Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today finally broke his silence on the 'Allah' controversy, saying the ban on non-Muslims from using the word will stand in states which have such provision under law.
Najib added that the 10-point solution which allowed bibles to use the word 'Allah' was also subjected to such enactments."The (Umno) supreme council takes note of the 10-point agreement agreed upon by the cabinet, but the 10-point agreement is subjected to federal and state laws.
"That means in states where there are such enactments, it means it (10-point solution) is subjected to the enactment at the state level.
"But there are no such enactments in Sabah and Sarawak, therefore they can continue as usual," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting this evening.
He added that the Agong’s declaration that non-Muslims cannot use the word ‘Allah’ was done in his capacity as the Kedah sultan thus it was confined to Kedah which also has an enactment banning non-Muslims from using the word ‘Allah’.
As such, Najib said there was no need for any scare tactics on the matter.
“There is no need for any parties to intimidate other parties,” he said.
When asked if this meant that the state enactments superseded the 10-point solution, Najib replied: “It’s not supersede, in the 10-point agreement, there is formal recognition in one of the points that it must be based on federal and state laws.”
The point Najib referred to is found in point number 9, which states: “Beyond the Bible issue, the government wishes to reiterate its commitment to work with the Christian groups and all the different religious groups in order to address inter religious issues and work towards the fulfilment of all religious aspirations in accordance with the constitution, taking into account the other relevant laws of the country.”
Najib defends policies amid criticism
On a separate matter, Najib said the Umno supreme council also reiterated its support for the government’s economic policies as it was producing results, with a strong economic fundamental recognised internationally.
“If we look in terms of economic growth, inflation and the stock market, the economy is in a convincing state but we do not deny we are facing price hike problems and are working on it,” he said.
Najib said the cabinet committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is awaiting the results of a cabinet meeting on how to reduce the rakyat’s cost of living.
He added that the price hikes could also be due to supply chain problems where wholesalers have disproportionately increase their prices to retailers as well as the moonson season.
The statement comes following criticism from elder politicians such as former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who warned BN will lose power if the present policies which are causing price hikes continue.
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