COMMENT On Jan 1, everyone was talking about price hikes. The next day, this was no longer the case - everyone was talking about the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and the word ‘Allah’ (I hope I won’t get arrested for typing it).

The point that the whole exercise was merely a distraction has been made before, but it may bear repeating. The rest of this article will also explore some of the dynamics and confusion surrounding the issue, including Jais’ chain of command...