When Malaysians ushered in 2006, the Moorthy (Mohamed Abdullah) episode was still reverberating in the air. As 2006 drew to a close, the Rayappan Anthony incident was still fresh in our memory.

Many concerned Malaysians are now asking: will groups within the different religious communities continue to tussle over the dead? Will inter-community tensions rise again in the future when the religious identity of yet another forlorn corpse is subjected to yet another ugly dispute between contending elements?

One of the most urgent tasks facing the nation in 2007 is to establish clear, unambiguous rules on the entry and exit of a person from a particular religion. When a person enters a religion, there should be incontrovertible documentary evidence of his decision. Likewise, when a person exits a religion he should have concrete proof of his action, acceptable to all parties concerned. These rules should apply to all religions and should be effectively enforced.