Comments from ministers

WE need to respect each other and celebrate events like these together. I don’t see anything wrong with the decorations at all. They are not religious in nature and are not in celebration of any religious event. The concerns allegedly raised by Putra are therefore misplaced. I am of the view that the school should not have given in to the demands.” – Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo

PUBLIC schools belong to all races and religions. Chinese New Year is celebrated together because Malaysia belongs to us all. When Chinese New Year comes, everyone seems to know to claim for holidays.” – Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman

AMONG Malaysia’s strengths is its people – diverse in race, culture and religion, living in peace and harmony. This needs to be strengthened in the spirit of peaceful coexistence. CNY has nothing to do with religion. We have celebrated together for decades. This tradition must continue.” - Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah

SCHOOLS are places that teach our children how to interact with others, to build understanding of different cultures and to appreciate festive seasons celebrated by our Malaysian brothers and sisters. The government must not give in to these extremists and bigots.” – Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Nga Kor Ming

THIS is simply incomprehensible and downright illogical. It would be most unfortunate if the school succumbed to the pressure of Putra and I urge the school principal to not take heed of Putra’s baseless threats and maintain the decorations. No one should feel pressured to succumb to the same. It is time for us to build bridges between races in this country at a time when racial tensions seem to be at an all time high.” – Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh