With reference to the government’s statement that Christians can continue to use the word ‘Allah’ throughout Malaysia and that it is committed to the ‘10-point solution’, I feel that those of us who want to see a new paradigm must at least praise the government for this act of reconciliation.

The statement from the government immediately takes the wind from the sails of the rabid Islamo-fascists like Perkasa who have been emboldened to even threaten decapitation and spilling of blood.

That Perkasa is funded by Umno has been acknowledged but this is  a reflection of the factionalism and warlordism within Umno. The faction aligned to Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the chief sponsor of all this dangerous and totally gratuitous incitement to racial and religious hatred. It is purely a political calculation for their faction’s advantage without an iota of concern about how much damage it is doing to the fabric of the nation.

The ridiculous, illogical  and unconstitutional 1988 state enactments which ban the word ‘Allah’ for non-Muslims were formulated during Mahathir’s tenure. He was and still is a master of divide and rule.

Will Selangor Pakatan do the obvious and repeal the offending state enactments? We all have a field day criticising Umno as the devil incarnate but what is Pakatan’s contribution to coming up with a solution to this whole charade?

The fact that the government claims to be committed to the 10-point solution and has said Christians can use the word ‘Allah’ is really an admission that the state enactments are flawed because the government’s position, too, is similar to the Herald where it is in direct conflict with state enactments.

We cannot depend on the leader of the opposition Anwar Ibrahim to provide moral leadership on this issue,  because as far as I am concerned he is part of the problem. If he had an ounce of integrity he would convene an urgent Selangor Pakatan meeting to discuss setting into motion the  repeal of the 1988 Mahathir inspired state enactments which conflict with the constitution and the current  BN government’s position of allowing Christians to use the word ‘Allah’.

Pakatan should use this  golden opportunity to repeal the offending state enactment given the federal government’s support.

Pakatan assemblypersons must table a motion to do exactly that and inform the state BN that they expect full support from the BN assemblypersons given the fact that the federal government has allowed for the usage of the word ‘Allah’, thus confirming that the state enactment prohibiting its use is in effect null and void.

We have had too much rhetoric from Pakatan over the Allah charade. They have used this issue to castigate Umno and BN but this will ring hollow and expose their duplicity and  ineffectualness as a coalition if they cannot  make a united stand and urge a repeal of the state enactment in question.