Umno Ministers should not over-react to Vatican Envoy's statement

Up to today, three cabinet ministers, namely Jamil Khir, Anifah Aman and Khairy Jamaluddin have issued statements to criticize Archbishop Joseph Marino, envoy of Vatican for remarks made in his first interview with the media.

It was reported that Archbishop Marino had applauded the arguments made by the Christian Federation of Malaysia to use "Allah" in its texts to refer to God as very well done.

It was also reported that he had qualified that although the ongoing court case was an internal matter for Malaysia, he was in support of the Christian Federation's arguments for the term, saying they were "quite logical and acceptable".

Marino's statement merely reflects the stand and opinion of a diplomat of Vatican who has global view and knowledge on issues related to the Christian churches.

The Archbishop is the first Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia and has taken up the position early this year.

It is natural for a Vatican diplomat to give his opinion on issues related to the local church, It shouldn't be construed as interfering into the domestic affairs of Malaysia as claimed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other ministers.

The Government of Malaysia and Members of Parliament from both political divide have always voiced opinions on issues beyond our borders, such as issues related to Israel and Palestine, Burma, Egypt, ASEAN countries etc.

Therefore, Umno Ministers need not over-react to Archbishop Joseph Marino's statement as it can hurt Malaysia's image as a moderate nation in the international community.

I hope and urge the UMNO ministers and politicians to stop following extremist NGOs like Perkasa and Jati's footsteps.

The extremists' statements are not only against the spirit of "national reconciliation" , they have also hurt the feelings of many Christians who have been using the word "Allah" in our worship in East Malaysia.