Umno warned to keep off Muslim cemetery issue

Umno's handling of the burial ground issue smacks of ‘treachery and hypocrisy", say residents of the Muslim populated district of Jelutong, Penang.

Residents have warned Umno not to interfere in issues concerning the burial ground around Jelutong as the party itself should be ashamed for failing to resolve the problem when it was in the state government.

Jelutong mosque qaryah committee chairperson Mohamed Yusoff Mohamed Noor said that Penang Umno youth chief Norman Zahalan's demand for state executive committee chairperson in charge of religion ,Abdul Malik Abdul Kassim, to quit his post smacked of "treachery and hypocrisy".

"Barisan Nasional should feel ashamed that it had failed to resolve this 12- year- old problem of the Muslim Malays here while it had the power to do so under the state government (then ruled by the BN)," said Mohamed Yusoff, who is also Jelutong PAS deputy chief.

"Umno and the BN's cynical manner in dealing with this issue proves to us that they are not a party struggling for the rakyat, instead they are only interested in protecting the interests of a few cronies," he added, at a press conference in Jelutong today.

Look into own mirror

Mohammed Yusoff was responding to Penang Umno Youth's call for Abdul Malik, who is also state Domestic Trade, Consumer Affairs and Religious Affairs committee chairperson ,to step down over the limited space problem at Muslim burial grounds.

The party had also expressed dissatisfaction with Abdul Malik's handling of the controversy over the recent Maulidur Rasul annual parade besides the under-performance of the enforcement unit.

Norman (right) had said Abdul Malik should either resign or transfer the religious affairs portfolio to a cleric.

Meanwhile, NGO Pertubuhan Insan Mulia initiated by controversial former PKR women chief Aminah Abdullah, urged religious council officials to resign over their so-called inability to resolve the Muslim Malay problems in the state.

In a related development, another resident Malik Faisal Abdul Rahim, urged Penang Umno to look at its own backyard before raising issues such as the crowded space in Muslim cemeteries.

Malik Faisal, who is an Umno member from Kampung Paya, said that Norman should explain why 17 Umno branches in Penang were suspended about three years ago, instead of asking Abdul Malik to quit his post.

 Issue being resolved

"Umno should really try to resolve their own problems first instead of interfering in this burial ground issue as this is something we residents can handle, " he told Malaysiakini, when met at Jelutong.

"We have lived here for many years and the issue of burial grounds are beginning to be resolved by the state, so we should let it be," he added.

About 2,000 burial plots are located at the cemetery, which has become overcrowded because of the rise in the Muslim population from 14,000 in 1996 to 22,000 in 2010.

The Jelutong cemetery is one one of three in the northeast district on the island. The others are in Jalan Perak and Gelugor.

It is learnt that the state government is interested in acquiring the adjoining land for the mosque and that an announcement would be made soon.