MCA leaders unaware of member’s role in ‘azan’ row
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — MCA leaders have pleaded ignorance over the controversy surrounding a youth member who purportedly demanded a city mosque to lower the volume of the daily “azan”.
When contacted, several MCA central and youth leaders said they were unaware of the incident and had not received any formal complaint against the member, who is a lawyer.
MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha told The Malaysian Insider that he had not been informed of the incident.
“But in any case, it is obviously his personal view, made in his personal capacity. It is not MCA’s view or one of our party agenda,” he said.
When asked if the party leadership planned to probe the matter, Kong pointed out that no formal complaint had yet been issued against the member.
“We cannot simply investigate unless there is a formal request for us to do so. In any case, if there are calls for the Internal Security Act (ISA) to be used against him, the question now arises if this is an MCA issue or a police case?
“For example, if an MCA member steals your laptop, it is a police case and not an MCA case,” he said.
He stressed that the member had likely issued the request in his personal capacity and not as a representative of the party.
The member 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” or the call to prayer 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 this afternoon.
