The Malaysian Government has denied a Roman Catholic newspaper permission to publish in a tribal language.

The Herald, Malaysia's only Catholic paper, planned to print a regular supplement in the language of the Kadazandusun people of Borneo island. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein refused permission, but failed to give a reason.

Over 500,000 people in Borneo speak Kadazandusun, though they represent only a small part of The Herald's readership, which stands at 12,000 in a country with 900,000 Catholics.

Initially, The Herald was told in a letter it would not be allowed to publish in 2010 at all. The Government of Malaysia requires all publications to gain an official permit, under threat of imprisonment and fines.

However, the Home Minister later claimed it was a misunderstanding, and issued a second letter saying the newspaper could continue to publish in all four of Malaysia's main languages - English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. However, permission to publish in Kadazandusun was still denied.

This is not the first time The Herald has conflicted with authorities in the predominantly Muslim country.

In 2007, the newspaper was banned from using the name Allah to refer to God, on the grounds that the name belonged exclusively to Islam. The Herald defended the term, pointing out that its usage predated Islam and had long been used in other religions, including Christianity, but the ban was restated in 2008.

The Catholic Church has since taken the Malaysian Government to court over the controversy, in a case that is still ongoing.

15 November 2009

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