KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — A Puchong public school’s supposed decision to remove Chinese New Year (CNY) decorations is disappointing, PKR treasurer-general Lee Chean Chung said today in the wake of a bewildering outcry raised by Malay party Putra.

Lee added that the implications of the forced removal of festive lantern to showcase Chinese culture possibly has possibly wider implications of a trust deficit among the races.

“Although it only happened in a school, but it has given negative impact towards the confidence and trust within our diverse society in our country,” he said in a statement.

Lee expressed regret at the school principal’s alleged failure to protect the commitment of past students at the school that took the initiative to decorate the school, also questioning if this would create doubts or affect relations among students in the school.

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Putra vice-president and lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz has threatened to report a public school in Puchong recently over its supposedly ‘religious’ Chinese New Year decoration. — Picture via Twitter/BuzzeAzam
Putra vice-president and lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz has threatened to report a public school in Puchong recently over its supposedly ‘religious’ Chinese New Year decoration. — Picture via Twitter/BuzzeAzam

Lee then went on to correct misconceptions regarding the Chinese New Year celebrations, following Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) vice-president Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz’s intimidating letter to the school that complained of the decorations within the school as allegedly having religious elements.

“The Chinese New Year festival is not a religious festival but it is the celebration of a traditional festival that has been practised all this while. Based on the photos obtained, there are no elements of religious propagation at all in the decorations in the school compound,” he said, adding that the school management should have opted to make internal corrections if the decorations were too excessive.

Lee said the Chinese New Year celebrations is an important festival for all and suggested that the Education Ministry stress on multicultural lessons in civics classes to enable the appreciation of the beauty of different cultures among ethnic groups through sharing, decorations, performances and games.

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“Through such long-term education reforms, I believe the public will no longer be influenced by narrow-minded and politically-motivated political views, and be divided and put in fear by those who are irresponsible,” he said.

Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz speaks to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court December 17, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz speaks to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court December 17, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

Lee also suggested that Mohd Khairul had either intentionally raised the issue or was ignorant.

Mohd Khairul had in a January 6 letter to the school claimed that the Chinese New Year celebration is a religious festival and alleged that it was unconstitutional to allow excessive CNY decorations in schools, while also threatening to lodge a complaint with the authorities if the school fails to remove all CNY decorations within three days of receiving the letter.

Mohd Khairul on January 7 claimed that the school had said that the decorations would be removed.

Mohd Khairul’s party Putra is founded and headed by Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who is also the president of Malay rights non-governmental organisation Perkasa.

But several Pakatan Harapan leaders, including ministers, today rebutted Mohd Khairul’s erroneous claims by pointing out that CNY is not a religious occasion.

The Chinese New Year celebrations is a cultural festival that marks the beginning of the new year according to the traditional Chinese calendar or the Chinese lunar calendar.

The Chinese New Year is a two-day public holiday in Malaysia and this year falls on January 25 and 26.