IT remains to be seen if the end of Ramadan marks an auspicious timing to unveil the four-storey 12,142 sq ft Masjid Madani yesterday (March 27) or if the mosque that can accommodate circa 2,900 worshippers at any one time is a reflection of “maturity, pride and Islamic glory”.
Brushing aside, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claim of the mosque which will soon occupy the present site of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple as a “a win-win victory”, Siti Kasim sees it as “superficial personal victory for the Madani brand” more than anything else.
“PMX’s speech (at the groundbreaking ceremony) is full of self-praising Madani rhetoric even when the issue has sparked intense racial and religious discord (among Muslims and the Hindus),” the human rights activist and lawyer hit out in a YouTube rant.
“The entire issue is handled very badly by the Madani government especially PMX who got his facts totally wrong (from his advisers) in his quest to portray that Madani has reached a win-win settlement when it has only made the situation worse.”
Why not mosque and temple swipe land?
Commenting on the claim by the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council chairman Prof Ramsamy Palanisamy that the temple committee been pressured to relocate some 50 metres from its present site to an alternative 4,000 sq ft land to be gazetted as a permanent site, Siti Kasim opined:
I’m not surprised if the temple has a strong case, hence the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) opted for a settlement but why not just offer the new site to the Masjid Madani which is a more cost-effective measure as the need to demolish and shift the relics doesn’t arise (Jakel Trading Sdn Bhd has volunteered to bear the cost).
Law is not carved in stone or straight forward especially when dealing with building structures that have historical values as in the landmark Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple which dates back to 1893.
If you think you’re going to win the hearts of the Malays by building a mosque while making a Hindu temple to relocate as a defender of Islam, I think you’re absolutely mistaken … The repercussion will show in GE16 (16th General Election).
This certainly strikes the chord as one wonders if there is a divine intervention by main deity Dewi Sri Pathra Kaliamma Amma given when PMX thought that he has rallied Indians back to his vote bank by brokering a relocation settlement for the temple, controversial Muslim convert preacher dropped a stinging bombshell.
Like it or not, the Multiracial Reverted Muslims (MRM) president has intensified the anger among rightist Malay Muslims who were already displeased with the temple “squatting in an illegal site” narrative by claiming that he Madani government offered RM2 mil in compensation as part of the relocation deal.
Baseless or otherwise, not only has this insinuated that PMX has bribed – even kowtow – to the Indian community, Firdaus Wong went a step further to dish out an unvalidated estimation that “the current price of land near Jakel Mall is approximately RM2,500/sq ft x 4,000 sq ft (RM10 mil in total)”.
The latest chain of events has prompted former Malaysian ambassador and political affairs columnist Dennis Ignatius to echo Siti Kasim that a rude surprise awaits PMX and his Madani government in the ballot boxes come GE16.
“As if they could not at least wait till the temple was relocated before breaking ground for the mosque,” he tweeted. “This is a huge insult to minorities. Shows what PMX really thinks of minorities. Can’t wait for GE16!”
As if they could not at least wait till the temple was relocated before breaking ground for the mosque. This is a huge insult to minorities. Shows what PMX really thinks of minorities. Can’t wait for GE16! https://t.co/TGEvfgg5Uc
— DennisIgnatius (@DennisIgnatius) March 27, 2025
Little wonder the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) has stayed out of this ‘over-boiling’ polemic as no matter how hard PMX champions the Malay Muslim cause, the hard truth remains that 80% of the Malay votes will still go to PAS/Bersatu.
Better still, the opposition coalition can even expect some so-called rightist Indians to shower them with ‘charity’ votes now. – Focus Malaysia
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