Dr M: Closing mosques and tourist sites is not govt policy

PUTRAJAYA: The decision to close mosques and tourist attractions to travellers in light of the novel coronavirus outbreak is not a government policy.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad went so far as to describe such moves as irresponsible.

“The government never declared that mosques or museums cannot be visited by tourists just because they might be infected by the coronavirus.

“This is not a government policy and it is an irresponsible act, ” he told a press conference after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting here Wednesday (Jan 29).

Among the mosques that have closed temporarily to tourists are the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque and the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, as well as the Federal Territory mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Dr Mahathir also warned the public against spreading fake news that is meant to stir ill feelings toward other races.

“Even though we believe in freedom of expression, it does not mean we can be antagonistic and agitate the feelings of others.

“Freedom is maintained in this country, but the spreading of fake news with ill-intent will not be tolerated. We will take action against them, ” he said.

Earlier, the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said a man was detained on Tuesday (Jan 28) in connection with spreading false or fake news regarding the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).