Chinese presence in Malaysia dates back to time immemorial, Zakir Naik told

MELAKA: The Baba and Nyonya community has reminded controversial preacher Zakir Naik that the Cheng Hoon Teng temple here proves that the Chinese presence in Malaysia dates back to time immemorial.

Malaysia Baba and Nyonya Association chairman Datuk Ronald Gan said Zakir as a learned person should realise that the Chinese were already here during the Hindu and Buddhist era of the Melaka Sultanate.

"It's wrong to state that the Chinese only arrived during the reign of the British. The Chinese were already here for a very long time and the oldest religious structure in South-East Asia is in Melaka, and it was built in 1645.

"It is testimony showing the community's existence since the early days, " he said on Wednesday (Aug 14).

Gan said Zakir should also realise that the designs of several old mosques in Melaka had Chinese and Hindu architectural elements, adding that there is also the story of Hang Li Poh.

"This shows that the multi-ethnic community during the Melaka Sultanate lived harmoniously and helped to build places of worship, " he said, adding that the Chitty community from the Coromandel Coast in Tamil Nadu also played a pivotal role during the era.

He said based on Portuguese explorers’ records, there were between 300 and 400 Chitty people living here during the time while Naina Chattu, a Chitty leader, was a Bendahara, a position equivalent to prime minister in the present time.

"Our forefathers assimilated by marrying Orang Laut, Javanese and Bataks, creating a unique new culture, ” he said.

On another matter, Gan said the association was working closely with the Yong Chuan Tian to have the Unique Wangkang festival on the world's map.

He said the festival could attract more spectators with the direct flight between Penang and Melaka.

The Yong Chuan Tian temple is the only temple in the region to organise Wangkang possession.

It has a systematic record of the festival, and even China needed the temple's assistance to submit an application to Unesco for Wangkang to get World Intangible Cultural Heritage status. - Star