Church 'greatly disappointed' with verdict
Father Lawrence Andrew, editor of the Catholic weekly Herald , said the Church is "greatly disappointed" with the Federal Court's decision today.
Speaking to the press outside the courtroom, Father Lawrence had few words for the four out of seven judges who decided against the publication's appeal.
Father Lawrence Andrew, editor of the Catholic weekly Herald , said the church was "greatly disappointed" with the Federal Court's decision today.
Speaking to the press outside the courtroom, Father Lawrence had few words for the four out of seven judges who decided against the publication's appeal.
"Those four judges who did not grant us leave, they spoke about things that did not judge the fundamental basic rights and the rights of the minorities," he said.
Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria hrejected the leave application, and was supported by Court of Appeal President Md Raus Sharif, Chief Judge of Malaya Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin and Federal Court judge Suriyadi Halim Omar.
The dissenting judges were Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Richard Malanjum and Federal Court judges Zainun Ali and Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha.
Father Lawrence heaped praise on the trio, calling their judgments "courageous".
"The three dissenting voices spoke with clarity on the rights of the persons, the dignity of the person, especially the rights of the minority and also upheld the Federal Constitution,” he said.
"They found fault and weaknesses in the way the Court of Appeal decision was carried out.
"It was to look at the procedure of the High Court decision but it went beyond the scope and made sweeping statements that affected the dignity of Christians," he added.
The High Court in Kuala Lumpur in 2009 ruled that the Home Ministry's ban on the use of the word Allah by the Herald was unconstitutional, but this was overturned by the Court of Appeal in October last year.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam marched out of the courtroom and refused to address the press.
Despite being pursued by journalists and pressed repeatedly, an upset-looking Pakiam merely muttered "no, no, no" and strode off.
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