PUTRAJAYA: The clearing of any illegal temples on private or state land must be carried out with the local authorities, and not by private citizens, said Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The government spokesman says the recent statement by the Selangor National Security Council (NSC) on measures to address encroachment and the construction of places of worship without approval was raised at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Friday (Feb 13).
“If it involves private or state land, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed that the process of taking action should not be done alone by individuals, but together with local authorities.
“Therefore, the Cabinet welcomed the Selangor Mentri Besar statement regarding the coordination process, especially at the local authorities level to manage this issue better,” said Fahmi during his weekly press conference on Friday (Feb 13).
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is investigating a “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” (CIB) that is attempting to fan racial flames over the matter.
CIB refers to a manipulative communication tactic using a mix of fake, authentic and duplicated social media accounts.
As of 10am on Friday (Feb 13), Fahmi said the MCMC identified over 40 Facebook and 10 TikTok accounts involved in sharing a fake news article on Facebook.
“Any attempts to incite racial sentiments will not be tolerated and the authorities will take action,” said Fahmi.
Fahmi also said the MCMC has identified 19 fake accounts believed to be involved in a CIB by making certain comments during live Parliamentary proceedings.
“Two of which were fake accounts and investigations are ongoing for the remaining 17 accounts,” added Fahmi.
On Thursday (Feb 12), the police arrested four men for the alleged trespassing on and demolition of an illegal temple in Rawang, Selangor, following a complaint from a local resident.
The police said parts of the temple were demolished without prior notice or discussion with the local authorities.
In a statement on Thursday (Feb 13), Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the police are currently probing the Rawang incident, as the incident had triggered public concerns.
Amirudin said among steps that landowners can take in cases of encroachment is to lodge a police report to enable investigations to be carried out and for prosecution proceedings to begin if the offence can be proven.
Notices will then be issued to the encroachers and the case will be formally notified to the District and Land Office.
The District Security Committee, chaired by the district officer, will act as a mediator by calling all stakeholders including the landowner, the management of the place of worship, the police and local authorities to seek a reasonable solution.
If no consensus is reached, the District Security Committee will advise the landowner to take legal action.
“This approach is adopted so the entire process involves local authorities, thereby preventing any incidents that could trigger a riot,” added Amirudin in the statement.
