KUCHING: Will the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur become the next object of dispute in the wake of arguments to demolish Langkawi's iconic eagle statue?
That was the question raised by Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing over the issue.
In a statement today, Masing said the eagle statue and other monuments or iconic landmarks should be only be perceived as symbols of pride, admiration and appreciation rather than objects of worship.
He quipped that full-bodied statues are being seen as objects of pagan worship.
“This belief brings us to more interesting artifacts and statutes, which is the Tugu Peringatan, where full-bodied statutes of fallen soldiers holding the Malaysian flag symbolises the nation's independence.
"These statutes have became a symbol of pride, adoration and "worship" to a certain extent by Malaysians.
"Are we going to demolish these statutes too?" asked Masing.
He was referring to a report quoting Perak deputy mufti Zamri Hashim as saying that Langkawi’s eagle statue as a landmark was “haram” (forbidden) in Islam as it resembled a real living bird and should thus be demolished.
Zamri, in a later report, clarified he had never referred to the iconic eagle statue or the National Monument when he commented on the proscription against monuments featuring living creatures.