KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has raised concerns over plans to place officers from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) in every government department.

According to a report in the Daily Express dated August 13, 2024, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Vice-President David Ong also expressed concerns regarding these reports.

The MCCBCHST fears that this move could potentially violate Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution, which states that “Islam is the religion of the Federation”, the MCCBCHST wrote in a statement today.

“This move has the potential to affect the constitutional safeguards provided in the Constitution including the Fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 5 to 13, which also form the basic structure of the Constitution,” it added.