Interfaith group wants PM to explain 'clean up' order on worship sites

 

An inter-religious group has expressed alarm over Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent directive instructing local authorities to “clean up” areas where houses of worship are built without approval.

In a statement today, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) warned that the premier’s statement was too general and could be interpreted as applying to all places of worship indiscriminately.

The group called on the premier to clarify whether the directive applies to places of worship that existed pre-independence, arguing that categorising decades-old places of worship as “illegal” under current laws would be arbitrary and unjust.

“It has been said many times and is repeated here that during the colonial era, the British allowed temples and other places of worship to be built in rubber estates and tin mining areas.

“This was before Malaya gained independence in 1957, and at this time, there were no local councils nor was there the National Land Code, which was only passed in 1965,” the group said.

The group warned that ambiguous statements could embolden individuals to stir racial and religious tensions by agitating for the demolition of non-Muslim houses of worship.

Earlier this week, Anwar issued a strongly worded statement in light of the ongoing dispute over houses of worship deemed to be occupying land illegally, stressing that everything must follow the rule of law.

Anwar said that while the Federal Constitution recognises the right to practise religion, it does not mean the government can allow houses of worship to be built in violation of the law.

He also said that local councils have been ordered to demolish any houses of worship that were built illegally.

Remove bureaucratic roadblocks

The MCCBCHST questioned whether the government remains committed to the policy of not demolishing longstanding sites, which was introduced in Selangor in 2008.

It said the guidelines - approved by the then Pakatan Rakyat government - allowed houses of worship that were more than 100 years old to remain. Newer temples built before 2008 are allowed to remain until relocated to suitable sites.

The interfaith council also pointed out that many longstanding places of worship had applied to state land authorities for formal land allocation, with some submitting repeated applications that were rejected.

“Thus, the state governments are partly responsible for this problem, and they should review their restrictive policies and allocate land in a just and equitable manner to non-Muslim places of worship, too.

“This will substantially reduce the building of places of worship without approval,” it added. - Mkini