HANNAH Yeoh’s recently being handed the Federal Territories Ministerial portfolio had been loudly questioned by the opposition, with many expressing concern that Malay rights were being sidelined as important ministerial positions were handed to non-Malay MPs.
It was thus quite a feather in her cap as she smoothly and without fuss handled the highly emotive issue relating to the relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathra Kaliamman Temple, a 130-year-old Hindu place of worship located in the heart of Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur, for the construction of the Madani mosque.
Her Facebook post on the matter generated 7.2K Likes, 4.2K comments and 429 shares, denoting that many Malaysians are keenly following updates of what is a highly emotive issue.
The news was met positively by many citizens, probably keen to see a cooling down of the surrounding rhetoric.
One commenter pointed out that there was need for greater scrutiny on the legality of temples, suggesting the Malaysian Hindu Sangam take the lead.
His observation that he was personally against temples built without permission which drew praise from another who was at pains to stress that it was NOT about temples and religions, but rather illegal structures.
Rather than allowing this issue to frequently crop up every once in a while, it is crucial to start compiling a database with a view to a concerted long-term solution, said a commenter who noted that allowing such issues to continually fester was unhealthy for a multi-cultural society.
Congratulating the 47-year-old on her handling of the issue, another commenter suggested that this be used to set precedence for future incidences. Guidelines on administrative procedures would be useful in avoiding the issue from becoming a recurring political hot potato.
Meanwhile, one commenter made a rather long but useful list of suggestions on how best to tackle this issue long-term.
Though there were still dissenting views, the majority seemed relieved that some amicable and peaceful resolutions seem to have been found, giving the newly-minted minister a well-deserved pat on the back.
This may not be the end of the issue but at the very least it brings an amicable solution to this particular episode.
There will be plenty more issues to test the FT Minister’s mettle but the manner in which this was handled would be a benchmark to how well she would handle future flashpoints. ‒ Focus Malaysia
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