KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (picture) shares the view of his Home Minister cousin Hishammuddin Hussein that Muslims are free to protest and express their views against a court decision which had allowed the Catholic newspaper Herald to use the word “Allah.”As long as Friday’s demonstration did not spill over into something more series, Najib told reporters that the government cannot stop people from protesting over the Allah issue.
However, he said that the authorities were prepared to face any situation.
"We hope the protests will not spill over. Better still if the protest is minimal," Najib said after opening the first 1Malaysia Clinic.
Najib said that the authorities could not stop groups from gathering at mosques and protesting there.
"As long as it doesn’t spill over into something serious, they can still express their views," he said.
Hishammuddin had also stated yesterday that the government did not prohibit the people from expressing their views on the Allah issue but action will be taken if the protests affected security.
On former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s opinion that the "Allah" issue cannot be resolved through the courts, Najib said that was his (Dr Mahathir’s) view.
"There will be all kinds of views but while the court process if going on, it requires a lot of dialogue," the Umno president said.
Yesterday, High Court judge Lau Bee Lan allowed a stay order on the use of the word “Allah” by the Catholic weekly Heraldafter the parties involved reached a consensus on grounds of national interest.
She granted the Home Ministry the stay of execution on her earlier ruling allowing Herald to use the name “Allah” for God in its Bahasa Malaysia section.
The Home Ministry is appealing against the decision that saw differing views from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders who believe emotions should not be allowed to rule in the discussing the issue following the court’s decision.
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