As a Christian I really believe any Government has no place getting mixed up in religion of any sort. Of course the normal laws of the land should still apply to any religious group but this just seems like a classic case of why Government should not get involved in such things.
To me Government should be a secular institution. That’s not to say politicians shouldn’t belong to any religious group but the running of government should not be under the influence of religion. I believe in the separation of Church and State.
I beg to differ. In a relatively uneducated country like Malaysia, religion is a necessary component of government. An independent religious movement would be a potential source of competition. What better way to validate your position of power than to proclaim you were appointed by the same divine authority the citizens worship so devoutly? Since religion requires no supporting evidence of any kind, it’s an easy step to make these claims, especially when they also have control of the military. Who is going to argue with them? A country with an educated population that can think for themselves and question authority is harder (but not impossible) to control with these tactics.
