Selangor Palace Denies Seeking Pas Opinion During Audience On Bon Odori

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The Selangor palace has denied that Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah sought the opinion of PAS leaders when he summoned them over the Bon Odori issue.
Instead, the palace said the monarch only stated his views regarding the Japanese event during the meeting.
The denial was in response to a New Straits Time article on Wednesday, which cited Selangor PAS liaison secretary Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir as saying that His Majesty wanted to know the party's position on Bon Odori.
"His Majesty wanted to know our position on the Bon Odori festival.
"His Majesty gave his views and we also conveyed to him that we respected his stance," Roslan was quoted as saying.
The NST article was then cited and republished by several others including Malaysiakini and Free Malaysia Today.
Selangor PAS liaison secretary Roslan Shahir Mohd ShahirHowever, the day after the report, Selangor PAS commissioner Yunus Hairi denied the contents of the NST report and said he did not express any views when meeting the sultan.
“I confirm that during the audience, I only listened to His Majesty’s decree and there was no discussion between me and His Majesty,” he added.
Monarch’s stance
In a statement today, the sultan's private secretary Mohamad Munir Bani reiterated the monarch's views on Bon Odori during the meeting.
"His Majesty only stated his stance not to block the Bon Odori cultural festival that will be held in Selangor, which to His Majesty's views is purely cultural.
"His Majesty also does not bar any Muslims from attending the event until a thorough study is done on whether there are elements of religion or culture, to avoid confusing the public, especially Muslims," he said.
Minister Idris AhmadPreviously, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad said the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia had researched Bon Odori and believed that it would lead Muslims astray.
Sultan Sharafuddin, however, disagreed with the minister’s view that the event was religious in nature and asked Idris to attend the event himself.
The sultan, who is head of Islam in the state, had already instructed the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) not to obstruct the event which will be held at the Shah Alam National Sports Complex on July 16.
Despite this, Yunus had reportedly urged on June 10 for the Selangor government to bar Muslims from participating in the festival.
The Bon Odori is a dance during the Bon festival, which honours the spirits of ancestors and has roots in Buddhism and Shinto.
The dance itself was originally meant to welcome the spirits of said ancestors.
However, outside of Japan, the event has largely been stripped of religious connotations.
The Bon Odori has been organised in Malaysia since 1977 by Japanese expatriates.
The event in Selangor - touted as the largest outside Japan - is jointly organised by the Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur, the Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur, and the Japanese Embassy, with support from the state government. - Mkini

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