The cabinet today has rebuked the act of certain quarters in playing up racist and extremist sentiments over Chinese New Year decorations at a school in Puchong.

“The cabinet in its meeting today chaired by the prime minister looks seriously upon the action by certain parties who played up racist and religious issues by lodging a police report against Chinese New Year decorations at SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1, Selangor.

“It is not religious and it is not a method of spreading religion,” said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement today.

This comes after Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) vice-president Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz lodged a complaint against the school for its Chinese New Year decorations.

The lawyer had claimed that he received complaints from parents, who felt it was an attempt to propagate non-Islamic beliefs for Muslim students.

The PMO said it is normal to put up decorations for a celebration be it Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and so on, as Malaysia is a multi-cultural country.

“We have to respect each other because differences in customs and cultures among the society is a valuable asset for the country.

“The cabinet does not agree at all with the racist and extremist behaviour of certain parties because it will damage the racial unity in this country,” PMO said.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, along with several other ministers, have since visited the school to present 20 additional red lanterns to them.