KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, December 24, 2007: In the wake of protests by ethnic Indians over the demolition of Hindu temples in Muslim-majority Malaysia, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has ordered continuous monitoring of all Hindu shrines, a move to assuage the feelings of the community alleging their marginalisation in the country.
The task of monitoring has been given to Works Minister Samy Vellu, who said no temple, whether legal or illegally built, will be demolished without a “thorough check and discussions” with his Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a component of the ruling coalition. The Minister said he would travel to all the states soon to prepare a report on the number of temples in the country and their problems, which will be submitted to the Cabinet. “No temples, either legal or illegally built, will be demolished without a thorough check and discussions with the MIC,” Samy Vellu said. Vellu said also that Badawi had assured of the government’s support in resolving any matters involving temples.
The issue came to the forefront when the nongovernmental organisation Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) organised a massive rally of ethnic Indians on November 25 to protest the alleged marginalisation of the community in the country. One of the issues raised by them was the demolition of temples.
Hindraf is demanding equal treatment for Indians, alleging that an affirmative action programme giving preferential treatment to Muslim Malays is tantamount to racial discrimination. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country with 60 per cent of its 27 million people being Malay Muslims, 25 per cent Chinese and 7.8 per cent ethnic Indians, mostly Hindus from Tamil Nadu.