Penang and FT can also use 'Allah'

KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz, who commented last week that non-Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak should be allowed to use the word Allah, said today that those in Penang and the Federal Territories could also use the word as there is no state enactment to prohibit its usage.

The Constitution clearly says no religion, except for Islam, can be propagated among the Muslims, Mohd Nazri, who is the de facto law minister, told reporters after launching the public transport consumer rights awareness campaign here.

He said that since religious matters come under the state, and to give effect to the requirement of the Constitution, every state with a sultan as the head of Islam has its own enactment on the propagation of Islam, except for Penang, the Federal Territories, Sabah and Sarawak.

"In Selangor (for example), (non-Muslims) cannot use the word Allah because there is already a law to this effect in the Constitution, but in the Federal Territories, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, they still can," he said.

Mohd Nazri reiterated that the High Court decision on Dec 31, which granted permission to Herald, the Catholic weekly newspaper, to use the word Allah on the grounds that it was not exclusive to Islam, should only be effective in Sabah, Sarawak, Penang and the Federal Territories.

"I went to the churches outside Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. It is true that in Sabah and Sarawak, they actually use the word Allah in their sermons and this has been a practice for so many years. So that was why, even if it is against the wish of Jakim (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia), my opinion is that it has been the culture for Sabah and Sarawak, (so) let it be," he said.

"I do not think we should pass a law in Sabah and Sarawak ... even the Muslims there are familiar with the situation, but here (Peninsular Malaysia) is different as there are already laws in nine out of 11 states."

He said the home minister issued the ban to ensure that all states in the peninsula were in line with this restriction. Mohd Nazri said the decision made by High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan was wrong "because she should not be deciding on whether the word can be used or not because the home minister has the power under the Act to order the ban in Herald".

"She said the minister did not produce enough evidence, how could you produce enough evidence when the order is preventive in nature? You cannot wait until churches are burnt and lives are lost then only you want to make an order.

"I personally say that the judge was wrong. For example, the stepping on the cow head incident ... I have not done anything wrong under the law for stepping on a cow's head but because 7% of the population are Hindus, we must respect their sensitivity, that was why the (people allegedly involved) were charged under the Sedition Act even though it is not wrong to step on a cow's head "So, do not tell me that you cannot consider the sensitivity of the Muslims?"

Mohd Nazri also said it is all right to translate the Bible into Malay because it is the national language but God should be referred to as Tuhan.

He said it was the Catholic archbishop and publisher of Herald Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam who first brought the Allah case to court, which left the government with no choice but to follow the judiciary system instead of resolving the issue outside the court.

"It is too late now and we have to use the court system," he said when asked if the government was willing to withdraw the court appeal.

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PM TERIMA ANUGERAH TERTINGGI ARAB SAUDI

RIYADH 17 Jan. – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yang menerima anugerah tertinggi kerajaan Arab Saudi iaitu Anugerah Raja Abdulaziz Kelas Pertama, menyifatkan ia satu manifestasi hubungan yang sangat akrab antara kedua-dua negara.

Perdana Menteri yang menerima anugerah berkenaan daripada Raja Arab Saudi, Raja Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Saud di sini semalam berkata, ia juga melambangkan potensi yang amat besar untuk bekerjasama dalam pelbagai bidang bukan sahaja dalam konteks kepentingan negara itu dan Malaysia tetapi bagi kepentingan ummah sejagat.

‘‘Saya mengucapkan ribuan terima kepada Raja Abdullah di atas anugerah ini. Ia merupakan sesuatu yang sangat istimewa,” katanya kepada wartawan Malaysia selepas mengakhiri lawatan rasmi empat hari ke Arab Saudi.

Anugerah itu yang dikenali sebagai King Abdulaziz Order Of Merit (1st Class) dianugerahkan kepada pemimpin-pemimpin negara yang memberikan sumbangan dalam merapatkan hubungan dengan Arab Saudi. Antara mereka yang pernah menerima anugerah tersebut ialah bekas Presiden Amerika Syarikat (AS), George W. Bush dan Presiden AS, Barack Obama.

Menurut Najib, dalam pertemuan dengan Raja Abdullah, baginda sekali lagi melahirkan penghargaan kepada jemaah haji Malaysia yang pada pandangan baginda tidak pernah mewujudkan masalah.

Perdana Menteri berkata, selain itu beliau dan Raja Arab Saudi tersebut turut berbincang mengenai usaha baginda berhubung dialog antara pelbagai agama dan inisiatif ini sudah pun dilaksanakan di beberapa tempat termasuk di Sepanyol, New York dan kini sebuah pusat akan beroperasi di Vienna tidak lama lagi.

‘‘Saya sudah menyatakan bahawa dalam program seperti itu, Malaysia berminat untuk menyertainya ke arah memupuk kefahaman yang lebih mendalam tentang Islam dalam konteks hubungan dengan pelbagai agama lain,” katanya.

Najib turut mengambil kesempatan melahirkan penghargaan kepada kerajaan Arab Saudi berhubung peluang ekonomi dan perniagaan yang telah diberikan kepada syarikat dan rakyat Malaysia.

Beliau berkata, penyertaan syarikat Malaysia dalam melaksanakan dua projek mega di Shuhaiba dan bandar ekonomi Jizan sebelum ini sudah menjadi contoh bagaimana peluang yang sangat besar dapat dipenuhi dan direalisasikan oleh syarikat-syarikat Malaysia di Arab Saudi.

‘‘Di samping itu, saya juga telah menyatakan bahawa kami menghargai hasrat syarikat dan pihak berkuasa Arab Saudi untuk melabur di Malaysia bagi meningkatkan pelaburan yang boleh mendatangkan manfaat kepada kedua-dua negara,” kata Najib.

Pada sidang akhbar itu juga, Najib turut memberitahu, perkara lain yang turut dibincangkan dengan Raja Abdullah adalah berkaitan perkembangan di Afghanistan.

‘‘ Dalam isu memerangi keganasan, kita bersetuju betapa penting kedua-dua negara mengeratkan kerjasama untuk membanteras sebarang bentuk keganasan. Sehubungan itu, baginda berminat supaya satu bentuk persefahaman formal akan ditandatangani antara Malaysia dan Arab Saudi,” katanya.

Zulkiflee Bakar

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Banjir Di Kota Marudu Semakin Buruk

Isnin Januari 18, 2010

KOTA MARUDU: Keadaan banjir di Kota Marudu bertambah buruk ekoran hujan lebat berterusan sejak Khamis di mana kira-kira 1,600 orang terpaksa dipindahkan setakat ini.

Anggota Parlimen Kota Marudu, Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili berkata mangsa ditempatkan di tujuh pusat pemindahan dan lapan rumah tumpangan.

"Kira-kira 330 keluarga telah dipindahkan sementara 20 kampung terputus hubungan jalan raya," kata beliau yang melawat mangsa dan kawasan yang terjejas. Selanjutnya....

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Banjir Besar Melanda Kota Belud lagi

Gambar Banjir di Kota Belud December, 2003 (Dari Th Haji Said Andong-KB)

Sebentar tadi kita kita jam 11.30 Malam (16 Januari, 2010) saya menalipon sahabat saya yang terkandas di Kota Belud bagi mengetahui perkembangan banjir di Kota Belud. Mula-mula saya bertanya mengenai keadaan hujan. Menurut beliau hujan teru menerus turun dan keadaan banjir semakin naik. Pukul 1250 a.m sekali lagi saya menyusuli keadaan Banjir dan hujan di Kota Belud. nampaknya hujan teru turun berterusan.

Penduduk-penduduk yang terlibat mengalami bencana banjir ini mula dipindahkan ke Pusat Pemindahan banjir di Dewan Masyarakat Kota Belud. Mereka terdiri ,terutamanya, dari penduduk Kg Sembirai dan Kg. Menungui. Lebak Moyuh yang teruk dilanda banjir kali ini. [selanjutnya]

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