KUALA LUMPUR – The tens of thousands who were at the Bon Odori festival are a testament of Malaysians being moderates at heart, said Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who also took the opportunity to join in the festivities yesterday.
Speaking to The Vibes, the Muda president said there were more than 35,000 participants at the Shah Alam Sports Complex, which shows that Malaysians were not bothered about the earlier controversies surrounding the festival.
“I believe that Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, are moderates at heart. We do not put up with intolerance and the massive turnout was proof of that.”
Meanwhile, in a post on Instagram and Twitter, Syed Saddiq posted pictures of his time at the festival, saying that most of the attendees were enjoying the cultural performances and indulging in food with family and friends.
“I can only see the opposite of what the PAS minister said the other day.
“This is the beauty of our people; we celebrate different cultures. Our strength will always lie in our unity in diversity.”
Last month, religious affairs minister Datuk Idris Ahmad advised Muslims to not participate in the Japanese festival as it contains elements of other religions and could lead to confusion among Muslims.
He added that this was based on studies and the views of the Islamic Development Department (Jakim).
Subsequently, a firestorm of public debates was ignited, which was somewhat pacified after Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decreed that the state Islamic Religious Department (Jais) should not obstruct anyone from attending the event.
The sultan also warned Idris to not issue confusing and inaccurate statements that would undermine Jakim’s image and reputation, suggesting that the minister attend the festival to see for himself the difference between culture and religion.
Despite this, PAS defied the ruler, with its ulama council and the women’s wing doubling down on discouraging Muslims from participating in the event, saying it contains elements of Buddhist rituals.
PAS later appeared to back down after its Selangor commissioner, Datuk Ahmad Yunus Hairi, was summoned for an audience with the sultan over the festival.
A security personnel at the event approached by The Vibes did not discount the effect of the controversy giving free press to the festival, saying: “Bad publicity is still publicity. The festival got a lot of attention from that and maybe the effect can be seen well enough today.” – The Vibes, July 17, 2022
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