“OUR PM (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) is now issuing outlandish statement modelled after Trump (US President Donald Trump)”.
Such was the disgust expressed by a Malaysiakini subscriber after activist Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak – co-organiser of the Gerakan Anti Rumah Anutan Haram (GARAH) – was arrested after demolishing a temple in Rawang Perdana early yesterday (Feb 11) morning.
The given reason – valid or otherwise – was merely to heed the call by PMX to “membersihkan” (clean up) houses of worship built without permission or on land not belonging to them.
The directive issued on Monday (Feb 9) was aimed at enforcement agencies of local authorities to improve urban planning but could have been conveniently misconstrued by the rightist Anti-Illegal Houses of Worship Movement which also featured controversial Muslim convert preacher Zamri Vinod to further flex its muscle.
The latest arrest was Tamim’s second within a week after his two-day remand alongside Zamri Vinoth who is GARAH’s coordinator for showing up at the purported rally which was banned at the eleventh hour presumably as it clashed with the two-day official visit of Indian PM Narendra Modi (Feb 7-8).
Amid the warning by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) that PMX’s call would embolden extremists to act unilaterally to demolish temples, another Malaysiakini subscriber echoed that it was only “a matters of hours” before an untoward incident happened.
“Thus, PM owes an explanation to the people especially to devotees of the temple,” he stressed.
Irked by PMX’s short-sighted directive, one commenter described the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman as Bapa Perpecahan Kaum Malaysia (Father of Malaysian Racial Division) while demanding him to step down while another reminded him that the Rawang incident somehow put Malaysia “at the same level of Bangladesh where temples are demolished”.
Others reckoned that “no credible PM would make a carelessly worded order like that”.
“Rather impetuous, isn’t it, the clean-up order?” berated one subscriber. “It probably was a senior moment slip-up. Until the MPs get their act together, we can expect more such careless high-handedness.”
Another concurred that this is what happened when “leaders toss out sweeping directives without care – one reckless phrase and suddenly vigilantes feel licensed to act”.
“The country spins into disorder and we’re left dealing with the fall-out of sheer stupidity,” he fumed.
Earlier, Selangor state EXCO for Human Resources, Poverty Eradication, Indigenous & Minority Affairs Pappa Raidu Veraman has slammed the incident.
He contended that any issue of encroachment or demolition must go through official channels such as the district and land office or local authorities rather than through individual actions.
“I urge the police to take immediate, professional and transparent action against all parties involved,” he stressed while calling for calm especially among Muslims and Hindus.
“If there’re legal violations, the equipment and machinery used, including the backhoe, should be seized to ensure the investigation proceeds smoothly and to prevent interference with evidence.”– Feb 12, 2026
