PETALING JAYA: A deputy director and three officers of the Melaka Islamic affairs department (Jaim) have been transferred or sacked after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s photograph was included among slides for a Friday sermon last week.
Melaka executive councillor Rahmad Mariman said the officers were either transferred to other departments and districts, or fired. However, he did not state who was dismissed.
In response, Hadi expressed sympathy for the disciplined officials in a post on X this evening, describing the disciplinary action as "excessive".
Rahmad said the department apologised for the officers’ collective mistake in preparing the slides.
"It was a serious mistake, and the action taken against them was justified. I hope such incidents will not happen again,"he said after the inauguration of a religious primary school in Telok Mas. He said the department had given a guarantee that the incident will not be repeated.
The picture of Hadi was accompanied by the text: "The peace and progress of the nation must be upheld, requiring just and honest leaders, a harmonious society, and disciplined and noble citizens."
A separate slide showed a picture of former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, instead of Sultan Ibrahim, the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Rahmad said the officers admitted to the mistake after several complaints came in from the public. "I investigated the matter and checked with the mosque. The mistake was from within Jaim,"he said.
The slides were issued for use at all suraus and mosques in Melaka.
