A three-member committee of ministers has agreed that a case involving the conversion of three Hindu children to Islam without their mother’s consent must be settled quickly and in a spirit of consideration for all the parties involved.
Led by Koh Tsu Koon (right), the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for National Unity and Key Performance Index, the committee made the decision at meeting on April 22, according to a statement issued by Koh’s press secretary Johan Muhd Hulaimi.
The trio also advised the individuals involved and concerned organisations to “remain calm and refrain from making public comments” in order to provide space and opportunity for the matter to be resolved amicably.
Among those present at the meeting were Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) president A Vaithilingam, and MHS Perak leader Vijayalingam, as well as officers from relevant agencies and departments.
At the centre of the matter is M Indira Gandhi, a Hindu, who had complained that her three children had been converted to Islam by her estranged husband without her knowledge.
Her husband Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah, 40, (previously known as K Pathmanathan) had used only their birth certificates for the conversion process, and is now involved in a tussle with her over custody of the children.
Indira had also challenged Prime Minister Najib Razak’s sincerity in promoting his vision of ‘1Malaysia’ in which all citizens have equal rights.
Subsequently, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin set up a committee comprising Koh, Minister of Human Resources S Subramaniam and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs Jamil Khir Baharom to look into the case.
MHS had earlier appealed to the three ministers for a just and fair solution to the case.
Malaysiakini
22/04/09
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