Kelantan poised to join T'ganu in waging war on 'LGBTQ+ enemy'

Summary

• Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Fadzli Hassan says anti-LGBTQ+ signboards are considered a good approach.

• He adds that homosexual acts “contribute to moral decline, health problems, and are against religion”.

• The PAS-led Kelantan state government is prepared to follow in the footsteps of Terengganu in putting up billboards condemning homosexual acts.

Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Fadzli Hassan said anti-LGBTQ+ signboards are considered a good approach.

“If it produces good results, Kelantan might also implement such a step since it is indeed good and feasible,” he was quoted as saying by Harakah.

Fadzli said the state government agreed with Terengganu, which is also under PAS, that LGBTQ+ is a “major enemy contributing to the moral decline of society”.

He also blamed the LGBTQ+ community as a major contributor to health problems, including sexually transmitted diseases and many others, besides being clearly opposed by religion.

Following a backlash, the Terengganu government defended the signboards, stating they are intended to instil public hatred towards such behaviour.

Terengganu state executive councillor for local government, housing, and health Wan Sukairi Wan Abdullah said the initiative was to educate the public to reject actions deemed contrary to religious teachings and societal norms.

“We want the public to hate homosexual acts. We want them to see it as filthy, wrong, and something to be avoided,” he added.

Among those who criticised the signboards was human rights lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, who insisted that the government has no place invading people’s private lives.

He also expressed deep frustration over the “undignified silence” from the federal government on this issue, condemning it as a flagrant act of hate that demands immediate attention.

“A hate crime has been perpetrated, and yet no action has been taken and can be taken. We do not, thanks to the current and previous governments, have laws against hate crimes.

“Malaysia has, to date, failed to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR would enable action to be taken to stop all forms of discrimination, including any discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community,” Rajesh added.

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