KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah expressed deep concern over the issue of the use of the word "Allah", which he feared would become a prolonged polemic and could affect national unity and the wellbeing of the country if not resolved immediately.
Al-Sultan Abdullah said the polemic over the use of the word Allah was not a debate about terminology and linguistics, but related to the faith of Muslims and any confusion would invite disaster.
"My government must harmonise the current situation and, at the same time, place the use of the word 'Allah' in the right context by taking into account national security, the benefit of the ummah as well as my position and the position of other Malay rulers as heads of Islam," he said.
The king said this in his speech at the investiture of federal awards and honours to mark his official birthday celebration at Istana Negara here yesterday.
Present was Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
He said any polemic related to religion, if not dealt with immediately, would fan enmity between people of different races.
Al-Sultan Abdullah said in dealing with such a sensitive issue, all parties should take a wise and orderly approach and be imbued with a high spirit of tolerance.
The king said this was in line with the first principle of the Rukun Negara, which is belief in God, which among other things emphasised that religion was very important in the lives of Malaysians and it should not be used as a basis for disputes and arguments.
Al-Sultan Abdullah noted that the sanctity of Islam had been preserved for a long time and Islam was also accorded a special status as the religion of the Federation, as stated in Article 3 of the Federal Constitution.
"Islam is accorded a special status in the Federal Constitution and this was achieved through understanding and agreement by all parties when the country gained independence," he said.
Unity, he added, required an open heart, a noble soul and a spirit of loyalty to the king and the country as well as not questioning and interfering and looking down on the affairs and religious beliefs of other races.
"For the sake of unity and the future of the country, any religious controversy must be resolved immediately.
"The spirit of unity needs to be cultivated at home, nurtured with education and the noble values of community life at school, and further strengthened at institutions of higher learning."
On May 17, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the cabinet had obtained the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to submit its proposal to improve the enforcement of policies relating to the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims to the Conference of Rulers.
Al-Sultan Abdullah said Malaysia was on track of realising its development agenda for the wellbeing of the people.
This, he said, was proven by the country's gross domestic product growing 5.6 per cent in the first quarter of this year.
"Taking into account global economic challenges, including the post-Covid-19 pandemic economic uncertainty and the geopolitical crisis, which have had an impact on the cost of living of the people, the government should focus on the implementation of development projects that have a direct impact on the wellbeing of the people, as outlined in the 2023 Madani Budget," he said.
He said the agenda of the people's wellbeing, including expanding the social protection network to tackle rising living costs, needed to be given focus.
"I am confident that the continuous efforts by the government in exploring new innovative strategies will have a positive impact on the socio-economy of my subjects," he said.
Al-Sultan Abdullah also expressed his happiness and praised the government for its commitment to establishing good and close cooperation with all state governments for the benefit of the people. – Bernama