PENANG has called for more inter-faith dialogues and peace initiatives to help foster greater relations between the people of different faiths in the country.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said such initiatives are necessary as multi-racialism has formed the foundation of this nation for years and efforts must be made to preserve this.
“Also, there are frequent reports of certain unscrupulous parties trying to stir sentiments among the people which could result in untoward incidents,” he said after opening the international interfaith peace conference at the Bahang Bay resort.
Chow said the situation was made worse with social media.
“The best medium to counter it, is to organise as many peace conferences or dialogues as possible,” he said.
This was the first time the conference, organised by the Allied Coordinating Council of Islamic nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) Malaysia (ACCIN), was held outside of the Klang Valley. This is the fourth edition of its kind in the country.
Chow said that Penang was an ideal platform to host such dialogues and other forms of mediation efforts due to the high concentration of civil society and human rights advocates.
It is also home to several multinational enterprises and one of the major cosmopolitan centres outside of the Klang Valley enclave.
ACCIN chief executive officer and conference chairman Mohd Jamaludin Shamsudin spoke on the importance in such dialogues, especially with the world teething on more conflicts.
His Eminence Roman Catholic Cardinal Datuk Seri Sebastian Francis urged for more of such conferences to be held as it can help foster stronger ties and a greater understanding among the people.
