I am appalled at the news regarding the eviction of civil servants from government housing due to syariah offences such as khalwat .

That this drastic form of moral policing has already been underway for the past eight months, is an additional shock. Under whose authority and law does the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) operate to enable them to order the eviction of civil servants and their families from their homes?

How can the government allow this to happen? If punishment is meted out to the individual offender utilising existing syariah laws, I understand and can respect that this is based on a legal framework which exists in Malaysia.

If the same person undergoes disciplinary action under the General Orders of the civil service, it is also understandable. But when people are evicted from their homes under the order of the religious department, under what law and regulation does the Jawi operate? If there is such a law or regulation, I call upon JAWI and the Public Service Department to make it public.

Enough is enough. It is time that the religious departments, both federal and state, are also answerable, transparent and accountable to the public on such issues. Of late, there has been too much moral policing activity which has been cloaked under the cover of religious and moral reasons which are often subjective and open to abuse.

Let us not be naive. There have been documented incidences of bribery and extortion by religious officials during khalwat raids. This will only increase as a result of this measure as suddenly losing your government housing becomes a possibility.

Where are the guidelines for such enforcement and punitive actions? Who is the religious department answerable to? We must put a stop to these actions as it is progressing towards a form of tyranny.

I ask Che Mat Che Ali, head of the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department, to answer these questions and to also ask himself whether evicting people and their families out of their homes as part of moral policing is something Jawi should be proud of and should be doing? I say no.