Detractors moot tit-for-tat action after activist urges Hindus to lodge nationwide police report against “extremists”

 

THE issue of unauthorised temple structures in the country is as expected a highly emotive topic.

Next to issues surrounding the education system and the use of national language, this is the current hot topic among citizens at kopitiams and in social media forums. Discussions are complex, heated and often descend into racial and religious invective.

Making things worse is when certain parties seek to turn up the temperature even more with provocative statements. Latest in line is Hindu activist Arun Dorasamy who had called upon the Indian community to lodge police reports en masse as a show of protest over the issue, in particular the referencing of these temples as “illegal temples”.

This “protest” was at the behest of  the Hindu Temple Task Force apparently “against individuals with extremist elements who were found to be trying to divide the unity of society and threaten the harmony and security of the Malaysian nation”.

The lawyer listed the police stations nationwide where concerned citizens are urged to gather to lodge their police reports today (Jan 26) at 11.30am.

There are no reports, traditional news portals or social media, indicating the turnout but what is certain that this call for action had raised the temperature even further judging from the heated comments on the legal eagle’s Facebook page.

The post has generated 5K comments, 3.7 comments and 182 shares indicating that this controversial issue has caused plenty of consternation on both sides of the fence.

Plenty of Malaysians had their say on this highly flammable situation. To start with, many commenters displayed their disgruntlement at the poster’s call to lodge police reports over these so-called “extremist elements”.

Some believed that similar reports should be lodged over temples occupying private or government land.

One urged protestors and activists on the other side of the fence to respond in kind by lodging police reports themselves regarding houses of worship that are perceived to be illegally erected. Another argued that police reports should be made against these “Hindu extremists”.

However, a question was raised about the police could do in this situation. It was pointed out that the authorities had little power to act except when there is relevant court order but that viewpoint, too, was disputed.

Of course, ugly racist invective was aplenty with one commenter urging landowners to take matters into their own hands. Another asked that landowners demand for rental due from these temples that are perceived to be illegally squatting.

One commenter gave a lengthy response to the Hindu Task Force’s call for action, stating that the entire episode exposes serious flaws in the government.

It was argued that it was disingenuous to make the narrative about “extremist individuals” when in fact, greater scrutiny was needed over the administrative system that allowed the scenario to escalate.

It was succinctly pointed out that while there was a need to respect religious sensitivities, it was also imperative that rights of landowners be similarly respected.

It has further been contended that many of the temples were built with explicit permission of previous landowners, specifically colonial-owned plantation estates that allowed for these temples to be erected for the benefit of estate labourers.

It is a chicken-and-egg issue which threatens to blow up every so often, raising uncomfortable issues surrounding legitimacy of these houses of worship.

A viable long-term solution needs to be in place or at the very least, discussions on how to tackle it amicably must be held lest insidious parties keep using this issue to create deep schisms in the society. ‒   Focus Malaysia