Three red banners were hung at the event’s entrance and on tents to prevent “potential issues and conflicts” from arising should Muslims enter the area, Sin Chew Daily reported.
“Muslims are not allowed to enter the event’s area throughout the duration of the programme. (For Chinese only),” the banners read.
In a China Press report, the organiser said the banners were one of the conditions required by the Kemaman Municipal Council for approving the Aug 9-13 event.
The chairman of the event’s organising committee, Tan Chun Hiang, stated that council officials had instructed him in person to display the banners to remind Muslims that they are prohibited from participating in the event.
Tan, who has been the chairman of the event’s organising committee for the past 12 years, said the organiser will abide by the rules set by the council and stressed that the council has never “created trouble” for the organiser.
“To be honest, the conditions have always been the same for the past 12 years. It’s just that this year, they told me it’s best to put up banners,” he said in the report.
It is understood that the event is being held on a vacant private lot which is usually used as a car park.
The Chinese daily said the banners, used for the first time, have caught the attention of local residents.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month, which falls on Aug 18.
Festivities and rituals are carried out throughout the lunar month from Aug 4 to Sept 3.
The display of the banners comes after the Terengganu government denied discriminating against other religions following reports of a ban on female singers from performing at a temple recently.
State executive councillor Wan Sukairi Wan Abdullah said the directive was sent to the Guan Di temple association, prohibiting female singers from performing at the temple’s jubilee celebration, because the event is taking place in an open space.
In a Facebook post on Aug 3, Wan Sukairi said the performances would attract both male and female audiences, and not be exclusive to non-Muslims, as it would be carried out under a tent within the temple’s grounds.
DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng hit out at the reasoning given by Wan Sukairi, saying no Muslims had been invited to the celebration, and that none would attend of their own accord in a PAS-ruled state that “rigorously applies their strict moral code”.