I find it ludicrous that the government continues to speak of trivial matters such as semantics when the nation is facing major issues. The saying “Nero fiddling while Rome burned” is apt for our country today.

Issues of whether mission schools should have crosses and if a Catholic bulletin should be in Bahasa Malaysia pales in comparison to issues of racial tension caused by the demolition of Hindu temples and the forcible removal of squatters in the city. It also pales to the sufferings caused by the floods, the rising cost of living or issues of Malaysia’s global economic competitiveness.

MPs and politicians in their little cocoons do not seem to understand the severity of the country's future. In light of rising economies like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia as well as giants like Singapore and China, we stand to lose. So while we burn, the emperor fiddles his violin and plays up racial issues and trivial matters.

Although it is up for dispute, the word ‘Allah’ is derived from the word ‘Al-Illah’ which means the supreme and almighty God. To many, He is the supreme and almighty. As for Bahasa Malaysia, when are we to use it and when are we not to? Is it not the national language?

Due to narrow-minded, nationalistic education policies of the 1970s, the majority of Malaysians below 30 today, particularly Chinese and Indians, cannot speak fluent English. They are more comfortable speaking the national language, so what is wrong with using it?