Malik denies irregularities in Penang mosque polls

Penang executive councillor on Islamic Affairs Abdul Malik Kassim has dismissed allegations of irregularities in the mosque committee elections in the state.

Malik also rejected the notion that there had been cooperation between PAS and Umno at the residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang on Jalan Utama to resolve the issue.

He said he had asked PAS state commissioner Salleh Man (left) to explain the matter, as the latter had apparently met Penang Umno liaison committee chairperson Zainal Abidin Osman at the residence to discuss the matter.

Zainal Abidin had then told the media that his purpose in meeting with the Penang head of state Abdul Rahman Abbas and Salleh was to hand over a memorandum on the mosque election problem.

The former Nibong Tebal MP also said that in the meeting with Salleh, he had initiated a move for Umno and PAS to cooperate for the benefit of the Muslim community in the state.

However, Malik said Salleh was at the meeting, held in mid-September, because Abdul Rahman had invited the Penang Islamic Council (MAIPP) president to the meeting.

“That is what actually transpired,” Malik said.

He added that Salleh denied ever saying that during the meeting at the Yang di-Pertua Negeri’s residence, he had conceded that there was indeed “state interference” in the mosque elections.

Malik was referring to a Nov 21 New Straits Times report that quoted Zainal Abidin as saying Salleh, who is Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP) president, “agreed to replace the losers with the actual winners but could not do so because of ‘extraordinary interference’ from the state administration”.

What Zainal Abidin (right) meant was that in some cases, those who lost in the elections were appointed to the committee, instead of those who won.

It is believed that Malik had sent Salleh a letter seeking his clarification on the said quote following the publication of the report.

“Among the 13 mosques mentioned by Zainal Abidin, only eight had problems. Some problems have been settled, some could not be settled and we are looking into them,” Malik told reporters at the Penang assembly banquet hall today.

He said the problems arising from the mosque elections, held since February this year, included “unqualified members with unsatisfactory track records, those advanced in age, those with personal or health problems, poor management skills, failed to conduct  meetings and those whose credibility was questioned by the mosque imam” in the contests.

‘Polls carried out using system endorsed by Agong’

Earlier, during his Penang Budget 2014 winding-up speech, Malik said the elections in 200 mosques was carried out using a system endorsed on Sept 20 last year by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

He said out of the 200, 173 mosques held their annual general meetings, 164 committees were recognised by MAIPP, while eight of them had their committee members replaced by MAIPP as they did not comply with the MAIPP criteria.

Malik noted that 27 mosques that did not hold elections had their committees elected through consultations between MAIPP representatives, mosque officials and local leaders.

“There were instances where mosques that failed to hold meetings also refused to accept MAIPP’s decision to appoint the committee members.

“However, these are isolated cases and have been resolved, except three. For this, MAIPP will use the 1997 Qariah and Mosque Officials Committee Methods, Article 4(2),  to appoint qualified members as chairpersons and members of the qariah,” he added.

Malik said this in reply to a written question from state opposition leader and Telok Air Tawar assemblyperson Jahara Hamid, who asked how many had protested against the mosque committee elections, what the protests were about and whether the matter had been resolved.