Muhyiddin's behavior disrespectful to Malay rulers - Saifuddin

ALOR SETAR - Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution has expressed disappointment at Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for continuing to politicise the issue of the word Allah.

Saifuddin said that Muhyiddin's behavior was allegedly disrespectful to the advice of the rulers conference, who have asked that the issue not be politicised.

He said that the Cabinet had already made a decision on the matter, and that the Home Ministry would be submitting a proposal to improve the administrative instructions.

"We will raise some proposals to hold a new administrative order submitted to the National Council of Islamic Affairs (MKI) chaired by the Sultan of Selangor.

"MKI will then present it to the next Ruler Council meeting. Until that period, it is no longer allowed to politicise the issue," he said in a press conference at Kedah PKR leadership council office on Tuesday.

Saifuddin also questioned Muhyiddin's decision not to obey the previous Cabinet's decision, which had been made through an out-of-court settlement.

"The controversy over the word "Allah" stems from conflicting decisions made during the previous administration led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"The Cabinet had issued a partial ban allowing the use of certain words, including "Allah," on the front cover of Christian publications in Sabah and Sarawak.

"On the other hand, the Home Ministry had imposed a total ban," Saifuddin explained.

Saifuddin also slammed Muhyiddin for allegedly not resolving this discrepancy even after being appointed as prime minister.

He revealed that during his tenure as a Cabinet member in 2018, the Cabinet had decided to settle the cases related to the issue out of court. However, Muhyiddin did not respect this decision and failed to take any action.

The Home Minister then questioned Muhyiddin's motives, suggesting that the chairman might have a political agenda to exploit religious sentiments for personal gain.

He stressed that the issue is not about theology or creed but about resolving the discrepancy between the Cabinet's decision and the administrative order.

In May of the previous year, the government withdrew its appeal against the High Court's decision to allow Christians to use the word "Allah" and three Arabic words in the publication of their religious materials for educational purposes.

The Attorney-General's Office filed the notice of termination of the appeal, stating that the government did not intend to pursue the case any further.