PETALING JAYA: Kedah Mentri Besar Mohammad Sanusi Md Nor has drawn brickbats all round for his proposal not to observe Thaipusam as a public holiday in the state.
Several parties, such as MIC, DAP and even Umno have chided him for what has been referred to as an outlandish decision.
There have also been calls for his immediate resignation as Kedah chief executive for his “incompetence”.
Sanusi had, on Wednesday, announced that Jan 28, the day when Thaipusam is celebrated, will not be a public holiday in Kedah while the country is still under the movement control order to fight the Covid-19 war.
He said the same would apply for Chinese New Year, which will be celebrated on Feb 12 and 13, claiming that this was not meant to deny Hindus in Kedah their rights, so his statement should not be politicised.
Wanita DAP national publicity secretary Nicole Tan accused Sanusi of trying to get “brownie points” from his fellow PAS members. Sanusi is deputy commissioner of PAS in Kedah.
“Statements like this will cause disharmony and discomfort to others, and many will perceive it the wrong way. He should just refrain from saying things like this in future,” Tan told theSun.
PKR vice-president and Kuala Langat MP Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar also condemned Sanusi in a lengthy statement, and called for his resignation.
“Is this PAS for all? Is this Malaysian? No. This is done to show off their power. Time and again you (Sanusi) have shown you are incompetent and unable to lead a state government without controversy. I demand that you resign from your position as Kedah mentri besar immediately.”
Kedah MIC chairman Datuk Dr S. Ananthan said the party won’t be putting pressure on the controversial leader to resign, but will hold a meeting to get opinions from committee members on the next step.
“He is a problem maker and does not know how to handle issues. He’s not a good politician. We did not have any issues when Tan Sri Azizan Abdul Razak was in charge. Sanusi is inexperienced and doesn’t know how to handle issues.”
Ananthan said Thaipusam is usually celebrated on a grand scale in Kedah, where 100,000 devotees will usually throng the Sri Subramaniya Swami Devasthanam temple in Sungai Petani.
Despite not being able to do the annual procession, Ananthan said, devotees will still observe the festival at home.
“We cannot go to the temple, but it is still a family affair as everyone will gather to pray. We need time to do this. Sanusi must understand that we are a multi-racial country. He is a leader for all, not just for one community.”
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said there is no reason to cancel the holiday because Hindu families can still celebrate at their respective homes.
Thaipusam is recognised as a public holiday in Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Perak and Putrajaya.
Sanusi has courted a fair bit of controversy by targeting the Hindu community in recent months.
He had enraged them over the demolition last month of the Sri Raja Muniswarar Temple in Kuala Kedah, which is believed to be over 50 years old, then rubbed salt into their wounds by telling them not to be “drunk on the toddy of popularity”.
Toddy is an alcoholic beverage made from the sap of palm trees, which is popular among the Indian community, and so Sanusi’s insinuation that Indians get drunk did not go down well.
Sanusi also waged a water war with Penang by threatening to divert raw water supply from Sungai Muda.
Kedah Menteri Besar Mohammad Sanusi Md Nor
