A government lawmaker has proposed splitting the Religious Affairs Department into two separate entities, one for Islam and another for other religions.
Chow Yu Hui (Raub MP) said that existing representatives have already been appointed to manage matters of other religions under certain state governments.
00:00Madam Speaker, next I would like to raise the issue of the line of guidance for the presence of Muslims at the celebration of non-Muslims, which has become a hot issue lately.
00:11I welcome the Cabinet's decision to draw this line of guidance.
00:15The proposal to establish this line of guidance is not only a challenge to the spirit of national unity, but will deepen the gap between the people and religion in Malaysia.
00:24Malaysia is a developed country where the people have long adhered to the spirit of mutual respect and tolerance between religions.
00:43There has never been a problem when Muslim leaders attend celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Diwali and Christmas.
00:51So why now do we want to create an additional bureaucracy for Muslims who want to attend non-Muslim celebrations?
00:58This is not only a challenge to the people, but also contradicts the principle of tolerance and harmony that has been promoted by the government.
01:06I urge the government to take more progressive steps, including to draw other lines of guidance that strengthen freedom of interaction between people, such as the line of guidance for concerts at the IPTA.
01:19For your information, some states such as Penang, Perak and Sembilan have long had a non-Muslim escort.
01:27Therefore, the level of unity can also be an example of this step for all people.
