ACTION must be taken against the management of the restaurant which had terminated an employee for wearing a cross, said M Kulasegaran.

The former human resources minister said there are provisions in the Employment Act to deal with such dismissals.

“Has the government taken any action on this? Because as far as I remember, there is a specific provision in the Employment Act for the government to act on.”

“The government should take action as soon as possible,” he said.

The Ipoh Barat member of parliament said this while debating the Budget 2024 allocation for the Human Resources Ministry at the committee stage.

Kulasegaran said if nothing was done it could lead to other larger religious and racial issues.

“If no immediate action is taken, what if an employee puts sacred white ash on their foreheads.

“That could be seen as a potential issue for employers, can that be grounds for termination? What is the government’s stance on this,” he asked while referring to the holy ash that Hindus spread on their forehead as part of their prayer ritual.

“Not only that. Maybe one day workers won’t even be allowed to wear their cultural outfits like the saree,” he said.

On Sunday, the Chinese Muslim restaurant in Kuala Lumpur came under fire from social media users for terminating an employee after a video went viral depicting a staff member with a songkok wearing a necklace with a cross.

Kula’s DAP Kuching counterpart Dr Kelvin Yi, described the sacking as being ‘highly discriminatory, against the law, and a challenge to the freedom of religion in the country’.

According to Dr Yii, there is no legal basis on preventing non-Muslims from preparing halal food when all the strict requirements and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being adhered to.

“The restaurant should have simply released a statement assuring the public that all guidelines on halal food preparation were being strictly adhered to.

“There’s no need to resort to sacking an honest worker who is simply exercising his right to express his faith,” said the parliamentarian in a statement this morning. –  November 21, 2023.