KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is pleased that the proposed federal guidelines for Muslims attending non-Muslim events and celebrations have been dropped.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the Federal Government's decision was a wise move as the proposal was irrelevant in Sabah.
“I wish to state here that the proposed guidelines are not relevant to us. Here, we respect each other.
“Take me as an example, it is impossible for me not to attend celebrations of the multi-religious and multi-racial people in Sabah,” he said when addressing guests at the Angpow Festival organised by 10 Chinese associations and NGOs in Tuaran near here on Saturday (Feb 15) night.
Hajiji said when his in-laws passed away, he paid his last respects at the St Philip Church in Tamparuli.
“That did not affect my belief or make me any less a Muslim. It is all about our akidah,” he said.
He advised the people not to be influenced by circumstances in other places because in Sabah, it is peaceful and everyone lives in harmony even with most families having relatives from different religious and cultural backgrounds.
Earlier in his speech, Hajiji expressed gratitude to the Chinese community for continuing to be partners in developing the state’s economy and education development and being part of Sabah's greater family.
He said the state government had set aside a substantial allocation for the development of Chinese schools as part of efforts to improve education in Sabah.
“Last year alone, we spent nearly RM480mil to develop human capital and education. This has never happened before as previously, the total scholarship disbursed each year was only RM50mil.
“But during my tenure, we increased it to RM128mil per year. We give scholarships to all eligible recipients,” said Hajiji.
He said last year, the state gave out a total of RM128mil worth of scholarships to 12,000 students, of which 5,000 were Muslim bumiputras, 5,000 non-Muslim bumiputras and 2,000 Chinese.
