Ku Nan says church remarks misconstrued

Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor claims his remarks about church sermons earlier today were misconstrued.

"I did not say churches were places where slander is spread. I only gave a reminder for houses of worship to continue their respective religious activities, and not become a centre for the spread of fake news which can spur hatred for the government," he said in a statement.

Earlier today at a 1Federal Territories luncheon in Kuala Lumpur, Tengku Adnan had urged churches not to speak untruths.

At a press conference later, he reportedly said churches had allegedly spread fake news based on Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia (PHM) chief P Waytha Moorthy's claim that the minister had lied about an RM50 million allocation for Indian housing loans.

Tengku Adnan clarified that his message was not aimed solely at churches and that he was not opposed to churches.

"I myself have defended a plot of land so that it can be used to build a church in Kampung Pandan Indah.

"I only referred to churches as an example, because my message is to all houses of worship including mosques, suraus, and temples," he said.

The Putrajaya MP's remarks had earned him brickbats including from the Council of Churches.

The council's general secretary Reverend Herman Shastri said Tengku Adnan's comments were both shocking and sad.- Mkini