MUHIBBAH SUPPORT ...

Calls for harmony to be maintained after school’s festive deco brouhaha

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, flanked by Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, looking at Chinese New Year decoration items at SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1 in Selangor yesterday. The school made headlines after it was told to remove the festive props. Also present was Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Foreign Minister

Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq

Syed Abdul Rahman, Communications and Multimedia Minister

Gobind Singh Deo, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department

Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa, and Selangor exco member and

Kinrara state assemblyman Ng Sze Han. –

PETALING JAYA: In a show of unity against attempts to cause disharmony, eight Cabinet ministers of various races and religions yesterday visited the school that has become the centre of attention over its Chinese New Year decorations.

The school – SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1 – made the news after Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) vice-president and lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz threatened to report it to the authorities for supposedly going overboard with its decorations that he claimed was unconstitutional.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, however, was quick to dismiss efforts by any parties to propagate racial tension and disharmony.

“We (Cabinet members) are here to show that we care for unity in the country. Since independence, there has never been any issues relating to Chinese New Year decorations.

“This is supposed to be a shared celebration. Don’t turn it into an issue that could break us apart. We are a peaceful, multiracial and multi-religious country, and this shouldn’t have even been an issue.

“The Cabinet unanimously agrees that we want Malaysians to maintain the country’s harmony and continue to prosper in 2020,” she told a press conference at the school here yesterday, after a Cabinet meeting.

Apart from Wan Azizah, other Cabinet members present were Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Xavier Jayakumar, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching.

The minister in charge of unity, P. Waythamoorthy, however, was not present, with Wan Azizah explaining that he had to attend a post-Cabinet meeting.

In a letter dated Jan 6 sent to school principal Rohani Mohd Noor, Khairul Azam claimed that the decorations in the school were religious in nature, and that Muslim parents were worried by what they deemed as an attempt to propagate a non-Islam religion to the students.

Various quarters, including inter-faith groups and activists, have condemned Putra and Khairul Azam, while urging Malaysians not to get too riled up by the actions of a few bent on creating disharmony.

“Chinese New Year decorations are something we see everywhere, every year. It is the same with Hari Raya and Deepavali, too. Why are Malaysians too sensitive nowadays?,” said Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism president Datuk R. S. Mohan Shan.

“I hope we all understand one another. It’s a festive season, we should be celebrating together. I urge everyone, let’s get together, work closely and harmoniously, and make Malaysia a better place,” he said.

Prominent activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir said both Putra and Khairul Azam were merely attention seekers who are trying to provoke Malaysians into becoming “overly sensitive” towards other races and religions.

“I remember when Hari Raya and Chinese New Year were celebrated about the same time back then. Malays came to the Sri Perdana open house wearing hybrid MalayChinese outfits. No issue then.

“Let’s ask the likes of Putra what they’re doing about nation-building since they aspire to govern some day, I assume,” she said.