Minister: Harmony committee's religious pluralism agenda claim untrue

The claim made by political activist Badrul Hisham Shaharin, also known as Chegubard, that the establishment of the Inter-Faith Harmony Committee (Harmony Committee) is part of a government agenda promoting religious pluralism is exaggerated and completely untrue, said National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang.

He explained that the previous government, during a cabinet meeting on Aug 14, had agreed to form the Harmony Committee, as a platform to foster dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslim religious bodies, to share perspectives which benefit the well-being of the community and the country.

“The committee has two main functions: first, to propose strategies rooted in religious values to the government, aimed at fostering greater understanding and harmony among different faiths.

“Secondly, it is responsible for implementing initiatives which promote awareness and unity between religious communities, for the benefit of society," he said in a statement yesterday.

He said this in response to Chegubard's remarks on Monday, in which the latter opposed the establishment of the Harmony Committee, and falsely accused the Neighbourhood Watch Area members of participating in ritual activities during a visit to non-Islamic places of worship as part of the Madani Harmony initiative.

However, Aaron stressed that the implementation of the Harmony Trail programme, part of the Madani Harmony initiative, does not involve any religious ritual practices.

“This programme is designed to promote unity, foster mutual understanding, and uplift universal values shared by different faiths while strengthening the bonds among Malaysians.

“The Madani Harmony initiative embodies the core principles of national integration: understanding, respect, and acceptance, ensuring that harmony between communities remains intact,” Aaron stated.

He added that managing unity-related issues requires a continuous, proactive approach, to ensure that communal harmony is maintained.

“In line with this, the National Unity Ministry, in collaboration with the Islamic Development Department (Jakim), has made fostering harmonious relationships among people of different faiths a priority in enhancing national unity,” he said.

- Bernama

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