JULY 24 – More than six months after the country woke up to news of houses of worship being attacked over the New Year Eve’s “Allah” ruling, the quest for inter-faith harmony remains a long journey.

The Najib administration’s plan for an inter-faith panel remains still-born as participants quibble over its name.

What chance inter-faith harmony when even the panel's name – Special Committee to Promote Inter-Religious Harmony and Understanding (SCPIRHU) – is subject of a long-drawn out debate.

Perhaps the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) should stay away until everyone in the group agree that there must be equity in the process.

After all, it does no good that non-Muslims are asked to make concessions on the panel’s name or that Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon must be dropped as the minister-in-charge in favour of the Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who supervises Islamic religious affairs.

The Islamic clerics’ demand exposes the underlying problem with group: that Muslims believe the position of Islam as the official religion in Malaysia accords them superiority over other religions.

If that is the starting point for the panel, what chance of any compromise or agreement for inter-faith harmony to prevent a recurrence of attacks on houses of worship.

This issue has already spread to the education system with news that some officials have prevented non-Muslim religious clubs or societies from being set up. Or that permission is needed for such organisations in new schools.

Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today pledged that this will not recur in the future and is not government policy.

Does it take political decision at the highest level to solve what is actually a non-issue in the first place. After all, the first limb of the Rukun Negara is “Believe in God”.

If we can’t even allow students to form such religious clubs or societies on their own without the need for approval, are we living up to the basics of the Rukun Negara.

If that is so, the inter-faith panel’s work will only begin years from now, allowing distrust and ill-harmony to fester in Malaysia.

If we all agree with the Rukun Negara, why should one faith over-ride another? Surely then we will never have 1 Malaysia.