The police are enforcing a ban on the use of the 'Allah' issue in the Sibu by-election campaign, warning all campaigners of stern action if they do not cease and desist from speaking on the issue.

NONE Sarawak CID chief SAC II Huzir Mohamed said they are ordering a blackout on the issue as it could stoke religious tension.

"We have been monitoring the ceramah and found that certain parties have been raising the Allah issue.

"This is a sensitive issue and if they (campaigners) insist on raising it, we can take action for sedition or even under the ISA (Internal Security Act)," he said at the police's daily press conference this morning.

The ban comes hot on the heels of a Christian gathering with Pakatan Rakyat leaders last night, where PR leaders pleaded with Christian voters, who make up around 52 per cent of Sibu's electorate, to make their stand against the federal ban on the use of the name ‘Allah' by non-Muslims.

Nothing from Narawi

Meanwhile, Huzir said that the police had so far monitored 40 campaigning activities and issued 101 permits to hold ceramah to both sides (BN and Pakatan) but did not receive any application for the purpose from independent candidate Narawi Haron ( below ).

siby by-election nomination day 080510 independent narawi haron He also said police had received three complaints on by-election campaigning but upon investigation found they had no substance.

On another matter, Huzir said he had given instructions to his men to arrest anyone from any political party who drove around with loud speakers blaring to broadcast their campaigning statements.

He said such action could cause road accidents.

"It is okay if the vehicle is stationary and used at places designated for ceramah," he said.

'Very dangerous game'

At another press conference, SUPP president George Chan slammed the Pakatan for using the churches in their attempt to bring a ‘Semenanjung problem' to Sarawak.

He said the Pakatan and DAP are playing a "very dangerous" game by mixing religion with politics merely to gain the upper hand in this by-election.

"This gets me very angry. We live in harmony and they bring this culture here... we do not want that," he said in an uncharacteristically harsh tone.

sibu by election 070510 george chan But when asked about SUPP's campaign tactic in equating a vote for DAP with a vote for PAS and its vision of an Islamic state, Chan ( left ) sidestepped the issue saying it is unrelated.

"We are not discussing a religious issue, we are just saying that we don't want PAS or an Islamic state.

"The majority of people here fear PAS... we worry that like in Perak where DAP had the majority and could form the government, yet they let PAS be the chief minister.

"That could happen here also, so people get a bit worried," he said.

Earlier at the DAP's daily press conference, party advisor Lim Kit Siang challenged Prime Minister Najib Razak to "explain whether this is his directive".

Lim said the ban is a case of double standards as Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein would also be implicated for sedition as it was he, among other, who spawned the issue by prohibiting the use of the name ‘Allah' by non-Muslims.

DAP's candidate for the Sibu by-election, Wong Ho Leng, added that they will defy any move to subvert their campaign.

"Nothing will deter us from continuing to speak to the people, especially in Sibu," he said.