Cross on building: Respect sensitivities of non-Muslims, Reezal Merican told

Umno Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican has been told to respect the sensitivities of non-Muslims in Penang pertaining to a building lit up in Jelutong, on the island, resembling a cross.

PKR Bukit Tengah assemblyperson Gooi Hsiao Leung said people are frankly sick of Umno politicians and extremists "who will, at every turn and given the opportunity, exploit and spin a non-issue into a racial or religious agenda, in order to stir anti-Malay or anti-Muslim sentiments".

"We have to stop pandering to opportunistic extremist groups which very often will claim that Islam has been offended or is under threat without any basis. There are plenty of examples from the past to cite from," added Gooi in a statement.

Gooi cited the case in Langkawi, in which a property developer was instructed to paint over the air wells of its housing project that were coincidentally “cross-shaped”.

There were also past objections made against the height of Lord Murugan’s statue in Batu Caves and that of Kuan Yin’s (the Goddess of Mercy) statue, constructed in Air Itam, Penang.

Gooi was responding to Reezal Merican's remarks on Utusan Online yesterday – in which he took issue with the building.

Reezal Merican had called for immediate corrective actions to be taken by the state government, regardless of whether the incident had been carried out deliberately or otherwise – stressing that this was not a case of “us” refusing to be tolerant but one that will cause unease and anxiety in the community.

'Blatant disregard'

Gooi said Reezal Merican must be reminded that "we live in a multi-racial and multi-religious society and we have to respect the sensitivities of not just of one race or religion over and above others, but of all races and all religion with equal treatment and respect".

"Perhaps, ReezalMerican should be schooled in upholding the principle of peaceful and harmonious co-existence of various religions, as exemplified by Pitt Street, Penang, otherwise known as the Street of Harmony, in which four places of worship – Islam, Taoism, Hinduism and Christianity - have harmoniously co-existed side by side for centuries, " said Gooi (photo).

"As I see it, it is Reezal Merican himself who is causing unease and anxiety in the community by politically exploiting a non-issue and turning it into a racial and religious one," added the former Alor Setar MP.

"Reezal Merican’s statement calling for state action to be taken even if the incident was done innocently – is not only totally nonsensical, it was issued with blatant disregard towards the sensitivities and feelings of the non-Muslim community," Gooi added.

He said even if the building was lighted up like a cross intentionally, which he believed was not the case, he saw nothing wrong with it.

Everyone should be free to express their own religious affinity publicly and openly without fear and or having to do so in hiding, Gooi added.

"This was not a case where someone had, with deliberate provocation, erected a cross in front of a kampung, mosque or a Muslim cemetery to hurt the feelings of Muslims," he said.

"There was absolutely nothing to suggest that this incident was carried out with any deliberate intention to provoke the sensitivities of Muslims in the first place, and hence it is a non-issue to call on the authorities to take corrective action on the matter," he added.

"This matter should just end there."

Yesterday, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the Penang government was awaiting a report from state secretary Farizan Darus about the matter.

Chow also pointed out the residential project had yet to acquire a Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) and that the developer was currently testing the facilities, including the lighting system.

Chow felt the developer did not deliberately do it to hurt people's feelings but some groups were upset and a police report was lodged over the matter.

On Friday, Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor (photo) also joined in the fray and , in a statement, urged the local authorities to direct the developer of the housing project to change the position of the lights in the building so that they do not form the sign of a cross. - Mkini