Dear Umno Members

All your leaders are preoccupied, hence this open letter to you, the Umno members who voted your leaders to power.

The constitution of Malaysia and the law fully supports the right of every Malaysian to exercise freedom of religion. The government of Malaysia has done a great job with this delicate balance of cultures and faiths in our multi-cultural society. Let’s not let a couple of misguided people destroy it.

I'd like to bring to your attention the vile threats that were recently expressed by self-serving Umno politicians in their capacity as cabinet ministers and their supporters with regards to the controversy over the use of the word ‘Allah’.

Their actions and threats caused further misunderstanding and mis-perception of Islam which in actual fact promotes love, compassion and mutual respect.

They offended and unsettled the Malaysian followers of the Christian faith nationwide. These are self-serving politicians and supporters who:

1. Play God: They grasp at straws to stay in power by whatever means. In the process, they expose who they really are (definitely not God's messengers of love and compassion for all mankind).

Linguistic technicalities and theologies aside, by whatever name, ‘Allah’, ‘Tuhan’, ‘Yahweh’, ‘Jehovah’, among many other terms, refer to the same God of Abraham, the father of monotheism and the shared ancestor of three faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

2. Play hero: The obvious conclusion is drawn on this simple Question and Answer -

Q: Why bring up this ‘Allah’ matter now and not at the general elections or any other time in the past 50 years?

A: Because Umno’s elections are round the corner. This is to distract Umno members from focusing on and addressing the real issues plaguing the party and to unite the fragmented party at one stroke, at the expense of others.

How convenient and insensitive.

Being a race-based party whose members are all Muslims, your leaders need to think of other ways to win the hearts and minds of their members that would translate into winning party positions ethically and professionally.

Umno leaders practically went against every tenet of the Rukun Negara, the de facto Malaysian pledge of allegiance:

• Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan

Belief in God – only one God exists for all descendants of Abraham, irrespective of linguistic technicalities and theology differences.

• Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara

Loyalty to King and Country – the nation comes first, not partisan politics as demonstrated by Umno leaders.

• Keluhuran Perlembagaan

The supremacy of the constitution – Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar’s decision to bar the Malay edition of the Catholic Herald weekly contravened Article 3(1), 10(1)(a), 11(1) and (3) of the constitution which grants Malaysians the right to freely practise one’s religion, general freedom of speech and expression and the right of every person and religious group to propagate and manage their own religious affairs.

• Kedaulatan Undang-undang

The rule of law – The ISA has been abused all too often for political persecution under the guise of ‘national security’.

• Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan

Courtesy and morality – These certainly do no encompass the threat made by Ahmad Zahidi when he said: ‘Don’t play with fire and challenge the Muslims. We are willing to do anything to protect our religion.’

These politicians act against the spirit of Barisan Nasional and thus erode the people’s confidence in BN, including all the component parties’ credibility as being a part of the coalition.

I recommend that disciplinary action be taken against these Umno politicians immediately to restore public confidence and to ensure members of parliament are in line with the spirit of Barisan Nasional.

Remember the call to nation-building by the Regent of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah who said:

1. Malaysians of all races and religions need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have a place under the Malaysian sun.

2. Take personal ownership over the well-being of the country.

3. Do not succumb to indifference and apathy. Hold on to your ideals. Do not give way to cynicism and opportunism. Believe that you can make a difference.

4. Choose leaders who are earnest in building unity and do not resort to religious or ethnic posturing to further their careers.

On behalf of the rakyat, we trust that Umno members will take appropriate steps and action as soon as possible.