JAKARTA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called on all groups to calm down and stop exploiting the issue of a purported attempt to make Christianity the official religion of the country.

Religion, he stressed, was a sensitive matter and that he did not want any religion-related debate to create tension among the people.
“Cool it and calm down until we find the facts. It is not going to be of benefit to anyone.

“Whoever it is, whether they are opposition or pro-government, they cannot and should not exploit this issue,” he told the Malaysian media at the end of the 18th Asean Summit yesterday.

Najib reminded all quarters on the need to stop any situation that could cause polarisation among the people.

“We should not be hasty and we must investigate first. I don't want to jump the gun.

“The important thing is: we should not further blow up this issue as it can be a hidden danger that suddenly flares up.

“If we do not curb this, there will be serious polarisation in our society,” he added.

Utusan Malaysia had frontpaged a story on Saturday quoting two blogs which claimed that a meeting had taken place in Penang, attended by Christian leaders who want Christianity to be the official religion in Malaysia.

However, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has dismissed the report as a fabrication.

Najib also reminded all parties that religion was a sensitive issue and that he would not allow the controversy to jeopardise racial harmony.

“I want to state this religion is a sensitive matter. We must be alert so that it will not create racial tension.

“Malaysia upholds the Constitution which means Islam is the official religion and other religions are free to be practised.

“This is among the important principles that have been the main pillars in the formation of Malaysia as a nation and cannot be questioned.

“If anyone dares to disturb peace in the country, we will never allow it to happen because it is important to the country's harmony,” he added.

On another matter, Najib said he met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and raised the matter about the harsh sentence imposed on six Malaysian fishermen by a court in Bengkalis.

He said Susilo promised he would look into the matter when he received the report