THE deputy prime minister has said there’s no need to establish an interfaith commission (The Star, Jan 31). The reason given is that there are no major religious issues that warrant a formalised commission of inquiry. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, however, reiterates the call for ongoing engagement and informal closed-door dialogues between the religious leaders and religious groups

The “Allah issue” is being handled by the government away from public scrutiny because of its sensitive nature, and negotiations are being held behind closed doors. An amenable solution is in store that will presumably appease the feuding parties. In the legal arena, the High Court judgment allowing the use of Allah by the Catholic weekly Herald on a broad interpretation of the constitutional rights of freedom of religion and of speech is pending an appeal.

Meanwhile, there have emerged various arguments and counter-arguments by individuals and groups sitting on either side of the divide or precariously in-between. If there is any good that has emerged from the “bad blood” flowing through some religious veins it must surely lie in the education and exposure that Malaysians of all denominations have gone through in the weeks following the volatile eruption of emotions which saw attempts to vandalise churches and mosques. Most people are thinking and cognising at a higher intellectual level about God and other spiritual matters. They are taking the trouble to be better informed about their own religious beliefs. And this indeed is the hikmat (good) as it provides a firm foundation for the nation’s inter-religious relations and the mutual respect it should generate.

However, I do not agree with the DPM that there have to be major religious issues before the interfaith commission is established. An enlightened government should not wait for disaster to strike before establishing an institution whose main role would be to coordinate inter-religious matters and pre-empt untoward happenings. A progressive government must heed the early signs of inter-religious tension and establish the organisation and structure, mechanisms and procedures, processes and guidelines by which the commission can operate effectively and efficiently. By mobilising and coordinating the teams of religious experts, NGOs and members of the public, it can identify key result areas (KRAs) in the inter-religious/ interfaith area and build up the resources to allay any future threats, direct or indirect, to the nation’s moral fabric.

Although they profess to be adherents of a certain faith or religion, many people don’t really know much about it apart from the rites and rituals of attending church on Sunday, the mosque on Friday, burning joss sticks or carrying a kavadi or two. What they don’t realise is the deeper moral obligations entrusted upon them by their beliefs. What they fail to ponder are the numerous questions about what is right and wrong about how they lead their everyday lives and the values they uphold in doing so.

What we must realise as a nation is that religion is the basis of morality and it is the breakdown in morality that is causing the problems in two of the six identified KRAs viz crime and corruption.

To consolidate its transformation programmes, the government has to be proactive and take the morality bull by the horns. It must work with the religious leaders as well as with their congregations to trace the roadmap for inter-religious and interfaith harmony.

The government can call it engagement or dialogue which can be behind closed doors and within controlled spaces, but there is no better time than now to establish an interfaith commission. And for something as important as religion, a royal commission is indeed in order. There must be a formal mechanism by which issues pertaining to the religious identities and needs of Malaysians can be looked upon with greater compassion, understanding and forbearance underscored by knowledge and wisdom.

Source: The Sun – February 2, 2010