LETTER | PM’s faux pas on temple issue unhelpful
Koo Wee Hon
Published: Mar 22, 2025 11:59 AM
Updated: 2:59 PM
LETTER | The Hindu temple mêlée could have been avoided or at least, not broiled into a tense melodrama.
Places of worship are a sacred cow to many whether they are pious or not. It has become more acute in these days of individualism and tribalism.
The prime minister agreeing to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony is a faux pas and has retarded the Madani principles.
With a bit of due diligence, some legwork and consciousness by the PM’s staff, they could have foreseen this likely be a contentious issue before agreeing to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony for the mosque.
After all, the temple is in the middle of KL, set amongst an area known as Little India and a mosque was to be built in its place.
Surely, an alert and sensitive person would have sensed the metaphoric alarm bells and flashing lights.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
The temple is not in some far-flung rural area and is easily accessible from the seat of government.
Agreeing to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony, however symbolic it is, somewhat shows callousness and disregard for the situation.
These days, our nation sadly lives in a tinderbox where racial and religious issues are played up, creating division.
Now we have a melodrama which, even if it is resolved amicably, has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth and a memory which will surface when a new race and religious issue arises.
Let us hope this incident has set off a cautionary note for the government and its staff to be sensitive, diligent, and responsible where race and religion are concerned.
For the sake of our nation and its people, this error and poor judgment must not be repeated.
The temple is not in some far-flung rural area and is easily accessible from the seat of government.
Agreeing to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony, however symbolic it is, somewhat shows callousness and disregard for the situation.
These days, our nation sadly lives in a tinderbox where racial and religious issues are played up, creating division.
Now we have a melodrama which, even if it is resolved amicably, has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth and a memory which will surface when a new race and religious issue arises.
Let us hope this incident has set off a cautionary note for the government and its staff to be sensitive, diligent, and responsible where race and religion are concerned.
For the sake of our nation and its people, this error and poor judgment must not be repeated.
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