“So who’s behind Selangor non-Muslims barred from running spiritual centres at shoplots – PKR or DAP?”

 

NON-MUSLIMS in Selangor who are still coping to accept pig farming ban in the state has apparently been slapped with another shocker that houses of worships within areas designated as commercial zones are not permitted” given existing buildings cannot be arbitrarily converted into Places of Worship Other than Islam (RISI).

This follows a revelation by Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung who expressed concerns over several clauses in the recently published Selangor State Planning Guidelines and Standards for Community Facilities that was approved by State EXCO Meeting 34/2025 on Nov 12 last year.

“It is widely known that, for years – due to the shortage of land gazetted for RISI purposes – some religious centres have operated in commercial or industrial areas while generally co-existing peacefully with surrounding communities,” asserted the PKR lawmaker in a Facebook post.

“Rather than intensifying efforts to address the long-standing shortage of land for non-Islamic places of worship, why introduce restrictions on arrangements that have largely not posed problems?”

‘Bureaucratic red tape’

Concern of the former two-term Semambu state assemblyman (2013 to 2022) in Pahang was echoed by  political commentator Prof James Chin who lamented that non-Muslim communities are forced into commercial shophouses to gather “simply because they’re frustrated from getting legal permission anywhere else”.

“It’s sad to think that what YB Lee highlighted might actually be true. I hope it’s not true,” the inaugural director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania reacted in a FB post.

The laws and local regulations feel so heavy and restrictive, leaving these crowded, fragile spaces as their absolute last resort.

To even try to operate lawfully, they’re burdened with endless paperwork, forced to register with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and ask local councils for special permission to operate as places of worship.

For non-Islamic faiths in Malaysia, it is a painful, exhausting struggle against mountains of bureaucratic red tape just to establish a simple place to pray.

It hurts to hear the official rhetoric about the government respecting all religions when the crushing reality of the bureaucracy tells a completely different, heartbreaking story.

Veteran journo and columnist Andrew Sia found the entire exercise a politically suicidal cause for the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-rule Selangor state government.

“Non-Muslims can’t have worship houses in Selangor shops, nor convert buildings. Reason given is “better traffic & parking”. REALLY?” the former environmental editor at The Star fumed on his FB page.

Then supermarkets & makan places must also be banned from shops since they attract many cars. Churches operate on Sundays when many other shops are closed, so the traffic reason is not logical. So what’s the Real Reason?

The rule is supposedly for “new townships” and land will be provided for non-Muslims. This means Chinese temples, Hindu temples, Sikh Gurdwaras & churches must compete for probably the single non-Muslim space.

Why did the PKR-led state gomen approve this? Did DAP agree? Looks like PH wants to lose the coming elections.

Another testing the waters exercise?

This is when Selangor DAP chairman ng Sze Han stepped in ‘to douse the fire’ that the said PLANMalaysia Selangor’s guidelines “have not yet been implemented or enforced by any local authority”.

“The review of these guidelines will be carried out by the state government in consultation with religious associations,” clarified the Selangor state Investment, Trade and Mobility EXCO in his Non-Islamic Affairs Special Committee co-chairman capacity.

A meeting will be arranged in early June. No enforcement action will take place while this review is on-going.

The state government is dedicated to resolving this administrative and technical alignment through constructive dialogue, thus ensuring that Selangor remains a progressive, fair and inclusive state for all.

Whether the intention is there or this is purely a proposal, non-Muslims in Selangor surely deserve to know who came out with such brilliant idea so as to facilitate their decision making at the ballot boxes come the next state poll. – May 24, 2026

 - Focus Malaysia