KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon downplayed the ongoing “azan” dispute today, urging all parties not to turn the incident into a “big issue” as it was currently being addressed at the local level. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of unity however told reporters that he had not personally seen the letter purportedly sent by an MCA man to the government last month, urging authorities to lower the volume of the daily “azan” blared on loudspeakers of a mosque in Kampung Kerinchi.
“I have not seen this letter. Let me look at it and then I’ll comment.
“But on the ground, they are already working on how to settle it so if we can allow them to work rather than make it into a big issue and to start quarrelling in the media,” he said after launching a book by Gerakan secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow here this morning.
Koh (picture) refused to divulge further information on the matter but expressed confidence that the angry parties in the dispute would eventually “settle down”.
“This is one issue and most of the time, it gets settled.
“Of course there are emotions but I am sure that after the initial emotions, people will settle down and both sides will accept.
“This is the 1 Malaysia spirit — to accept differences and to be united. The issue should not be flared up,” he said.
A Chinese lawyer, purportedly a youth leader from MCA, has been accused of penning a letter to the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) on December 20 last year, complaining about the volume of the Muslim’s “azan” blared every morning over the loudspeakers at a mosque near his residence.
His letter had sparked an outrage among the Muslim community, leading to a protest by members of welfare group Pekida and Malay rights group Perkasa outside Masjid al-Ikhlasiah in Kampung Kerinchi yesterday afternoon.
The group had also called for the MCA man to be arrested under the ISA for threatening national harmony and demanded that he issued an open apology to the Muslim community.
During their protest, they distributed the fax purportedly sent by the MCA member to PMO where he revealed that he has been a party member since 1998.
He also said that he has been living in Pantai Hill Park for five years and was roused in the mornings by the mosque’s call for prayers.
“Several months ago, I hear the sound from the mosque to be very loud until that it woke me every morning at 5.45am,” the letter read.
“I respect the position of Islam as the country’s official religion under the Federal Constitution but my right to sleep, rest and pray in peace should also be respected.
“I am of the view that loudspeakers in any house of worship of any religion should be controlled by the authorities through clear and scientific rules like the calculation of decibels, and should not flout the law.
“Like in my hometown of Seremban, the sounds from the mosque are softer and more controlled,” he continued.
It is understood that the man identified had once worked for a former MCA president who was also a Cabinet member.
The man could not be contacted for confirmation that he had written the letter, which was carbon copied to several ministers in PMO, including Koh.
MCA leaders have since pleaded ignorance over the involvement of a youth member in the issue, many claiming that no formal complaint had been lodged against the man.
The mosque concerned is situated near a new commercial development area called Bangsar South, and was first opened 30 years ago, while the lawyer only moved to the Malay-majority neighbourhood about five years ago. Pantai Dalam used to be dominated by squatters and low-cost flats but has seen the development of luxury apartments and commercial property in recent years.
The Muslim call for prayer first became a political issue in 2008 when Selangor executive councillor Teresa Kok was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly asking a Puchong mosque to stop playing the azan over its loudspeaker.
Kok, who was released a week after her arrest, denied the allegation while the mosque’s committee members also came forward to defend the Selangor DAP chairman.
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