Based on a report by Malaysiakini, I blogged on the torments suffered by residents of Kampung Rimba Jaya in Padang Jawa, near Shah Alam in What lies behind City Hall's brutalities?
Personally I didn’t see it as an act against Hindu temples per se because a surau was also demolished, which has been why I titled the post hinting at what could have been a crony-ish commercial connivance.
Visitor kittykat46 provided a response that tallied with my suspicion, while visitor Sweet Nemesis raised an important legal question, that since the temple was built a century ago, 50 years before there was even a Constitution of Malaya (let alone Malaysia), “it could not have been built illegally as building laws pertaining to such had not yet been enacted.” She concluded, and correctly if I may say so, that it’s our authorities that have decided now to render it illegal.
The significance of her observation is that there is no due legal process, not that we aren’t aware of that missing but vital element of democratic process.
It’s the local Raja (ampun Wang-ku) who decides whether a probably lawful construction like the 100-year old Hindu temple should be demolished (without further legal investigation and lawful determination) or whether an irrefutably illegal construction like a Port Klang palace of an UMNO little Napoleon should stay untouched (and subsequently made legal through fishy fiddlestick fiat).
Please read my November 2006 posting Tragic religious intolerance where the catch phrase summing up the double standards was:
"Rumah besar tak berani, Rumah tokong tak peduli".
Mind you, sometimes the over-enthusiastic, over-gleeful, overzealous actions of the local City Hall enforcement officers in smashing up Hindu and Taoist temples do give rise to perceptions of extreme religious fervour, not unlike those biblical Hebrew priests, who wrote:
“You shall have no other gods before me” – Exodus 20:3 & Deuteronomy 5:7
... and their Quranic equivalent:
“There is no other god besides God” – Sura 47:19
For an example of over-enthusiastic, over-gleeful, overzealous actions of the local City Hall enforcement officers in smashing up a Hindu temple do read my March 2006’s post DBKL staff armed with WMD - Legal?
Here’s another century old - Hindu Temple in KL Smashed! which I posted in April 2006.
Also do read the views of a very special lady which I posted before I had the privilege of knowing her through blogging - Marina Mahathir Concerns over Eroding Rights
Today I read Malaysiakini telling us that Indian group forum stopped by police.
It seems that the around 300 policemen cordoned off a temple in Banting, Selangor which was to be the venue of a forum organised by Hindu Action Rights Force (Hindraf). The mata-mata were believed to be reinforced by three FRU trucks and numerous other police vehicles including two helicopters.
Malaysiakini said Hindraf legal advisor P Uthayakumar complained that the police had earlier rejected the application for a police permit to hold the event. An appeal was filed but as to be expected, to no avail.
The aborted forum was to discuss the theme '50 years of marginalisation and discrimination of Indians'. Similar forums were previously held in Semenyih, Teluk Intan, Seremban, Klang, Sungai Petani, Butterworth, Kluang, Chaa and Port Dickson as part of Hindraf’s nationwide roadshow. But this has been the first time police interfered in the forum proceedings.
Kaytee believes Samy Vellu, Kayveas and those Gerakan Party’s Indian senators were not around due to inclement ‘weather’, which we all know to be an act of God (the Hindu one?).
KTemoc,
ReplyDeleteSri Lanka 1948 to 1973 was the exact same scenario. The Government, sponsored terorism, they used government machinary to terrorise the Tamil people.
The police and army would destroy property and incite racial hatred and the government maintained it's "elegant silence" and divorced itself from all what was going on.
Velupillai Prabhakaran the Tamil youth then formed the LTTE, they talked and talked, send petitions after petitions, meetings after meetings, pleads after pleads, marched in protest and finally took up arms to protect his people.
Now the same scenario in Malaysia. Inciting people by Government Ministers , raising the Kris and threatening to soak it in blood, making seditious statements in Parliament and go off with a tap on the wrist, confiscating Hindu bodies at funerals, threatening to take action against Hindu mothers if they propagate Hinduism to their young children who had been converted by their fathers.
And Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi maintains his " elegant silence".
The rakyat feel short changed. Community leaders are more concerned about their own future in the Government.
If the Government prefers to be a by stander and watch all this atrocities being committed then one has to conclude that the authorities are acting on the instructions of the Government.
Please dont make Malaysia another Sri Lanka.
Are are witnessing the beginning of the end?
ReplyDeleteWe are seeing more and more religious strife, bigotry, and arrogant displays of misguided superiority.
All this disunity is the result of BN politics.
The man in the street has all along been tolerant of other races and religions, but things are now changing.
Are racial riots just around the corner?
It is certainly not a pleasant prospect, but the antics of UMNO in particular and BN in general are definitely adding fuel to the sparking embers.
Are the citizens of this nation going to idly sit around and watch their beloved country disintegrate?
Let's hope they do not.
KT wrote:
ReplyDelete------------
... those biblical Hebrew priests, who wrote:
“You shall have no other gods before me” – Exodus 20:3 & Deuteronomy 5:7
... and their Quranic equivalent:
“There is no other god besides God” – Sura 47:19
-------------
KT, I do enjoy much of your writing, though I am perturbed by your subtle hatred for the Jews. Perhaps, they might have sinned against you personally.
In any case, this is not the point of this comment. I have no special sympathy for the Jews. In fact I believe their RE-existence as a separate political nation is contrary to the purpose of the God of the Hebrews, and is cursed, and is a [sic] source of much miseries in the Middle-East.
It is about your putting two quotes above side by side and declared that they are EQUIVALENT. If you are thinking at all, they are different as can be.
I have noted that you are consistently mistaken when quoting Hebrew Scriptures for your own purpose. In this context, I believe you are inflicted with a common disease known as SOUND-BYTE-ITIS. You go by the SOUND-BYTE of a statement, and not the SENSE of it. And this affliction is most glaring from your putting of the two quotes above together and declaring them to be equivalent.
I believe the first statement is addressed to a very particular people in a very specific context by. It is a statement by the covenant God of Abraham addressed to the Hebrews, the descendants of Abraham whom God had delivered from slavery, oppression and destruction in Egypt. He had brought them out of the house of death in Egypt with His mighty hand. At the foot of Mt Sinai, God was constituting into a theocratic nation the Hebrews whom He had delivered, and adopted to be His own people for a specific purpose. That statement properly understood in its content and specific intent, is perfectly right and just. The Hebrews should have no other gods but the God who alone saved them and owned them.
That statement by the God of the Hebrews, no matter how you read it, DOES NOT imply in any way that the non-Hebrews are deprived of their right and freedom of conscience to have all the gods they want to have. There is no infringement of the right and freedom of religion upon others. I believe that's is obvious and without dispute.
The statement from the Quran, supposedly declared by the God [Allah] of Prophet Mohammad is quite different. I have just read Surah 47. A fuller quotation would be, "Know, therefore, that there is no god but God [Allah]..."
First, it is quite obvious that this is a general declaration by a man to fellow men.
It doesn't take a great mind to understand the grave implications of this GENERAL and UNIVERSAL DECLARATION made by a Muslim that categorically denies the gods of the non-Muslims.
The Muslims don't see this declaration as a specific statement addressed to them particularly, and therefore applies to them only. They see the declaration as not the only the basis to deny and deprive other men of their religion, but also their right and prerogative as imposing their religion upon others. All tooooooooooooooo familiar, especially when they are aided by state power.
Imagine Johnny saying to a group of orphans that he has delivered from slavery and oppression and destruction, and adopted as children, 'You shall have no other father before me.' This statement of John has specific and personal reference to a particular group of people. By his statement, John does not in any way deny the fatherhood of other men to other children.
Imagine Kaytee makes a general statement, 'There is no other father beside Father Kaytee.' At best, it is conceited. At worst, it is just a blatant lie.
So also the man who made that statement you quoted from the Quran.
Have a good day, friend.
Miner
"... by your subtle hatred for the Jews. ..."
ReplyDeleteWhere did that come from? What makes you think I hate Jews?
Yes, I do dislike Zionists; in fact I despise some israelis, especilaly those from the Likud/Kadima Party.
But would that constitute hating Jews?
Kay Tea,
ReplyDeleteMy apology for the wrong choice of words. It is good to hear it from the horse's mouth.
It is a relief that the dislike and contempt for those Jews has not reached to level of hatred yet.
We can only perceive as best we can from written words.
Have a good day.
ahahah, a no to "It is a relief that the dislike and contempt for those Jews ..."
ReplyDeletemustn't use the 'generalised' ethnic label of 'Jews' - those Israelis have exploited this word to claim people like me are anti-Semitic ;-)
Cheers