KUALA LUMPUR: The staff of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) involved in the Christmas celebration at the ministry in Putrajaya recently were mostly Christians.
Its minister, Nga Kor Ming said many of those who sang “Jingle Bells” were Kadazans from Sabah apart from employees from Sarawak.
He said the Madani government has always been celebrating diversity while fostering the spirit of goodwill in line with the aspirations of Madani which emphasises community harmony, unity and stability as the three keys of the nation’s success.
“A viral video recently showed KPKT employees singing Christmas songs. This reflects the spirit of mutual respect and harmony among the staff which is the basic principle of a good government.
“We respect Muslims with the celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and at the same time repect Christians in celebrating Christmas.
“Respect and kindness are the two main principles that are the backbones of our administration,” he said after officiating the Sentuhan KPKT 2024 programme here today.
He was commenting on media reports on PAS Youth's statement that Nga's action of openly organising Christmas celebrations at government offices and involving the participation of Muslims was inappropriate.
In another development, Nga advised local authorities (PBT) to respect the jurisdiction of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) regarding the possession of halal certificates.
He said the Cabinet had previously made a decision that the government only encouraged food and beverage business operators to apply for halal certificates without any coercion.
“I emphasise that we cannot force (to obtain a halal certificate), we encourage. I advise the PBT to respect it, seek advice from Jakim,” he said.
Nga was commenting on the Kelantan state government's move to require owners and operators of food and beverage-based premises to have a Malaysian Halal Certification (SPHM) as a condition for renewing business licenses.
