PETALING JAYA: Authorities should conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the vandalism of a prayer statue at a temple near the New Pantai Expressway (NPE), says Datuk Seri R. Ramanan (pic).
The Human Resources Minister said the investigation should identify those responsible for the incident and bring them to justice.
“I take the incident seriously at a temple near the NPE Highway in Kuala Lumpur, where a prayer statue at the premises was reportedly vandalised by an unidentified individual,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Oct 8).
Ramanan said any issues concerning the status of the land or the position of a place of worship should be resolved through lawful channels, negotiations and due process.
He said such matters should not be dealt with through provocation, vandalism or actions that could undermine social harmony.
Ramanan said the temple management had taken the initiative to engage with the authorities to seek a resolution concerning the relocation of the premises.
“The process should be given reasonable time and space to be resolved in an orderly manner,” he said.
He also urged all parties not to speculate, accuse individuals or circulate unverified information while the police investigation was ongoing.
“We cannot allow any party to take advantage of the situation to create racial or religious tensions.
“Freedom of religion, respect for places of worship and social harmony are a shared responsibility,” he said.
Ramanan said the priority should be to resolve the issue rather than escalate tensions.
“We want to resolve problems, not add to tensions. We want justice, not provocation. And we want all Malaysians to live in peace, with mutual respect and protected under the law,” he said.
