Dr Wee: Abide by SOP, celebrate Maasi Magam and Chingay with full sense of responsibility

PETALING JAYA: Those celebrating the Maasi Magam and Chingay festivals should do so with a full sense of responsibility and abide by standard operating procedures (SOP) for personal safety and that of their loved ones, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

The Transport Minister said the government had announced the SOP in conjunction with both festivals on Wednesday (Feb 9).

“As stated by the Defence Minister (Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein), prayer ceremonies at temples for Maasi Magam and the Chingay procession are allowed according to SOP for non-Muslim houses of worship under Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

“The decision was made following a presentation by the National Unity Ministry in the 12th Quartet Meeting and after obtaining the views and recommendations of the Health Ministry.

“Prior to that, the National Unity Minister (Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique) and I had a discussion with the president of the Federation of Tiong Hua Johor Baru and the presidents of five clan associations of Johor Baru,” he said in a Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 10).

Dr Wee also extended his gratitude to Hishammuddin for accepting feedback from stakeholders.

On Wednesday, Hishammuddin said processions for the Chingay festival in Johor, usually held between Feb 19 and 22, as well as celebrations for the Maasi Magam festival from Feb 16 to 19, are allowed subject to strict SOP.

He said prayers at the Johor Ancient Temple and Xing Gong for Chingay, which was celebrated by the Hainan, Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew and Tiong Hua people, would be allowed in line with the SOP for non-Muslim houses of worship under Phase 4 of the NRP.

However, devotees would not be allowed to participate in the procession, which would only be limited to members of the temple management.

The names of the temple management members and procession routes would have to be submitted to and approved by the police.

Only 11 decorated trucks with not more than 20 temple members on board would be allowed in the parade.

As for Maasi Magam, only those who had been fully vaccinated would be allowed to participate with SOP such as wearing face masks and physical distancing.

A chariot procession was allowed but without any stops and limited to only temple management members numbering not more than 50.

Similar to the Chingay procession SOP, the names of the temple management members and procession routes must be submitted to and approved by the police.