KUALA LUMPUR: PAS assistant secretary-general Syahir Sulaiman has been asked to apologise to the Siamese community over his statement during the “Debate on New Economic Model”, which was described as insensitive to the institution and religion of Buddhism.
Siamese Bumiputera Malaysia Chambers of Commerce president Boon Som Inong alleged Syahir had hurt the feelings of the Siamese community in Malaysia when he said during the debate that monks claimed drinking alcohol was permitted in Buddhism.
“The statement is completely untrue as prohibition on drinking alcohol is one of the basic moral teachings of Buddhism known as Panca-sila (Five Precepts) and is contained in the Tripitaka, the sacred book of Buddhism,” Boon said in a statement today.