Hindu temple & religious co-existence in 99.99% PAS ruled Kelantan -by P.Uthayakumar

HUMAN RIGHTS PARTY (HRP)
NO.6, Jalan Abdullah,
Off Jalan Bangsar,
59000 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Tel: 03-2282 5241
Fax: 03-2282 5245

04th September 2009

Media Statement

RE : Hindu temple & religious co-existence in 99.99% PAS ruled
Kelantan -by P.Uthayakumar

Since a two month old baby right up to my Form five, I was brought up
in Tumpat, Kelantan. As teenagers, we prayed and played at the Sri
Maha Mariaman Hindu Temple in Tumpat, Kelantan which was built by the
then colonial days Railway working class Indians. This Hindu temple is
in a 99.99% Malay Muslim dominated population and ruled by PAS. During
my last visit to this temple two years ago I was told that there are
only two Indian families left in Tumpat. But our Hinldu temple stands
right up to this day on the very main road leading into Tumpat town. I
nostalgically showed my wife and children the Hindu temple which I
grew up with. It is still the history and heritage of Kelantan right
up to this date. This our Hindu temple could now be demolished or
asked to be relocated as it is in a 99.99% Malay Muslim area or to be
moved out of the state of Kelantan as it is in a “Serambi Mekah”
State. I believe it would not even have crossed PAS’ Kelantan Menteri
Besar Nik Aziz’s mind. This is religious co-existence in practice in
99% Malay Muslim PAS ruled Kelantan. The biggest sleeping Buddha in
the world is not in Thailand, Cambodia Sri Lanka or India where
Buddhism originated from but it is in Kg. Neting, Tumpat Kelantan.

In multi racial and multi religious Malaysia it should be religious
coexistence as opposed to religious tolerance. Then we wont get the
case of the UMNO majority and dominant area like in Section 19 and 22
of Shah Alam objecting to hindu temple because it is a Malay Muslim
dominated area and the cow head protest by the religious extremist who
were never arrested on sight and who would never be seriously
prosecuted by the Attorney General in Prime Minister Najib Razak’s One
Malaysia. And so the racism and religious extremism continues in
Malaysia. In fact they had the support of even UMNO’s Home Minister
Hishamuddin Hussein who had justified their actions. To both the UMNO
controlled Federal government and the PKR controlled Selangor state
government and the other P.R ruled West Coast states you both have
something to learn from PAS ruled Kelantan.

By the stroke of the pen vide a circular by Prime Minister Najib
Razak, the PKR Selangor Menteri Besar the other P.R ruled Menteri
Besars and Chief Minister, all existing Hindu temples could be issued
with land titles and gazetted as Hindu temple reserves as is the case
even in the 99% Malay reserve land State of Kelantan. This would put a
stop and a finality to this new, unprecedented and unnecessary racial
and religious division and tension in Malaysian.

Similarly this should also be done for all Hindu crematoriums Tamil
Schools and Indian settlements like Kg. Buah Pala. This would actually
solve half the Indian working class problems once and for all.

But in both the aforesaid UMNO, PKR in Selangor and the other West
coast P.R ruled states, they are merely playing puppet shadow play
(wayang kulit) politics using their Indian “mandores” via the print
and electronic media by empty (kosong) announcements of the odd land
for Hindu Temples, Tamil Schools and Crematoriums here and there and
amplifying them as in the Malay proverb “Ayam telur sebiji rioh
sekampong”. These State governments who wield almost absolute powers
where it concerns their State land also do not issue a State
government letter on the aforesaid odd land that they announce, issue
land titles or gazette these Hindu temples, Tamil schools and Hindu
crematoriums accordingly. Thus the current predicament of the working
class Indians, the latest being in Kg. Buah Pala and Section 19 and
22, Shah Alam which is merely the tip of the iceberg of the Malaysian
Indian working class critical problems.

Only in Malaysia and especially in the name of development, the first
targets are Hindu temples, Hindu crematoriums Tamil schools and the
poor Indian land settlers. We have recorded thousands of such cases.
These problems hardly happens in the Malay, Chinese, Orang Asli, Iban
or Kadazan communities in Malaysia. It happens almost only to the
working class Indians. Why? But BN, PKR, DAP, PAS, NGOs’ and the
Malaysian civil society all proclaim to be “multi-racial and
multi-religious”.

All because the working class Indians have neither the political power
or the economic clout and what follows is there are no takers for
these critical Indian problems by almost all UMNO, PKR, DAP and PAS
(except in Kelantan) NGOs’ and the Malaysian civil society.

Thank you.

Your faithfully,

________________________

P.Uthayakumar

Secretary General (pro-tem)

Human Rights Party (HRP)