Set guidelines to rein in your people, Umno man urges DAP

Set guidelines to rein in your people, Umno man urges DAP

PETALING JAYA: An Umno official has urged DAP to establish guidelines for leaders of the party who issue statements on racial and religious matters.

Kedah Umno information chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said statements made without following clear guidelines carry the risk of creating a trust deficit among partners in the unity government coalition.

Shaiful said Kedah Umno was disappointed with a proposal by Raub MP Chow Yu Hui, who is from DAP, last week that the religious affairs minister’s portfolio be divided into two: one for Islamic affairs and the other for non-Islamic religious affairs.

The proposal was shot down by the prime minister yesterday.

Shaiful said the proposal to create the position of a non-Islamic religious affairs minister “lacks rational consideration” which he said “could lead to a serious trust crisis between people of different races and religions”.

“Racial and religious relations in Malaysia are not in such a critical state that requires the establishment of a special ministry to function as coordinator or to regulate any guidelines between people of different religions,” he said.