Be more sensitive in dealing with people, Mara told

May 3, 2014

SIBU: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) has been urged to be more sensitive in its approach in dealing with people as Malaysia is a multi-racial country of different faiths.

Assistant Minister of Youth Development and Asajaya assemblyman Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said yesterday any improper and insensitive actions would not be facilitating the 1Malaysia agenda of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“I am surprised that Mara interviewers were asking Islamic religious questions for scholarship interviewees without counter checking the background of those they were interviewing.

“Mara should be more sensitive in its approach and know that Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country,” he told The Borneo Post.

Abdul Karim was referring to a recent incident, where a straight As student, Nigel Unchat Jeremaiah, claimed that he had participated in an ‘open question-and-answer session’, which touched on Islamic religious subjects.

Nigel was further reported to have claimed that candidates were asked on Islamic matters such as their understanding and opinion on the Hudud law, ‘rukun Solat’ and ‘adat menziarah jenazah’ among others.

Abdul Karim said he was unsure whether those religious questions were standard and mandatory interview questions and if they were, he felt sorry for Mara.

“I can understand if these questions are asked on students pursuing Islamic studies but asking a non-Muslim student the tenets of Islam is just being unfair and improper.

“Mara chairman should answer this and reprimand officers who gave these directives,” asserted the PBB supreme council member.

Abdul Karim added what their (Mara) officers were doing was improper, insensitive and should not have come from an organisation like Mara.

“Surely, it is not helping Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in his 1Malaysia agenda,” he said.

Earlier, Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing had raised concern over the manner in which

non-Muslim candidates were asked to answer Islamic-based questions when being interviewed for their Mara scholarships.

Meanwhile, PRS Women chief Senator Datuk Doris Brodie had also said it was not right for non-Muslim interviewees for Mara scholarships to be subjected to answering questions on Islamic matters.

She said by asking them about ‘rukun solat, ‘adat menziarahi jenazah’, ‘hukum hudud’ and other Islamic matters which they might not know would give the impression that the scholarship award system was manipulated to benefit certain quarters besides being insensitive to their feelings.