Be more careful on religious matters, Umno’s Puad urges Nga

 

Umno leader Puad Zarkashi said DAP minister Nga Kor Ming should learn the dos and don’ts of other faiths from those with authority on the subject matter.

PETALING JAYA: 

Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi has urged DAP minister Nga Kor Ming to exercise greater caution in religious matters, following the uproar over a Christmas celebration at his ministry.

While Nga may have pure intentions, Puad said, the housing and local government minister needed to be more tactful instead of “bulldozing” others in religious issues involving other faiths.

“If he truly wants to champion unity, he needs to learn in depth the dos and don’ts of other religions, whether Islam, Hinduism or Christianity. Ask those with authority over such matters.

“Now that 69 police reports have been lodged (over the Christmas celebration at Nga’s ministry), the authorities must investigate whether Muslim staff were forced to sing and dress up as Santa Claus,” he said in a Facebook post.

Nga was slammed by PAS over a Christmas celebration at his ministry, which involved some Muslim staff.

PAS Youth vice-chief Hanif Jamaluddin said the DAP vice-chairman should understand that Muslims were prohibited from getting directly involved in celebrations of faiths that went against Islamic teachings.

A ministry source said they did not force any of its personnel to attend the function and that the carollers who performed at the event were Christians from East Malaysia while the songs were secular in nature.

Nga brushed off PAS’s criticism, saying he was a “minister for all Malaysians” and would continue to defend the fundamental liberties of Malaysians.

PAS has also threatened legal action against the minister over his response to the party. It claimed Nga had accused PAS of being “deviant”, “spreading deviant teachings”, “exploiting religion”, “damaging societal harmony” and “blocking Christmas celebrations”. - FMT