Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the controversy over the Malay-language Bible will be thrashed out in the next cabinet meeting.

In an effort to find a solution to the impasse, he said: "We will discuss it in the cabinet this week."

The cabinet meets every Friday when Parliament is in session.

NONE When pressed further on whether the cabinet has called for a release of the Bible as claimed by certain quarters, Muhyiddin ( left ) denied knowledge of any such directive.

"No, no, the cabinet has yet to discuss it. Let us meet first," he said at the press conference after an Education Ministry event in Putrajaya this morning.

Five thousand copies of the 'Al-Kitab' have been held in Port Klang since March 2009. More recently, 30,000 copies of the same Bible have been stuck in Kuching Port.

Printed in Indonesia, the Bibles are meant for the use of Christians in Sabah and Sarawak.

While the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) claims that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had promised to look into the matter and to release the consignment, the sentiments were however apparently not conveyed to the Home Ministry.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had previously said the copies were being held back due to a pending appeal in court regarding the use of the word ‘Allah' by non-Muslims.

His ministry's Publications Control and Quranic Text Division secretary Zaitun Ab Samad also said that the Bible was also not allowed in, based on a 1986 cabinet directive banning non-Muslims from using the terms 'Allah', 'Solat', 'Kiblat' and 'Kaabah'; some of which are mentioned in the Malay-language Bible.

Muhyiddin ‘pleased' with Interlok developments

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin - also the education minister - said he is pleased with the new edition of the controversial textbook ‘Interlok' which has been toned down somewhat.

"We have not announced anything. I will still wait for the report from the independent panel and I have been told there seem to be encouraging developments," he said.

NONE 'Interlok', which was meant to be the Form 5 Bahasa Malaysia literature textbook this year, had sparked controversy recently when it was found to include the word ‘pariah' - a derogatory term to the Indians.

Many Indian leaders have cried foul, saying the book - written by national laureate Abdullah Hussain in 1967 - portrays the community in an unflattering light.

After intense pressure, Muhyiddin announced the formation of an independent panel to review the book and its usage in schools.

"In the coming days, I will give the opportunity to the representatives from the Indian community to tell their leaders of the decisions made, so they can accept these with consensus.

"I will also bring the matter to cabinet since the matter has garnered national attention. So I'll get (the cabinet's) endorsement, and this should all happen within a week," he said.

Release Bahasa version of Bible now: S'wak clergy