allah by christians in Malaysia.

According to YB Bernard Dompoh, he disclosed that christian indigenous peoples of Sarawak and Sabah have been calling God ‘Allah’ for a century or more, long before the independence of Malaysia and before UMNO was formed.

The Federal Constitution contains articles which permit the use of Allah by people of the christian faith. a judgment to this effect was made by the high court judge.

UMNO and its supporters have opposed this judgment and are organising protest rallies against it.

It looks like that UMNO’s stand against the use of Allah by christians is contrary to the thinking and practices by muslims in the Middle East, Africa and Indonesia.

It is even more astonishing to see that PM Najib and his government are supporting the stand of UMNO, and by doing so the PM has gone back on his word to build a 1 Malaysia where all Malaysians are given equal opportunities and where there is freedom of religion and the people can practice their beliefs without any restrictions.

PM Najib cannot deny the undeniable. He, his home minister, the IGP and the the Police have openly supported the demonstrations against the use of Allah by christians by UMNO and Umno NGOs. This is in sharp contrast to the attitude of using force against demonstrations organised by the opposition.

Yesterday, the Police protected UMNO protesters in their demonstrations, and gave them special kid glove treatment. There was no arrest, no water spraying and no police battering with trunches. This is in sharp contrast to the treatment of protesters involved in opposition rallies, who were beaten, battered and arrested without rhyme or reason.

The display of open discrimination by Najib’ government, and by the IGP and his police personnel is an open admission that it is UMNO that is power behind the the prime minister and that Umno calls the shots.

It confirms that 1 Malaysia is nothing more than a political gimmick to fool the people into thinking that the new government will bring reforms for the people.

PM Najib open support for UMNO’s repressive policies will bring bring serious consequences. He is going against world opinion of both the christian and muslim world.

Foreign investors will view the developments with displeasure, and this will cause FDIs (foreign direct investments: to fall further Economic development will slow and the country will remain poor like the banana republics.

* Dr. Chen Man Hin, DAP Life Advisor