Is it safe to celebrate Thaipusam? Waytha demands KJ’s assurance

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8: Former federal minister Waytha Moorthy has demanded Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to assure Hindus whether celebrating Thaipusam would be safe despite the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus being the latest threat.

“It has been 48 hours since I raised concern via my open letter to PM (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Ismail Sabri but Khairy remains silent. He (Khairy) is a minister for all Malaysians.

“The concern raised by me is serious. Hindus need assurances that the government has placed safety and well-being of Malaysians in mind and have taken the necessary measures to protect devotees expected to throng major Thaipusam festival sites.

“Thus far nothing has been said by the Minister about my letter to the PM and my concern,” the Malaysian Advancement Party president said.

Waytha also noted that there are many returning travelers and Malaysians from countries hit hard by the Omicron spike.

“We need to save lives at all costs and avoid any untoward clusters related to Thaipusam festival.

“It must be borne in mind that hundreds of thousands of devotees use public transportation to travel to and from the festival sites.

“Hence the concern is not only towards Hindu devotees but for all Malaysians.

“All I ask for is for the Minister to provide assurances on the safety measures imposed for the well-being of devotees and all Malaysians,” he added.

Earlier, Waytha had also appealed to Hindus in the country to rethink the way they celebrate Thaipusam this year, citing concerns over the Omicron variant.

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