Marzuki Mohamad said that would be an “easier solution” instead of “wasting time and money on lawsuits” after the back-and-forth between the opposition and government over the use of the word “Allah”.

“Declassify everything, not just certain parts,” he said in a Facebook post last night.

Marzuki was responding to a demand from DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, who yesterday challenged Muhyiddin to name which former minister from DAP approached him regarding a court case on the use of the word “Allah”.

Muhyiddin had claimed that a minister from DAP approached him to settle the case out of court when he was the home minister under the previous PH administration, but he did not agree to it as the home ministry wanted the case to proceed.

Marzuki said there was also no need for Muhyiddin to name the former minister from DAP as it would only invite a lawsuit from the party against the Bersatu president.

The “Allah” issue was reignited this week after it was reported that the attorney-general’s chambers (AGC) had withdrawn its appeal against the High Court ruling on a Sarawakian woman’s right to use the word “Allah” in her religious learning.

On Monday, the AGC said it had notified the Court of Appeal on April 18 that it did not wish to pursue the appeal against the High Court decision.

On March 10, 2021, the High Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that Sarawakian Jill Ireland could use the word “Allah” for the purpose of religious education in Malay and her native Melanau language.

Then High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin had ruled that a Dec 5, 1986 home ministry directive to prohibit the use of the words “Allah”, “Baitullah”, “Solat” and “Kaabah” by non-Muslims was illegal.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the Cabinet will submit its proposals on the “Allah” issue to the Conference of Rulers.

Anwar said the Cabinet has obtained the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s green light to submit its recommendations related to government directives on the usage of the word “Allah”, among others, by non-Muslims.

Bersatu leaders had criticised the government claiming that the move to withdraw the appeal amounted to interference in the judiciary.

They said Putrajaya should have allowed the legal process to run its course instead of withdrawing the appeal, and asked if the government had consulted the Malay rulers before deciding on the withdrawal.