KUALA LUMPUR – The Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) should look into amending local council by-laws on certain matters to ensure non-Muslims are not affected by such legislation, Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming said.
This comes after a hair salon owner was fined after a female hairdresser cut a Muslim male customer’s hair.
Nga was reported saying by Free Malaysia Today that certain council by-laws could be amended so that non-Muslims would not be caught running afoul of them.
The minister said he has asked the local government department under his ministry to hold talks with Kota Baru Mayor Rosnazli Amin to look for by-laws that could be amended. Kota Baru is the capital of Kelantan, a state governed by PAS.
Nga said his suggestion was based on the fact that Malaysia is a multiracial country and that mutual respect is needed to preserve harmony.
The female hairdresser was fined RM100 over the July 9 incident. This follows a similar incident last month where a non-Muslim female shopkeeper was fined by MPKB for wearing shorts on her own shop premises. – The Vibes, July 18, 2023