SERI KEMBANGAN, Aug 18 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad backed today the Home Ministry’s decision to strip a Singapore-born hotelier of his Malaysian permanent resident (PR) status, refuting critics who panned the move as excessive for allegedly hurting Muslim sensitivities.
However, the vocal Umno leader cast doubt on the authorities’ decision to tear down the Muslim prayer room at the Johor resort that was at the centre of the controversy.
“I think by taking away his PR [it] is not too harsh.
“The government has the right to revoke the PR if you do something that is not in line with our national policy and stirring up religious confrontation, that is not something we welcome from the people who are not citizens but only PR,” the former prime minister told reporters at his Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house celebration here.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced yesterday that the government was revoking the Malaysian PR of the Singaporean — who has been named in the republic’s Sunday Times newspaper as Syed Ahmad Alkaff — as a stern reminder to foreigners to take heed of local religious sensitivities.
Media reports of a video uploaded on YouTube surfaced last week, allegedly showing a surau in the Johor resort being used by Buddhist tourists for prayers.
The Singaporean Muslim man, who was the resort operator in Sendili Besar, near Kota Tinggi, was remanded for four days and released on police bail on Friday.
Dr Mahathir, however, did not appear to share the authorities’ sentiment in relation to the demolition of the resort’s surau, which had been used as a meditation room by a group of Buddhist tourists.
A short video clip of the session was uploaded onto the Internet last week and set off a firestorm of controversy.
“As far as destroying the surau, I don’t know,” the ex-PM of 22 years said.
“I have different ideas but the people there want it to be destroyed so it is better for the authorities to destroy it.
“We have to comply with wishes of people there,” he added.
On Friday, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin had urged all parties to stop the polemic over the issue of the surau’s demolition as the decision to tear it down has already been made by Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim.
