I have always believe in UMNO and BN. I say it aloud without any reservation but now I began to doubt that very much. I do not sincerely believe in the party that I hold dear anymore and I am sorry about it. I am sorry I cannot for see any redemption in UMNO anymore. I am not a party member and never will be but I always believe that the party is the vanguard for the Malay. It is where all Malays regardless of belief could seek protection but not anymore.

My Malay race seem to forget history of how the country was founded. It was not founded by the leftist lead by PKMM or KMM or the religious leaders PAS. It was founded and created and lead by liberal broadminded Malays who were anglophile but yet love the race more than themselves. The Malaysia that we inherited were of their making, their dreams which to me is dissipating fast. We are spiraling downwards to an abyss, a dark one which cringe me into fear and rage.It has to be stop but by whom?

Yes Malaysia has her warts and all but it is our country we share the same destiny. I applaud the 1Malaysia as espoused by Najib but does he have the will to push it forward? I doubt. We achieve our independence by the spirit of give and take. We achieve it by respecting others right and obligation. When we created Malaysia we accept Sabahan and Sarawakian into our fold and their demographic landscape which is quite different than ours. The Malays make up 21% of the population in Sarawak, the rest 79% is non Muslim or non Malays. The Chinese are more, they make up 26% of the population of Sarawak. It is to the Malay credit they still rule the State lead by Tan Sri Taib Mahmud but without pramagtism this will never be the case. Christianity is the largest religion in Sarawak, making up 34% of Sarawak total population. Muslim number constitutes 30% of Sarawak total population. The biggest ethnic group is the Iban which is 43% of the population while Muslims the majority are Malays which consist of 77%.

Sabah has one of the highest populations of Christians (Roman Catholic and Protestant) living in Malaysia but even then Islam is the majority with 63.7% while the rest is non muslim with Christian 27.8%. This increase of Muslim population was the open door policy to Islamicises Sabah during the time of Berjaya where hundreds of Filipinos and Indonesian were given citizenship.Why all these data? It is to show you the precarious situation we are in by playing Allah to the gallery. Do not alienate the Sabahan or Sarawakian I appeal to all of you!

Some facts on the 12th General Election should be noted and analyzed. The Barisan Nasional within Peninsular Malaysia failed to obtain a majority of popular votes cast. It only obtained 49% of the popular votes in Peninsular Malaysia whereas the Opposition had the majority of popular votes – 51%. UMNO won 35% of popular votes against 34.8% won by PAS and Keadilan. Although the Barisan Nasional won 140 seats in Parliament, 54 seats came from Sabah and Sarawak. So, without Sabah and Sarawak, Barisan Nasional will not have even obtained a simple majority in Parliament. If the Federal Territory was to be considered as a state, the Barisan Nasional actually lost 6 states. In Negeri Sembilan, it survives with only a 4-seat majority. In Pahang, Barisan Nasional even lost the state capital, Kuantan. Even the Barisan Nasional fortress of Johor was successfully penetrated by the Opposition this time with both DAP and PAS winning seats. There are no safe bastions for Barisan Nasional anymore.

I repeat don't play with fire! And do not alienate the Malays Middle Class vote. UMNO lose in urban and semi-urban Malay seats like Titiwangsa and Lembah Pantai (in Kuala Lumpur city), Shah Alam, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat, Kuala Selangor, Gombak, Ampang, Sungei Petani, Merbok, Kulim, Nibong Tebal, Balik Pulau (in Penang), Parit Buntar and Bagan Serai in Perak. Barisan Nasional even loss Kuantan – the capital of Pahang and Indera Mahkota. They are many factors that made us lost the vote and please do not misread the voters again. "Kita mungkin menang sorak tapi Kampung tergadai" and old Malay saying Remember that! I attach herewith a comment I made in one of UMNO blog!

Dr Novandri, being a staunch UMNO member surely you support the President and i remember when he was the DPM he spoke about Melayu Glokal but if UMNO members made the stand like you did then I should call all of you Melayu Lokal or maybe i change the k to c and throw away the al to o turn it into loco! I think it suit your stand and the rest! I never said our former leaders are idiots! All of your followers did! By not understanding the issue you are blowing everything out of hand! I want BN to win and the Allah use is restricted please read my blog! Datuk Bernard Dompok and many leaders in Sabah and Sarawak like Loe Moggie wish to retain the status quo do not alienate them please! BN depends on them, and they have been a reliable partner for all this while think! Christian consist of only 8% of the population and the readership of herald is only 14000!, which cannot be and is not a threat to us and I repeat we arethe threat! If we want to win the next GE think carefully, do not alienate them and others who are rooting for BN! The middle class Malays is big chunk of voters which could swing to their side again so be careful! Really!

Datuk marina

Many times i do not see eyeball with you on issues as I regarded(and perhaps) prejudiced by my dislike of your father whom i do admire.
To me sadly he is at fault here, he is the one who open the pandora box, by emancipating Islam to be used in the administration. He was playing with fire but being a strong leader he could contol the situation now it is getting out of hand. Religion is emotive to the Malays in fact to many other races thus it can be abuse as like now. Because of it religion can be thorn to the government because everybody wish to outdo one another! The Malays forgot to take into account that only 8% of the population is Christian and the readership of herald is only 14000 only! How could it be a threat! Tell me! It seem your view is not share by your brother and your father being a politician that he is gave a political answer to the question. Under the previous Minister of Home Affairs from Tun Dr Ismail right up to him the use of Allah was allowed under strict guidelines so I blame this problem to Datuk Syed Hamid Albar who change the status quo!

And if ever any BN parties walk out because of this issue what would happen!

MCA lauds ‘Allah’ ruling, says no confusion

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — The MCA has come out to support the controversial High Court ruling on the usage of the word ‘Allah’ despite the Barisan Nasional federal government appealing the decision that has caused an uproar among the majority Muslim population.

The party said it was taken aback by demonstrations against the ruling as it was “grave cause for alarm as to whether worshippers of other faiths may profess their religion freely in accordance with Article 11, peacefully and harmoniously (Article 3), and to educate their children in their own religion (Article 12(2)) of the Federal Constitution”.

“The police reports lodged also suggest questioning and asserting pressure on the independence of the judiciary should one disagree with any judgement made,” MCA spokesman Gan Ping Sieu said in a statement released here.

MCA is the first Barisan Nasional component party to laud the ruling, adding it also welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s call for all quarters to remain calm and not resort to demonstrations, petitions and memoranda on the matter.

Gan also hit out at those who said the Dec 31 ruling that allowed Catholic weekly Herald to use ‘Allah’ to describe the Christian God in its national language edition would confuse Muslims.

“Deploying “confusion” as grounds for insistence on the ban by detractors is a poor attempt to throw a red herring i.e. deliberate attempt to divert attention from the real issue of law and constitutional rights of Malaysians to freedom of religion and to profess their faith peacefully and harmoniously.

“Any individual imbued with an iron will on his faith yet is open-minded to respecting, reading and learning clinically the creeds and practices of other religions in the world will remain true to his original religious conviction without any consideration of renunciation,” he added.

The party spokesman also said no group should claim exclusive ownership of “Allah” as it is not a patented copyright by any ethnic group.

“‘Allah’ is used by different believers throughout the world. For time immemorial, Sikhs refer to their God as “Allah.” Renowned 19th century Malay Muslim scholar and linguist, Munshi Abdullah who translated “God” as “Allah” into the Malay language remained a pious Muslim and was never confused,” he noted.

Gan said an individual’s definition of ‘God’ should not be used as justification to declare others’ usage of ‘Allah’ as inappropriate and thus deprive and deny the rights of followers of a separate religion to continue using ‘Allah’ to practise his/her faith be it in publications, scriptures, in church/gurdwara services and oral references during personal prayers.

“To do so contravenes the Federal Constitution and serves to create confusion, and this is where the confusion really lays — the confusion as to the application of law and rights as enshrined therein, and not a confusion of faiths.

“If “Allah” is to remain exclusive to one section of society, are other segments of society to be deprived of the right to pledge allegiance to the royalty and sing state anthems which contain the word “Allah”?” he asked.

Gan also pointed out that it was an historical fact that ‘Allah’ predates Islam and is commonly used by Arabic speakers of the Abrahamic faiths including Muslims, Christians and Jews, pointedly refuting and viewing “flawed any interpretation that Arab Christians refer to God as ‘Tuhan’ and not 1Allah1 as claimed by a prominent Malaysian who has retired from public office”.

“Since all Arab, Middle Eastern and Indonesian Christians are able to refer to God as ‘Allah’ freely, harmoniously without threat of punitive action, should not we in Malaysia follow suit in accordance with Article 3 of the Federal Constitution which allows “other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in the Federation?”

Such exemplary practices would live up to the 1Malaysia concept of mutual respect and understanding besides forging closer ties amongst all Malaysians.

“Does it make sense to take punitive action against the hundreds and thousands of Bahasa Malaysia speaking Christians and Sikhs and who for centuries have referred to God as “Allah” in their personal prayers?” he also asked.

On the court judgment, he said it was a matter of law in upholding the rights of Malaysians under the Federal Constitution and should be seen as just that.

“Conditions for the renewal of The Herald’s permit clearly state that the word “Terhad” must be affixed at the top of the masthead and the publication must only be sold within church grounds. These conditions are already being met.

“The court’s decision should not be stirred into a religious debate nor politicised as a racial/religious issue. MCA lauds the High Court for its bold and rational judgement. Our party calls upon all groups to respect the way of life of Bumiputera Christians and Sikh Malaysians, and not remove their constitutional rights,” Gan said.

Dompok says widespread BM usage pushed Christian use of ‘Allah’

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 5 – A senior Christian member of the Cabinet, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok (pic), said Sabah adherents call God “Allah” because the younger generation are more comfortable using Bahasa Malaysia as Muslims remain outraged over a ruling that allows Catholic weekly Herald to use the term.

He also noted the term had been used for a long time, even before Sabah decided to form Malaysia with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963.

“The Sabah communities have always used Bahasa Melayu as it is the regional lingua franca and Christianity has been in Sabah since 1881,” the Plantations Industry and Commodities minister said in a statement today.

High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan’s judgment allowing the Herald to use “Allah” has met with conditional support from PAS but anger and protests from Umno members.

The government has appealed against the decision and filed for a stay of execution.

Dompok said the Dec 31 ruling resulted in various comments, with half of them “not helpful to efforts to strengthen unity and relations among the races in the country”.

“I believe Justice Datuk Lau Bee Lan has examined every historical aspect and constitutional rights before making the decision,” the Penampang MP added.

He noted that the Christian Bumiputra community in Sabah, like the Murut and Kadazandusun, perform religious rites in three languages – English, Bahasa Melayu and their mother tongue.

“In the rites where English is used, the term is God while the rites in Bahasa Melayu is Allah and the one in the mother tongue, like Kadazandusun, is ‘Kinoingan’,” Dompok said.

He also said most churches in the cities use English while Bahasa Melayu is used widely in churches in rural areas in Sabah.

“Making Bahasa Melayu the national language and the medium of instruction in the education system have expanded the language’s influence among the Sabah communities.

“The generation born after this policy was made are more comfortable using Bahasa Melayu. They are also more comfortable attending religious service in the national language,” he said.

Dompok said the younger generation in the Christian Bumiputra community from Sabah who have migrated to the peninsula to work or for further studies have also asked church authorities to have services in the national language.

The Upko president said everyone must have the freedom to fulfil their religious duties in a peaceful manner and using the language and terms they are comfortable with for their rites.

This is sending me Shivers

Use of the term ‘Allah’: Who is threatening whom? – Dr Lim Teck Ghee

JAN 5 – The Dec 31 High Court ruling reversing a Home Ministry ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’ for the Catholic weekly newsletter Herald in its Bahasa Malaysia section appears to have given the religious hardliners the perfect New Year present to continue their crude campaign aimed at fanning Islamic religious sentiments in the country.

Malaysians – those not religiously affiliated to Catholicism or Islam – are wondering if the extremist reaction by Utusan Malaysia and its fellow travellers serves any purpose, especially since the Prime Minister has assured that the government is aware of the sensitivities of Muslims, and called for calm and for the matter to be resolved through the court process.

Below is an example of what Utusan has been feeding the Malay public.

From Utusan Malaysia, Jan 3, 2010, starting from the banner splashed across its front page and items filling up pages two, four and five, the paper ran headlines and opinions ranging from ‘Court does not respect sensitivities of Muslims’; to inexplicably calling for the civil case to be heard in Syariah Court; to appealing for Muslim unity; suggesting that the Religious Department act as intervener in the court process; and beseeching intervention by the Council of Rulers.

The tally of 16 news articles does not include other lengthy op-eds in the middle pages about the mission to defend Islam, including one by Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah.

The flagship Utusan editorial by Awang Selamat invoked Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria’s claim that “all these happened due to the weaknesses and disunity of Muslims”.

Playing Cassandra, Awang Selamat proclaimed that the Malay “discord and foolhardiness in politics, has pushed Islam to the corner”, and added “It is embarrassing that Islamic parties cannot unite in ensuring the survival of Islam”. He laid the blame at the door of “certain liberal-thinking leaders in PAS, like Khalid Samad, who is a great supporter of the use of the term ‘Allah’ by other religions”.

In what is probably the single most fear-mongering statement made by a newspaperman, Awang Selamat made the absolutely ridiculous claim that “status quo Islam di Malaysia boleh berubah bila-bila masa kerana angkara pemimpin Islam sendiri” (the status quo of Islam in Malaysia can change at any time because of Muslim leaders themselves).

Itching for a fight

My other distinct impression is that Utusan and the racial and religious hardliners aligned to it – and that appears to include Dr Mahathir Mohamad – are spoiling for a fight.

They should not and will not get a fight. What they are getting, instead, is reasoned and calm arguments on why this issue should not be blown out of proportion.

According to Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew, Christian natives in Borneo have been using “Allah” for 400 years and, clearly, long before Sabah and Sarawak agreed to merge with the peninsula.

Hence, it is quite simply a matter of language and terminology which has nothing to do whatsoever with the ridiculous suspicions and concerns of backdoor conversions and worse that are now being bandied about (for a fuller discussion, see Existential angst pertaining to ‘Allah’ use, by Dr Lim Teck Ghee and Helen Ang in www.cpiasia.net) .

Sane and sensible Malaysians following the ugly and pugnacious words coming from the extremist side must be wondering how in God’s name could Muslims perceive that there is a threat to Islam in Malaysia, given Malay and Muslim dominance in almost all sectors of the body polity.

According to the Catholic Hierarchy organisation, there are about 784,000 Catholics in our country of 24.74 million or 3.17 per cent of the total population. Can anyone believe that such a tiny minority of the country’s population could threaten the position of Islam in Malaysia or undermine the Islamic faith?

Dr Mahathir, from whom one would expect a higher sense of public responsibility, has been reported to have said that he is concerned that the term “Allah” may be used in such a way that could inflame the anger of Muslims, or in his own words, “they may use it on banners or write something that might not reflect Islam”. This is a statement that stoops so low that it is almost beyond belief that it could have come from a former Prime Minister.

Surely the ex-Prime Minister is aware that not only are there 13.37 million Muslims in the country or 52 per cent of the population of 25.72 million, if the latest CIA World Fact Book is to be believed, the primacy of the position of Islam is fully guaranteed both through Islam’s status as the religion of the Federation enshrined in the constitution, and the position of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and Malay state rulers as heads of the religion.

If he is not, then other Muslims in the country should tell Utusan, Dr Mahathir and others of similar ilk, how confident and secure they feel about their religion in the face of this “historic” and “unprecedented” threat from non-Muslims.

The real threat to Islam is in the feverish minds of the extremists rushing to prove their “purer” Islamic credentials. If they can purge themselves of these imagined furies, we will all be able to sleep more peacefully in Malaysia.

* Dr Lim Teck Ghee is the director of the Centre for Policy Initiatives.

Kristian Sarawak menyembah ‘Allah’ sebelum Malaysia terbentuk — Siong Tet

JAN 5 — Penggunaan nama Allah dalam Alkitab dibuat oleh mereka yang datang menyebarkan Injil di Borneo beratus tahun dahulu. Orang-orang ini datang dari Australia dan Britain. Saya sendiri tidak tahu mengapa mereka memilih nama Allah sebagai terjemahan God dalam Alkitab.

Kemungkinan mereka merujuk kepada Alkitab bahasa Arab dan memutuskan untuk menggunakan nama yang sama seperti yang digunakan oleh orang Kristian Arab. Lagi pun orang Kristian Arab muncul lebih awal daripada orang muslim Arab.

Katakan mereka menggunakan nama lain pada masa mula-mula Alkitab diterbitkan dalam bahasa Melayu, kami orang Kristian dari suku-suku minoriti di Sarawak akan terima sahaja. Saya pasti pada masa itu, ketika Sarawak belum bergabung dengan Malaya, tiada masalah menggunakan nama Allah sebab tiada halangan dan larangan dari sesiapa.

Sekarang sudah sekian lama kami menggunakan nama Allah dalam semua ibadah, doa, nyanyian, serta penulisan dan penerbitan dan ini berterusan sehingga terbentuknya Malaysia. Kalaulah orang Sarawak yang beragama Kristian tahu bahawa mereka akan dihalang menggunakan nama Allah setelah bergabung dengan Malaya, mengikut fikiran saya belum tentu terbentuk sebuah negara Malaysia.

Dalam hujah peguam yang mewakili Herald di mahkamah, mereka menunjukkan bukti bahawa sudah ada bahan terbitan Kristian dalam bahasa Melayu sejak lebih kurang 400 tahun yang lampau. Maka dakwaan orang muslim Malaysia bahawa orang Kristian di Malaysia baru sahaja hendak menggunakan nama Allah adalah tidak berasas.

Nama Allah sudah lama kami gunakan. Kenapa sekarang, orang muslim Malaysia hendak menghalang kami daripada menggunakan nama Allah yang sudah sekian lama kami gunapakai, malah sebelum terbentuknya Malaysia lagi.

Suku-suku pribumi di Sarawak tidak fasih berbahasa Inggeris.

Oleh sebab itu mereka tidak mampu memiliki Alkitab dalam bahasa Inggeris yang dipanggil Bible. Namun kami boleh memahami bahasa Melayu/Malaysia. Pada masa sama, agak sukar untuk terjemahkan Bible ke bahasa ibunda suku masing-masing kerana kekurangan pakar bahasa di kalangan mereka.

Maka, untuk memudahkan orang Kristian daripada suku-suku pri bumi ini dapat memperdalamkan pengetahuan mereka dalam kepercayaan Kristian, mereka perlu memiliki satu Bible yang diterjemahkan dalam bahasa yang mereka memahami, iaitu bahasa Melayu loghat Indonesia. Pada masa itu, orang Melayu Malaya belum dikenali sangat oleh suku-suku pribumi Sarawak ini, begitu juga bahasa mereka.

Maka, mereka mendapat terjemahan Bible dalam bahasa Indonesia yang di panggil Alkitab Suci. Kandungan Bible yang merujuk kepada Lord God juga diterjemah sebagai Tuhan Allah tanpa ada sebarang masalah, cuma aman damai dan sukacita. Saya yakin Alkitab pada masa itu dicetak di Indonesia, dan orang muslim di Indonesia tidak pernah dikelirukan iman mereka sampai sekarang.

Pada tahun 16 Sept 1963 maka terbentuklah Malaysia.

Sarawak bergabung dengan Malaya membentuk Malaysia. Sarawak, bersama-sama rakyatnya seperti kami, membawa masuk kepercayaan Kristian kami ke dalam kelompok rakyat Malaysia. Kami tidak pernah diarahkan supaya berhenti guna nama Allah selepas bergabung dengan Malaysia. Kami pun tidak terpikir bahawa suatu hari nanti orang muslim Malaysia akan melarang kami menggunakan nama Allah kerana kami sedia maklum bahasa perkataan Allah adalah dipetik dari bahasa Arab, bukan bahasa Melayu.

Sehinggalah sekarang, baru kami tersentak dan terkejut.

Kami dilarang menggunakan nama Allah dalam Alkitab, dalam semua penulisan dan penerbitan Kristian. Sudah sekian lama kami sudah panggil Dia yang kami sembah sebagai Tuhan Allah, dan sekarang ini dilarang. Saya kasihan memikirkan tentang nenek, datuk dan ibubapa kami di kampung yang tidak tahu menahu bahawa mereka dilarang menyebut nama Tuhan Allah.

Bagaimana kami cucu dan anak-anak mereka hendak menerangkan kepada mereka mengenai larangan ini?

Mereka sudah tentu akan menjawap, "sudah sekian lama kita menyebut nama Tuhan Allah, kenapa sekarang tidak boleh?" Saya yakin, walau dilarang sekalipun, mereka akan tetap menyebut nama Tuhan Allah sampai bila-bila sebab itu adalah nama yang mereka sebut sejak turun temurun.

Orang "modern" atau orang generasi terkini, yang fasih berbahasa Inggeris tidak mempunyai masalah kerana mereka mampu mengerti Alkitab dalam bahasa Inggeris iaitu Bible dan boleh menghadiri kebaktian atau semua aktiviti ibadah, doa, nyanyian dalam bahasa Inggeris di mana-mana tanpa perlu menyebut Allah, melainkan Lord God.

Tetapi orang yang tidak fasih berbahasa Inggeris terpaksa menggunakan bahasa Melayu/Malaysia. Pada masa dulu, setelah mengikuti sekolah di bawah kerajaan Malaysia, semakin ramai anak-anak pada generasi masa itu fasih berbahasa melayu Malaysia.

Bila bahasa Malaysia menjadi semakin digunakan berbanding bahasa Indonesia, maka wujud satu generasi yang kurang memahami bahasa Indonesia tetapi lebih memahami bahasa Malaysia. Maka, diusahakan satu terjemahan Alkitab dalam bahasa Malaysia yang masih mengekalkan nama Allah.

Salah satu Alkitab terjemahan bahasa Malaysia ada pada simpanan saya dan itulah Alkitab yang sentiasa saya gunakan.

Di kampung sendiri mungkin boleh menggunakan bahasa ibunda sendiri, tetapi nama Tuhan Allah tetap digunakan. Sebabnya adalah kerana dalam bahasa ibunda, tiada perkataan lain yang sesuai untuk menggantikan nama Allah.

Lagipun kami sudah sebati dengan nama ini kerana sudah dipakai sejak turun temurun. Mungkin ada suku-suku yang telah memilih nama khas dalam bahasa mereka untuk tujuan terjemahan dalam bahasa masing-masing, tapi dalam bahasa suku saya, belum ada.

Jadi dalam kes suku saya, masih kena menggunakan nama Tuhan Allah, lagi pun suku saya kekurangan perkataan. Banyak perkataan yang dipinjam dari bahasa suku atau bangsa lain.

Di bandar, anggota sesebuah gereja itu terdiri daripada pelbagai suku bangsa. Ada gereja yang mengadakan dua sesi kebaktian pada hari ahad, satu sesi untuk orang berbahasa Inggeris, satu sesi untuk orang berbahasa Melayu/Malaysia. Ada juga yang mengadakan sesi untuk bahasa Cina dan Tamil, bergantung kepada keperluan bahasa dalam gereja itu.

Di bandar, saya menghadiri sesi berbahasa Melayu/Malaysia sebab saya kurang fasih berbahasa Inggeris. Dalam gereja terdapat pelbagai suku bangsa, maka kami kena menggunakan bahasa Melayu/Malaysia yang mudah difahami semua orang.

Jadi, cuba fikirkan?

Sampai hatikah orang muslim Malaysia memaksa orang-orang seperti saya dari suku-suku minoriti yang lemah untuk berhenti memanggil Tuhan mereka dengan nama Tuhan Allah? Jangan lupa bahawa kami sudah lama, malah sebelum terbentuknya Malaysia, telah memanggil Tuhan yang kami sembah dengan nama Tuhan Allah.

Andaikata kami semua fasih berbahasa Inggeris, saya yakin Bible tidak akan diterjemah ke bahasa Indonesia/Melayu.

Andaikata pada masa dulu orang yang mula-mula menterjemahkan Bible ke bahasa Indonesia atau bahasa Malaysia memilih nama lain untuk terjemahkan God, dan bukan Allah, kami tidak kisah asalkan nama itu merujuk kepada Tuhan yang menciptakan alam semesta, menciptakan bumi serta segala isinya, menciptakan manusia iaitu Adam dan Hawa.

Asalkan nama itu merujuk kepada Tuhan yang disembah oleh Nabi Abraham, Isa dan Yakub, Tuhan yang disembah oleh Nabi Noh, Tuhan yang disembah oleh Nabi Musa yang membawa orang Israel keluar dari tanah Mesir, Nabi Harun, Tuhan yang disembah oleh Maria (bukan Nabi) yang melahirkan Yesus (Nabi Isa) secara luar biasa tanpa persetubuhan. Bagi kami, nama itu tidak penting, yang penting kami menyembah Tuhan yang sama seperti yang disembah oleh Nabi-Nabi yang tersebut tadi.

Namun begitu, nama Allah sudah turun temurun kami gunapakai untuk berseru kepada Tuhan yang disembah Nabi Abraham dan Nabi-Nabi lain. Nama ini sudah sebati di hati kami. Kami boleh saja tukar nama itu bila-bila masa. Tetapi, sudah sekian lama kami memanggil nama Allah, malah sebelum Sarawak bergabung dengan Malaya. Bayangkan jika seseorang dipaksa menukar nama yang selalu disebutnya untuk berseru kepada Tuhannya kepada nama lain, tentu rasa pelik.

Kami memang ada menyebut nama Tuhan Yesus. Tuhan Yesus merujuk kepada firman Allah yang hidup, yang telah menjelma menjadi manusia melalui kandungan Maria tanpa persetubuhan. Firman itu datang dan hidup ditengah-tengah manusia. Setelah selesai dengan karya penyelematanNya, dimana Dia mati untuk menebus dosa manusia, Dia diangkat ke syurga tempat asalNya. Yesus adalah firman Allah yang hidup. Dia sudah ada sebelum alam semesta diciptakan. Melalui firmanNya yang hidup inilah Allah mencipta segala sesuatu. Allah sendiri berkata kepada manusia, bahawa Yesus itu anakNya. Tetapi masih ramai orang beranggapan bahawa konsep Anak dan Bapa ini sama konsepnya dengan manusia beranak pinak. Anggapan ini tidak tepat.

Maksud Anak di sini adalah simbolik. Ia merujuk kepada kasih yang ada pada Allah di mana Dia rela mengorbankan AnakNya untuk menebus dosa manusia. Bagi manusia, anak merupakan seorang individu yang sangat dikasihi oleh seseorang bapa. Jika seseorang bapa sangat mengasihi anaknya, tidak mungkin dia rela menjadikan anaknya tebusan. Tetapi Allah membuktikan kepada manusia bahawa Dia rela berbuat begitu kerana kasihNya kepada umat manusia sangat dalam. Panggilan anak Allah itu cuma satu simbolik.

Maria bukan isteri kepada Allah. Maria adalah manusia biasa yang dipakai Allah untuk menyempurnakan tujuanNya sendiri. Maria melahirkan Tuhan Yesus dalam keadaan manusia sejati. Maria seorang yang sangat diberkati olah Allah. Teori yang mengatakan Allah itu beranak dan diperanakan bukan berasal dari Alkitab orang Kristian. Kalau tak salah saya, nabi Isa dalam Al-quran juga disebut Kalam Allah. Minta maaf kalau tidak benar.

Sekali lagi saya ulangi. Sampai hatikah orang muslim Malaysia memaksa orang-orang seperti saya dari suku-suku minoriti yang lemah berhenti memanggil Tuhan mereka dengan nama Tuhan Allah? Jangan lupa bahawa kami sudah lama, malah sebelum terbentuknya Malaysia, telah memanggil Tuhan yang kami sembah dengan nama Tuhan Allah.

Begitulah sedikit komen dari saya. Saya tidak berniat hendak berdebat atau menyinggung perasaan atau memperlekehkan mana-mana pihak. Ini merupakan pandangan peribadi.

Penulis adalah dari Suku Kenyah Badeng di Sarawak.