Three generations of Malaysians regardless of race or religion have been singing the state anthems of seven states invoking the name of Allah to bless

By Lim Kit Siang

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “1Malaysia” slogan is facing its most critical test less than a year of its coinage in the “Allah” controversy, which has catapulted Malaysia into three weeks of adverse international attention raising the question whether we qualify to be a model modern nation-state of racial and religious diversity.

Three generations of Malaysians regardless of race or religion have been singing the state anthems of seven states, Johore, Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu invoking the name of Allah to bless and protect the Sultan and people. Were they wrong?

The six-line Perak state anthem invoked Allah’s name four times, viz:

Dilanjutkan Allah usianya Sultan
Adil dan murah memerintah watan
Ditaati rakyat kiri dan kanan
Iman yang soleh Allah kurniakan
Allah berkati Perak Darul Ridzuan
Allah selamatkan Negeri dan Sultan

Allah, grant the Sultan a long life
Just and gracious, ruling the homeland
Obeyed by the people left and right
Allah endow the righteous faith
Sanctify Perak Darul Ridzuan, O Allah
Salvage the State and Sultan, O Allah

Allah’s name is invoked thrice in the Terengganu state anthem, viz:

Allah daulatkan Tuanku Sultan,
Terengganu Darul Iman,
Allah peliharakan Tuanku Sultan,
Sejahtera sepanjang zaman,
Allah rahmatkan Tuanku Sultan,
Memerintah rakyat aman.

God may his majesty remain sovereign,
Terengganu the abode of faith,
God bless his majesty,
Blissful throughout his reign,
God bestow mercy upon his majesty,
Govern the people in peace.

The Johore anthem starts with “Allah peliharakan Sultan” and ends with:

Allah berkati Johor
Allah selamatkan Sultan

The Pahang anthem starts with

Ya Allah Yang Masa Kuasa,
Lanjutkan Usia Duli Yang Maha Mulia,

and ends with

Ya Allah Selamatkan Duli Tuanku Raja Kami

The name of Allah is invoked in Selangor state anthem’s “Allah lanjutkan usia Tuanku”, Kelantan state anthem’s “Segala Kebesaran Allah cucurkan” and Kedah state anthem’s “Allah selamat Sultan Makhota”.

Have three generations of Malaysians, particularly non-Muslims in the seven states of Johore, Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu done wrong and been offending the sensitivities of their Muslim contemporaries in using the name of Allah to bless and protect and the Sultan and people when singing the respective state anthems?

Were the Muslims particularly in these seven states in the past 52 years offended that non-Muslim Malaysians were also using the word “Allah” in these state anthems?

The answer can only a powerful “No’. If so, why should the “Allah” controversy reach its present level as to seriously tarnish Malaysia’s international reputation, undoing all efforts to attract foreign investors, tourists and students with the spate of arson and vandalism of places of worship, totalling 14 cases of attacks on churches, mosque and surau, a gurdwara and a school in several states since Jan. 8.

The Prime Minister and Cabinet must end its paralysis to be able to represent all Malaysians to resolve the “Allah” controversy. Its Achilles’ heel is that has defaulted from its mediator role to resolve the “Allah” controversy because it has become a major protagonist itself.

This is why the Prime Minister and Cabinet should revert to their role as representing all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion.

As a first step, the Cabinet should withdraw the Home Ministry’s appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court judgment of judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan so that it could play the role of mediator to resolve the “Allah” controversy through an inter-religious dialogue to restore the religious equilibrium and harmony that was so imprudently disrupted by the then Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar in 2007 in banning the Catholic weekly Herald from using the word “Allah” in its Bahasa Malaysia publication.