PAS threatens legal action against Nga in Christmas celebration dispute

PETALING JAYA: PAS says it will take legal action against housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming for his “cowardly accusations” and “malicious slander” when he criticised the party for their stance against a Christmas celebration at his ministry.

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan claimed that Nga, a DAP vice-chairman, accused PAS of being “deviant”, “spreading deviant teachings”, “exploiting religion”, “damaging societal harmony” and “blocking Christmas celebrations” after PAS Youth vice-chief Hanif Jamaluddin took issue with the Christmas celebration as it involved Muslim staff.

Takiyuddin claimed that since the country’s independence, no government ministries or agencies have openly organised religious celebrations other than Islamic events at government premises, much less involving Muslim officers and staff.

“PAS holds the DAP leader, who is the minister, fully responsible if his indiscretion leads to tension and repeats a dark chapter in the country’s history that benefits no one,” he said in a statement today.

“Despite all the talk about harmony, unity, and respect for diversity, Nga himself has shamelessly violated and challenged not only the authority of religious authorities in the country, but has openly interfered in Islamic affairs.”

By stating that PAS is not only “deviant” but also “spreading deviant teachings”, he said, Nga can be seen as violating the powers and jurisdiction of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay rulers as heads of Islam, challenging the National Fatwa Council’s authority, and the religious authorities responsible for determining the religious status of Muslims.

“This power is not held by any individual or party, let alone a non-Muslim,” he said.

Takiyuddin said Hanif had only questioned the ministry’s sensitivity to the celebration, citing the 2005 National Fatwa Council guidelines on Muslim participation in events celebrating non-Islamic religious holidays.

He said Hanif also included a legal explanation from the federal territories mufti’s office from Dec 24, 2023, regarding the legality of Muslims joining Christmas carolling.

He said both the guidelines and the legal explanation from these two major Islamic institutions impose strict conditions on Muslims regarding this matter.

“Based on these considerations, the concerns raised by Hanif are valid and should be addressed with care and transparency,” he said.

Takiyuddin also denied Nga’s claim that PAS’s stance on Christmas was hypocritical as it criticised a Christmas celebration after issuing Christmas greetings on social media.

He said PAS has regularly sent festive greetings during religious and cultural celebrations as a gesture of acceptance and respect for the religious and cultural diversity that is a key characteristic of Malaysian society.

The controversy arose after a video surfaced showing Nga celebrating Christmas at his ministry, including with some Muslim staff.

FMT reported that a source within the ministry had 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.