Malaysia's opposition on Wednesday lost its third lawmaker in two weeks when an MP quit in protest over whether Christians can use the word "Allah" for god, saying the opposition had insulted Islam by allowing the move.

The defection of Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Peoples Justice Party leaves the opposition with 79 seats in the 222 seat parliament that has six independents and 137 MPs from the governing coalition.
 

Malaysia, a traditionally moderate Muslim nation, saw a spate of attacks on churches after a court ruling last year that allowed a Catholic newspaper to use the word "Allah" in its Malay-language editions to describe the Christian God.
 

"The insulting of the institution of Islam [...] including the endorsement of the use of the word Allah [by non-Muslims] made me reach a point where I could no longer compromise and keep quiet," Mohsin told a news conference after he said he would become an independent MP.
 

The government has appealed the court ruling.
 

The defections bolster the government at a time when opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is on trial on sodomy charges and raise doubts over Anwar's leadership in holding the three party opposition alliance together.

Turbulence expected
"This was a legacy issue from the election in 2008 as basically anyone was allowed to be a candidate. I would expect more turbulence and defections from his party," said James Chin, political science professor at Monash University in Kuala Lumpur.
 

Despite this, Chin does not expect the government to regain its two-thirds majority.
 

The National Front ruling coalition's dominance through 52 years in power was dented by historic losses in 2008 polls, when it lost control in five states and its once iron clad, two thirds control of parliament.
 

The government has sought to burnish its Islamic credentials to appeal to Malay Muslim voters so as to win back ground after its worst ever showing in national and state elections in 2008.
 

It recently endorsed the caning of three women under Islamic laws, the first time women have been caned in Malaysia. A mother of two has also been sentenced to be caned for drinking beer.
 

Source: Reuters