Gerakan, take raid issue up with the sultan

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YOURSAY ‘Well said, Aziz Bari. Why blame MB Khalid and Pakatan?’

Expert: Jais under sultan, not MB

Geronimo: Gerakan and MCA were the ones who helped Umno Baru pass many of the religious bills when they were administering the state in the past, which unfortunately, have brought us to such a bind today.

They should not weasel their way out of constitutional law professor Abdul Aziz Bari by blaming others, especially Selangor MB Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

LKT: When Selangor was under Umno, I don't think the sultan will ever put his foot down on Islamic matters. It is most likely on the advice of Umno that the sultan will issue his decree.

Now the state is under Pakatan Rakyat, Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) is reporting to the sultan and Pakatan is out of the loop. I can see the dirty fingerprints of Putrajaya and Umno in this mess.

Ketuanan Rakyat: Well said, Abdul Aziz. Why blame MB Khalid and Pakatan?

Onyourtoes: Abdul Aziz, I think your argument may be too simplistic and sweeping. If Islam is the sole jurisdiction of a state’s sultan, why did the federal government get involved, from banning the word ‘Allah’, to civil courts deciding it, and to police officers participating in the raid against Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM)?

Where are the principles of constitutional monarchy and the principle of acting on advice? Are there exceptions to these overriding principles? If so, how far should they go?

Is the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 constitutional 1988? If not, how does this enactment operate? Why is this enactment not declared ultra vires the federal constitution, the supreme law of the land?

Is there any institution higher than the federal constitution? What did our constitution say in the nutshell - a parliamentary democracy, an absolute monarchy, a kingdom, a half democracy and half theocracy, or half-baked nincompoop system, what?

We can’t argue based on expediency. We must argue based on enduring principles.

Paul Warren: The power and authority that was misused in making this raid were vested by the passing of the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment in the state assembly.

The Pakatan government in Selangor can repeal those laws if it wants. Then what happens to the sultan's prerogative?

Senior Citizen: I hope all concerned parties are reading the comments here in Malaysiakini . The Selangor sultan is a well-read and an intelligent sultan. The sultan had attended the La Salle Brothers’ anniversary celebrations.

Khalid can have a special discourse with the sultan and raise this urgent issue involving the church. Apparently there are culprits hiding behind unseen hands and creating problems between the church and the people.

I certainly don’t want this to be blown out of proportion for the world media to pick up and carry their news live. It would be as if Malaysia has descended into a radical Muslim society, and this would frighten potential tourists and investors. It’s the people would end up losers.

Who is tearing up the cosmopolitan prism beautifully crafted by our forefathers? The police, PM Najib Abdul Razak and all political parties must come together and end this on a most urgent basis. Let cool heads prevail.

YUNoAnon: Gerakan and its Youth chief Tan Keng Liang, now go and ask Najib and the sultan to explain the raid, since you were so eager to ask Khalid. Please expedite your eagerness.

Karma: Tan, if you have guts and is fair, ask the Selangor sultan why Jais is raiding the church. Otherwise, you are just another Malay supremacist group Perkasa - insincere and practising discriminatory justice.

Rakyat Boleh: I think Khalid should explain the situation to the people. Christians need to know what's really happening and assure that it won't happen again.

If it's the sultan decision, then just say so. Pakatan needs to be transparent over this incident.

Mosquitobrain: All beings are equal under the sky and no one is above the law. But under Malaysia's sky, it is totally different.

Kanasai: After the Johor sultan changed the weekends from Saturdays and Sundays to Fridays and Saturdays during his recent birthday and was supported by Najib, the Selangor sultan flexed his muscle.

When elephants fight, the ants got stampeded. Is this the end of democracy and the start of monarchy rule?

Gerard Lourdesamy: The Appeals Court order was restricted to setting aside the orders of the High Court and declaring that the home minister was right not allowing The Herald to use the word ‘Allah’ in its publication.

The other comments of the court were pure obiter dicta . In fact, the court went to great pains to distinguish the Alkitab from The Herald . Therefore, the court made no pronouncement that Christians cannot use the word ‘Allah’ in the Alkitab.

It was Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) which jumped the gun to raid the premises of the Bible Study Malaysia (BSM) based on an impugned state law whose constitutionality is in doubt.

Sensitivities and provocations are endemic amongst the intolerant Muslims in this country to the point that life is made very difficult for religious minorities to practice their faith in "peace and harmony" as guaranteed under the Constitution.


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