I refer to the malaysiakini report Anwar: Revoke Makkal Osai suspension .

The publishing of a picture of Jesus holding a beer can and a cigarette by the Tamil daily Makkal Osai recently was a despicable act which must be condemned. However, the Christian leaders, including Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, have rightly reacted sensibly and with restraint to that irresponsible action. Christians, too, in general have accepted the apology from the paper's management in the true spirit of forgiveness.

The decision by the Internal Security Ministry to suspend its publication permit for one month is not only unwarranted but was done in bad faith as it was carried out contrary to the advice of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) and the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST). In fact, Archbishop Murphy Pakiam himself admitted that he was 'perplexed and bemused' by the suspension.

Would Jesus himself wanted to punish the perpetrators of this irresponsible incident further despite their repentance? The suspension of the daily will result in 100 workers losing their livelihood for one month.

It is obvious now that the whole incident had some underlying political motives. The suspension seems to have little to do with safeguarding religious sensitivities but is a means to punish this highly critical Tamil daily. It is sad that these days even the name of God and His prophets are being manipulated by certain individuals for political gain. The real culprits in this whole fiasco are the politicians - not the editor or staff of Makkal Osai .

The daily had published the offending picture of Jesus Christ with a caption saying: 'If someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits him'.

What was portrayed may be a negative feature but if we reflect deeply, we will see that the picture may be trying to convey some positive message for us, not just Christians but for all mankind. It may be telling us to rid ourselves of our sinful ways if we want to enter the kingdom of God. The beer and cigarette represent the sins due to greed, lust and hate which are so rampant in the world today.