National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang is defending why he should remain employed on the taxpayers’ payroll.
This is in response to an academic’s call for his ministry to be shut down for alleged poor performance in improving unity.
In a post on X last Friday, James Chin, who teaches Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, Australia, questioned what Aaron and the ministry have been doing since 2022.
“It seems that whenever there’s an issue, the National Unity Ministry is nowhere to be found until after other ministers have already tackled the problem,” he alleged.
He cited incidents involving KK Mart, conversion controversies, the firebombing of Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham’s home, and backlash against the Christmas celebration at the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
In the arson attack on Ngeh’s home on Jan 10 last year, Aaron issued a statement on the same day condemning it as an attack on unity and harmony.
However, the minister initially refused to comment on the KK Mart “Allah” socks controversy, saying he did not want to speak about disunity.
He only spoke out after backlash against his refusal to comment.
Later, during the ham sandwich controversy, the minister spoke out against an act of vandalism against a KK Mart outlet.
Aaron did not comment on the backlash from PAS and other conservatives against Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming for hosting a Christmas celebration at his ministry.
Chin also argued that if the National Unity Ministry was effective, interethnic and interfaith relations would be improving.
“If the ministry was effective, wouldn’t ethnic and religious relations be improving rather than deteriorating?
“Unless, in Malaysia, ‘national unity’ translates to adhering to the rules of one race and one religion. If that’s the case, then perhaps the National Unity Ministry is indeed a success!”
Chin hence said that the National Unity Ministry should be shut down and the savings used for grants to non-Islamic religions.
730 programmes last year
In a statement last night, Aaron defended his ministry’s relevancy.
“I wish to stress that the ministry and I will always pay serious attention to managing unity issues in the country,” he said.
He said that in 2024, the ministry organised 730 programmes on unity, nationhood, and the “rahmah community” - which aimed to increase interracial and interfaith interactions.
This year, he said the ministry will establish a “unity issues management committee” consisting of representatives from the National Unity, Home, Communications, Housing and Local Government, Education, and Youth and Sports ministries, as well as from the police, National Security Council, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, and others.
The ministry will also set up community mediation centres and set up a unity analytics dashboard.
Meanwhile, Aaron said he is prepared to meet with anyone who wants clarification about his ministry’s role or discuss unity issues in the country.
“Unity is the responsibility of everyone, not just the government,” he said. - Mkini
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