The PLIGHT of non-Muslims in Malaysia, even in DEATH

The Malay Mail Online report ran a sad, hurting report recently, titled “Even in death, no escape from rising prices”, and the lines read:

‘Land scarcity in the Klang Valley is forcing non-Muslims to bury as many as three of their dead in a single grave at public cemeteries.

‘Called “reburying”, the practice involves interring one body over another several years later, or even cremating the remains of the third and subsequent persons in a family and placing their urns in the same burial plot’ the article clarified.

Indeed it is very sad that while we have all the hills in the country to bulldoze, flatten and recreate whole new sprawling mega structures and even palatial dwellings to the tune of millions of ringgit, the government cannot find enough land to allocate for the dying here.

Quoting an owner of a private Funeral Services parlor, the report said that reburying is gaining such popularity in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya (where it) was experiencing a shortage of space at Christian public cemeteries.

The current two-in-one and three-in-one burials are becoming inevitable for almost all non-muslim families because of spiraling prices too. This “unconventional method of laying one to rest was necessary because of the prohibitively high price private memorial parks now charge, (ranging) anywhere from RM8,000 to RM15,000 per burial plot.”

“The cost of erecting a tombstone could add another RM5,000 or even into the hundreds of thousands, depending on the design and materials used.”

And mind you this does not even include the cost for the actual funeral services rendered by the parlors. Indeed then the very poor because they cannot even afford to bury their dead may have to either leave the bodies in the morgue or beg, borrow and steal to do the last rites.

But what is most hurting and painful is the fact that every Muslim in the country is guaranteed of decent plot – one grave for one dead. The tenets and teachings of Islam are reverently observed and complied with. Land has to be and is allocated to cater for the almost over two-third Muslim population that makes up Malaysia’s 30 million headcount.

As reported in the Malay Mail online article, “Muslims, however, do not appear to face a problem in securing burial plots in public cemeteries.”

It is not an exaggeration then to state that the non-Muslims have graciously accepted the forced need to cremate in view of the absence of new burial plots in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. This they did knowing too well that for centuries they have always buried their loved ones; but not being able to secure their rights to fulfill their obligations for the dead, and to avoid being seen as going against the administration of the country, they meekly accepted their fate.

But when you now see even garbage trucks taking over the space within non-Muslim cemeteries – as seen here in the photo, the pain becomes almost unbearable.

Are we saying that it is all right to convert a space within a cemetery to serve as a bay for garbage trucks?

It is not about fighting against another, but out of logical deduction and within the boundaries of reason, one would ask: would the government allow garbage trucks to be housed within any Muslim cemetery?

Such manifestations certainly will not augur well for a young nation that aspires to be admitted into the league of developed nation status soon.

It certainly cannot sync with the worldwide movement to see greater transparency and manifestations of bringing humanity to a higher pedestal of civilization.

This is not about being racists. This is certainly not about been provocative nor being inconsiderate. It is reality. Unless and until we can have the humility to acknowledge where we are going wrong, integrity, honor and dignity for human kind remains mere talk. - MAILBAG