Malaysiakini reports that the government has ok’ed the Herald, without imposing any conditions on the use of the word ‘Allah.’

Good for the Herald. Here’s my political take on the matter, which is purely speculative.

Johari Baharom and gang think that by starting this controversy, they can score points with their Umno/Malay base.

Their reversal on this matter probably means that it didn’t score them as many points as they thought it would. It turns out that Malaysians have once again proven that they are not as bigotted as Umno/BN wants them to be and are instead a rational lot that is open to mature dialogue over sensitive issues.
Good for Malaysians :)

So congrats to the Herald, I hope they hold fast in their endeavours to uphold justice, as well as respect the sensitivities surrounding prostelysation to Muslims (not that they haven’t before).

I hope the rest of us are inspired by how we can resolve crises through considered and respectful dialogue, without resorting to polemics :)

ps- Here’s another well considered piece on the subject by Penarik Beca, a prominent blogger and nice guy who’s had a long relationship with Pas.

Tags: Religious Affairs, Responsible Free Speech //