Umno/BN or Pakatan: No difference to M'sian Indians

The latest incident involving the demolition of a place of worship in Glenmarie, Shah Alam (a former rubber plantation estate) last month, is clearly another sad episode for Malaysian Indian worshippers.
Nothing really changes does it? Then it was Umno now it is Pakatan.

Please observe these three videos and see how incoherent Pakatan has become as they contradict themselves. http://youtu.be/hXhgtdr-AJg, http://youtu.be/pcu-5k9NxhM, http://youtu.be/4TVqqU9F00o .

As far as public knowledge is concerned, at least four other places of Hindu worshippers had been either demolished or defiled since GE12 in Selangor.

Now, let's look at history. The majority of indentured Indians labourers were brought by the British to tap rubber in their plantation and they created communities with schools, temples and recreational activities.

The landscape began to change after the infamous Dr Mahathir Mohamad came into power as prime minister, in his role as "Bapa Pemodenan".

His modernisation was welcomed but the Malaysian Indians faced the brunt of it as traditional estates made way for projects by the government and private sector without a safety net for the poor and marginalised Malaysian Indians.

In contrast if you look at the Malays, the political system and policies ensured their wellbeing.

The demolition of place of worship for the Malaysian Indians mushroomed in the Nineties and accelerated in last 10 years.
This has gone unnoticed due to the fact that the caretakers of these temples are mainly the downtrodden, poor, uneducated, ignorant and defenceless citizens of the Indian community within Malaysia.

As everyone knows, the Kg Jawa temple demolition in 2007 created such an uproar that it became the catalyst for Pakatan Rakyat to at least capture four states in the GE12 with the assistance of Hindraf.

Now back let's see what the law states, be it a temple, or a shrine.

In summary - Act 574, Penal Code, Chapter XV: Offences relating to religion injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class.

295. Whoever destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship, or any object held sacred by any class of persons, with the intention of thereby insulting the religion of any class of persons, or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction, damage or defilement as an insult to their religion, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both. Also look at 298 as an extension.

I must say that we have decent domestic laws such as above, that protects the community in adherence to Article 8 of the federal constitution.

Let's not look at Umno and their mandores as it's a foregone conclusion how they will react.
But for Pakatan that we elected to change things, to act in similar fashion, is abhorrent.

Look, me or you cannot just state that it is not a temple; it is a shrine or it is just a place to see a datuk for 4D numbers.

If there is a community that holds it as a place of worship bearing the history and culture of its following, don't you think they should be afforded the protection of the law of the land and the benefit of the doubt.

Many have a perception that these lands are encroached upon, which is not true if you look at some of the temples and shrines that are over 100 years old.

The federal, state government may have sold the land for private developers but, isn't it their duty to ensure this segment of the community is provided with alternatives for the purposes of worship rather than sweeping it under the carpet just because only Malaysian Indians are affected?

Can we expect Hindu Sangam Malaysia or The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) to come out and issue a statement?

Do you think much coverage is afforded by mainstream media and opposition based media to raise this issue? Not likely.

As usual it is a Malaysian Indian issue, i.e. the minority, the forgotten society over the last 30 years through policies and silence of the Malaysian community on their predicament.

What more can I say.

A place of worship is the community's last place of solace to unburden their sorrows.
If even this is not available for the marginalised and discriminated Malaysian Indians, within the four states that Pakatan holds, then who do they turn to?

They have placed their faith in Pakatan and it is for Pakatan to buckle up and address their woes for what is fair, and not place politics above the need of the community.

I am sure many brickbats will come with endless justification and trivialise the issue.

Isn't that what we have doing for the last 30 years.
Whenever a Malaysian Indian issue is highlighted, Malaysian Indians always lose out when it fits the agenda for the rest, which includes affluent Malaysian Indians.

Friends, we don't need justification or armchair criticism, but we need to unify and act fairly and equitably towards the community irrespective of our origins and whether it is Umno/BN or Pakatan. - Human Being