KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Minister Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar has explained that Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) officers are only placed in certain government departments and agencies to organise religious programmes.
The minister in charge of religious affairs said those officers are not involved in policymaking, after backlash from an interfaith group over the matter.
“It is not true ... You may check Jakim’s statement dated August 7, where we explained about this issue previously,” he was quoted saying by The Star.
Jakim had in August denied that the Anwar administration has directed for Jakim officers to be placed in government departments, in response to remarks made in a podcast with activists Siti Kasim and Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.
It said the deployment of Jakim Islamic Affairs Officers began in 1982 as attachés in London and Indonesia.
Subsequently, they were placed in the Department of Agriculture, the Prison Department, the Department of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Security Council, and several other government agencies.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) raised concerns over plans to place officers from Jakim in every government departments.
The group said that placing Jakim officers to ensure that government policies are in line with Islamic principles may contravene the Federal Constitution as the country’ supreme law.
It had cited a report in the Daily Express dated August 13, 2024, where Sabah’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Vice-President David Ong expressed concerns regarding this matter.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had in June urged for Jakim's role to be expanded, and for it to be included in policymaking.
