A DAP assemblyperson has expressed disappointment that the Education Ministry has purportedly issued a circular prohibiting Muslim students from participating in the Ponggal festival, which falls tomorrow.
Bagan Dalam lawmaker Satees Muniandy (above) said, "It is shocking that the Ministry of Education felt pressured by extremist groups who failed to understand the country's diverse but united communities."
"How can the ministry promote national schools as the first choice for its citizens when the top leadership of the ministry failed to understand how important it is to forge unity among the students ?" Satees asked in a statement.
"The circular is a step backwards and will not help promote unity as it comes after the Puchong school incident involving Chinese New Year decorations," Satees recalled.
In the Puchong incident, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) vice-president Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz causes a furore when he lodged a complaint against the school for its Chinese New Year decorations, which was later condemned by the Pakatan Harapan cabinet for playing up racist and religious sentiments.
"But whoever who wishes to have a deeper understanding of Ponggal may come to our festival in Butterworth, which is organised by my office on Jan 19, Sunday, 3pm," Satees added.
Satees was referring to a letter purportedly issued by the Malaysian Education deputy director's Adzman Talib that says that it was haram for Muslim students to participate in Ponggal.
The circular has since gone viral on social media platforms. Malaysiakini is unable to independently verify the authenticity of the circular, but has contacted the Education Ministry for comment.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister II and state exco on education P Ramasamy said the circular will embarrass Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
It is based on the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia's (Jakim) position on the celebration.
Satees said the directive was issued as certain quarters played up racial matters, and perceived Ponggal to be a religious Hindu celebration.
"Such misconception was due to a shallow understanding of the multiracial and multireligious communities in the country," he said.
"Ponggal is actually a cultural event and celebrated by Tamils from all walks of life to mark the new year in the Tamil calendar," he added.
No different than Gawai or Keamatan
Meanwhile, former deputy education minister P Kamalanathan (above) said Ponggal is merely a day of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest and is thus no different from other harvest festivals.
"Across Tamil Nadu and its other neighbouring states, this harvest festival is no different from the Keamatan festival in Sabah and Hari Gawai in Sarawak.
"It’s a day farmers irrelevant of religion celebrate a bountiful harvest and thank Mother Nature for her fertile soil, adequate rain, and healthy sunlight that were the foundation of a good harvest," he said in a statement.
The MIC education bureau chief said the purported circular has caused unease and is not in the spirit of Malaysian unity.
Instead, branding Ponggal as a religious festival would exempt fellow Malaysians of different faiths from joining the festivities.
"The festival has been celebrated with the spirit of unity and brotherhood for the last sixty years with many former prime ministers even taking part in the celebration.
"Why this sudden aversion to it suddenly?" he said.
He added that he has met Education Ministry acting director-general Habibah Abd Rahim and her team to express his concerns over the matter, and hopes that the circular would be retracted.
Ponggal celebrated in churches too
Meanwhile, local activist Stanley Sudhagaran said Ponggal is a cultural festival meant to express the community's gratitude for the year's harvest.
It is also celebrated to welcome another year of prosperity, Stanley told Malaysiakini.
"The boiling of the milk and it overflowing from the pot is a symbol of prosperity, all this is purely cultural and symbolic and not religious," added the founder of a school for urban poor children in Butterworth.
Stanley pointed out Christians also celebrate Ponggal in churches.
In churches, a special mass would be held and the milk would be boiled, while Tamil traditional games would be organised, he said.
"My family and I personally would be boiling the milk tomorrow morning," he added.
Stanley is mulling about his annual tax contribution, where every year, billions of ringgit from taxpayers' money is paid to organisations like Jakim.
"However, they come out with such flawed analogies that not only lacks common sense, but also divides Malaysians and pushes a segment into extremism," Stanley added.
"It's time we call for our tax money not to be used to fund such organisations.
"Why is my tax money being used to fund something that declares my festival as haram?" he asked.
"Why should I fund an organisation that wants to propagate to me and make me change my religion? That does not make sense," Stanley added. - Mkini
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