KUALA LUMPUR: The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar will meet with the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism (MCCBCHST) this Friday.
Free Malaysia Today reported that the meeting was to discuss issues surrounding the placement of Islamic Development Department (Jakim) officers in ministries and government agencies, which the body objected to.
"I am proposing to discuss with MCCBCHST this Friday, maybe around 3pm," he told the online portal.
Yesterday, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil clarified that Jakim officers have not been seconded to other agencies for policymaking.
He said the placement of Jakim officers had been misunderstood, and said they were there to oversee the integrity and spiritual well-being of civil servants, a practice that had been introduced in 2006.
Fahmi added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had directed National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang and Mohd Na'im to meet with MCCBCHST soon.
On Monday, MCCBCHST expressed concerns that Jakim's involvement in the public sphere could be unconstitutional, as it might infringe upon the rights guaranteed to all Malaysians.
The group said it supported Islam's constitutional position as the religion of the federation, but believed that having Jakim officers vetting government policies to ensure they aligned with Islamic principles might be an overreach.