MOE & PDRM Says No Issue With Puchong School’s CNY Decor, Ornaments Put Up Again

You’ve probably heard about the whole fuss over some Chinese New Year decorations at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Pusat Bandar Puchong 1 and how some parties were dissatisfied with the setup. Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (PUTRA) vice-president and lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz had previously said that the decorations were too excessive and feared that this could propagate non-Islamic religions to Muslims.

The issue went viral on social media which caused the police and Education Ministry (MOE) to be involved as well as they wanted to get to the root of the matter. According to Malaysiakini, MOE says that they are satisfied with the school’s explanation about the lavish decorations. The school said that the decorations were put up in conjunction with Chinese New Year and for the Selangor Chinese calligraphy contest that was to be held on Jan 11 at the premises. 

“Decorations to mark festivities in Malaysia are annual activities held by schools in support of the (ministry’s) student integration plan for unity (Rimup). Rimup is a programme which encourages locals, teachers and students in special activities involving sharing of facilities, equipment, human resources and expertise. This includes cultural exchange programmes aimed at fostering unity among different ethnic groups in Malaysia,” said the ministry.

Meanwhile, Sinchew reports that when they went to the school to investigate this afternoon (Jan 8th) around 3pm, they found that the Chinese New Year decorations which had been taken down have been put up again. Mohd Khairul had said that he knows Chinese New Year is not a religious celebration but they received complaints about this issue.

The Inspector-General Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said that the Puchong school did not violate any laws as the motive of the school was to create a festive atmosphere for the students, Sinchew stated. He said that festive decorations like these had nothing to do with religion and did not see any problem with them.

We’re all living in a multiracial and multicultural country so we should learn how to be more tolerant and respectful of each other! After all, everyone wants to live in a peaceful and harmonious environment, right?