Khalil Abdul Hadi, who is in charge of the state’s information, dakwah and shariah empowerment portfolio, reminded DAP to not only protect the rights of the minorities but equally consider the rights of the majority.
“DAP often raises the issue that we do not protect the rights of non-Muslims. They also need to safeguard the rights of Muslims because Islam is the religion of the federation and Muslims make up the majority in our country,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
“So when we talk about rights, it is not just the rights of minorities but also the rights of the majority. We should not forget about the rights of the majority,” he said, adding that Muslims and non-Muslims have been living in harmony in Terengganu.
Khalil is the second Terengganu exco to respond to DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok, who questioned the state government’s directive prohibiting female singers from performing at the Guan Di temple’s jubilee celebration recently.
Kok had urged the state government to revoke the directive, respect non-Islamic cultural values and fulfil the party’s former slogan of “PAS for all”.
Yesterday, Wan Sukairi Wan Abdullah said the prohibition was due to the event taking place in an open space.
Wan Sukairi, who is chairman of Terengganu’s health, housing and local government committee, said the event would attract both male and female audiences, and was not exclusive to non-Muslims, thus violating the state’s guidelines on entertainment.
DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng today slammed Wan Sukairi’s reasoning, saying that no Muslims were invited to the event and none would attend of their own accord in a PAS-ruled state that “rigorously applies their strict moral code”.
Not only would non-Muslims feel discriminated against by the Terengganu government, Lim said, they would also feel that their constitutional right to freedom of religion was being infringed on.
Khalil, however, emphasised that there would be no issue if the temple decided to hold the event at a closed-door venue. “It is their right,” he added.