This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 9, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: The cabinet has stressed that Chinese New Year decorations in schools are not religious in nature and not a way of spreading any religion other than Islam.

In a statement issued after its meeting yesterday, the cabinet said it views seriously the action taken by the parties playing up racial and religious tensions by filing a police report on decorations at SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1, Selangor in conjunction with the coming Chinese New Year celebration.

The cabinet said it does not agree with the racist and extremist attitude taken by the parties concerned as it undermines racial unity in the country.

“It is a common thing to put up decorations to celebrate festive occasions such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and others. Malaysians are multicultural and have celebrated these occasions together for many years now.

“We need to respect one another because cultural differences in our society are a valuable asset to the nation,” the statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office said.

On Tuesday, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia vice-president Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz threatened to file a police report against the school over its supposedly religious Chinese New Year decorations.

He insisted that the decorations were unconstitutional and claimed that Muslim parents had complained against what they saw as an attempt to propagate non-Islamic religious practice to students of the school.

News sites reported that cabinet members, led by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, visited the school yesterday to show their support.

Those present included Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Communications Minister and Puchong member of parliament Gobind Singh Deo, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religion) Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, and Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Dr Xavier Jeyakumar.

Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching also attended, the Free Malaysia Today news site reported.

The ministers took turns signing several Chinese lanterns sponsored by Kinrara state assemblyman Ng Sze Han, who was present as well.

Wan Azizah said views that the decorations are religious in nature should not have been brought up in the first place, the Malay Mail reported.

“Why this was made an issue I have no idea,” Wan Azizah told reporters at the school. “This is a cultural celebration.”

“What we’re seeing here is an issue made out of something which shouldn’t have even been brought up. We in the government want to promote unity in a nation that is multicultural and diverse in religion and race,” the news site quoted her as saying.

Gobind said it is not wrong to put up Chinese New Year decorations in schools as they are not religious in nature and the celebration is a cultural festival, Bernama reported.