LFL slams Kedah MB’s ‘heavy-handed’ defence of temple demolition

 

LFL says the Sri Madurai Veeran shrine in Alor Setar, Kedah, demolished in July, was built legally during the colonial era.

PETALING JAYA: Rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has slammed Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Nor for his “heavy-handed” and “unacceptable” defence of the demolition of a Hindu temple in Alor Setar.

LFL adviser N Surendran said Sanusi had previously ignored how the Sri Madurai Veeran shrine demolished in July was built during the colonial era and so was not illegally built at the time.

He said insinuating that devotees had deliberately built the temple on land that did not belong to them was a misrepresentation of facts.

“The situation of the demolished temple sums up the whole fraught problem of temple demolitions in Malaysia, in which temples originally built with permission during the colonial era were rendered ‘illegal’ by subsequent land sales or transfers decades later,” Surendran said in a statement today.

“The approach taken by the Kedah government in this case as well as the authorities generally, in hiding behind the ‘illegality’ of the temple structure, betrays insensitivity or ignorance of the religious sentiments of worshippers.

“A temple structure cannot be treated like any other building. It carries a religious and social value of great significance to the devotees who attend it as well as the larger Hindu community in the area.”

On Tuesday, the Alor Setar City Council demolished the Sri Raja Muniswarar Temple at Taman Bersatu, Kuala Kedah, which is said to be over 50 years old.

Sanusi said places of worship must be built with prior permission from the local government, adding that MIC should be banned if it incites people to break the law.

Surendran also took Sanusi to task for his remarks on MIC, telling him that freedom of speech is guaranteed under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

He said state governments must be ready to accept and respond rationally to public criticism rather than making threats as they are elected by the people.

“We urge the Kedah government as well as other authorities in Malaysia dealing with disputes on temples to treat the matter with care, sensitivity and understanding of the circumstances and contexts in which the temples were erected.

“The authorities must engage all stakeholders and intermediaries to ensure amicable resolutions and avoid at all costs forced demolitions of places of worship,” he said. - FMT