PETALING JAYA: The Attorney General should explain why no action has been taken against individuals who have threatened to unilaterally demolish places of worship, says Gobind Singh Deo (pic).
The Digital Minister said such issues are sensitive and could affect public order and harmony.
"Despite numerous police reports lodged, there appeared to be a total lack of follow-up action.
"Issues surrounding places of worship are inherently sensitive and must be handled with the utmost care to preserve public order and harmony," he said in a statement on Monday (March 9).
Gobind, who is also DAP national chairman and Damansara MP, said disputes involving some religious structures had included questions over the status of land they are built on.
He said many states had developed "robust mechanisms" to deal with such cases, with numerous matters resolved peacefully through due process, where the law and the relevant facts determine the outcome.
However, he said there were still quarters threatening to demolish such structures and "taking matters into their own hands", prompting concerns and police reports.
"I have raised this matter in Cabinet on numerous occasions.
"However, the final authority to prosecute rests with the AG," he said, adding that the AG must explain why there had been a slow response and what steps would be taken to address what he described as a "growing perception of inaction."
Gobind's statement comes amid recent police reports linked to alleged threats involving a Hindu temple in Penang.
On March 3, Jelutong MP RSN Rayer lodged a police report over a Facebook post by independent preacher Zamri Vinoth, alleging it contained provocation and a threat to demolish a temple located in front of Hospital Bukit Mertajam, with the incident purportedly planned for March 7.
Zamri later denied calling for any illegal demolition, saying he was urging the government to take action and arguing the issue related to zoning and public access to the hospital.
Separately, on March 4, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim, who is also Bukit Mertajam MP, urged organisers to call off a planned demonstration against a Hindu shrine near the entrance of the Bukit Mertajam Hospital, warning it could inflame tensions.
Similar sensitivities have surfaced elsewhere, including the partial demolition of a temple in Rawang, Selangor in February, which police said was linked to a land dispute and alleged encroachment, not race or religion.
