Many condemn violence at temple

KUALA LUMPUR: Various people and groups have expressed their concern over the violence at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ25.

Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, who is a member of the G25 group of eminent Malays, called for the people to stop linking the incident to racial issues.

“There are some bigots who are trying to stir up racial tension.

“There are a lot of troublemakers who are trying to take advantage by provoking racial riots through their incendiary remarks.

“However, it has already been clarified that the scuffle was not racially inspired,” she said yesterday.

Noor Farida said the matter over the temple relocation could be resolved amicably between the developer and the temple management.

Several Pakatan Harapan MPs demanded that the perpetrators be caught and punished.

“We call for a full and independent inquiry by the police to establish who is behind this serious attack on the temple and the motive for it,” said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy at Parliament House.

He was joined by among others, Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Deputy Rural Development Minister Sivarasa Rasiah.

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism also condemned the incident.

“Such act of violence must never be condoned, a temple is a house of worship and its sanctity must be maintained at all times,” it said.

In George Town, Penang Consultative Goodwill Council secretary Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman said his father and founding prime minister of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj always said unity and cooperation were Malaysia’s “armour and shield”.

“He saw unity and cooperation as Malaysia’s pride and glory.

“Our peace and harmony was something he treasured and so should we all,” he said in reaction to the incident.

“The Malaysian way of life does not include the use of violence to show that you are in control.

“We’re all Malaysians. This is the bond that unites us. Let us always remember that unity and understanding is our fundamental strength.

“Malaysia can show the world that a nation of people from all walks of life can live in peace and harmony,” said Suleiman.

The temple was supposed to have been relocated on Nov 22, and plans to do so have been going on since 2007 after the land the temple was located on, was purchased by One City Development Sdn Bhd.

In 2014, a consent judgment was entered into in court, where One City and two rival camps vying for control of the temple agreed to relocate it to a plot of land 3km away.

One City had also donated RM1.5mil to the temple as part of the settlement agreement.

However, devotees have continued to resist efforts to relocate the temple, which was built in 1891.