Why Bar Thaipusam Procession Asks Mp Over Divisive Move

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The Thaipusam chariot procession was a low-key affair last January with only 10 devotees allowed to take part.PETALING JAYA: An MP has criticised the government’s decision not to allow the chariot procession for the Thaipusam festival next month in light of fears surrounding the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Klang MP Charles Santiago in a Facebook post this evening questioned how decisions on large gatherings were being made.
“Sarawak state elections is OK but Thaipusam attracts a huge crowd and could be a Covid-19 disaster?
“Remember the holiday because Kuala Lumpur won a football final recently. There were thousands of people at the stadium.
“Is making divisive decisions the order of the day for this government?”
He added that such decisions cannot be populist in nature due to the upcoming general election, and also warned that the move may cause disunity among Malaysians.
He was responding to national unity minister Halimah Sadique’s comments in the Dewan Rakyat this morning.
She said there will be no Thaipusam procession next month as the country faces the threat of the new Omicron variant.
She added that her ministry has also prepared a list of SOPs for the festival, which falls on Jan 18.
According to Halimah, the decision was made after her ministry met with various stakeholders earlier this month.
She said 10 Hindu leaders from Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Johor were involved in the discussions as the festival is celebrated grandly in these states.
Officers from the National Security Council (MKN) and health ministry were also involved in the discussions. - FMT

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