Khir: Syura panel a ploy to save MB’s face

Khalid should not have apologised to DUMC, says the former menteri besar.

PETALING JAYA: Umno’s Dr Khir Toyo has shot down the Selangor government proposal to form a consultative panel to resolve the controversy arising from allegations that the Damansara Utama Methodist Centre (DUMC) attempted to convert Muslims to Christianity.

He said Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had made the mistake of being apologetic to DUMC after it was raided by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) on Aug 3 and the proposal was an attempt to save his face.

Khir was the Selangor Menteri Besar until 2008, when Pakatan Rakyat took over the state from Barisan Nasional. He is the state assemblyman for Sungai Panjang.

Khalid triggered another controversy on Monday when he announced the decision to form what he called the “Syura Consultative Council”, saying he had obtained the consent of the Sultan of Selangor.

Yesterday, the sultan’s private secretary, Mohamad Munir Bani, issued a statement denying this. Following that, Khalid’s press secretariat announced that the panel would be called Hearing Committee instead.

According to Khir, the panel would include non-Muslims. He said this was wrong because it would compromise Islam’s position as the religion of the state.

“It is wrong to equate Islam with other religions,” he said.

Still referring to the panel as a “Syura Council”, Khir said its formation would be wrong in the eyes of non-Muslims as well because “it would impinge on their religious freedom”. He did not elaborate.

He accused non-Muslim state executive councillors of pressuring Khalid to apologise to the church.

“We know that Selangor excos Ronnie Liu, Teresa Kok, Xavier Jayakumar and Elizabeth Wong pressured Khalid,” he said.

“Unfortunately, except for Hasan Ali, the Muslim excos were silent.”

Hasan, the executive councillor with the Religious Affairs and Malay Customs portfolio, has openly supported the JAIS raid.