Dear Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,
I MUST extend my “congratulations” to you for successfully pressuring the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliaman Temple committee into relocating to a nearby site.
Contrary to your claim at the launch of Masjid Madani on March 27, 2025, this relocation was not achieved through genuine consultation.
Instead, it was your earlier threat—that the so-called “illegal” temple must move to make way for the proposed mosque—that set the tone.
This directive guided the Federal Territories Ministry, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), and the Indian sycophants within your government to apply subtle yet effective pressure on the temple committee.
The temple committee, composed of ordinary individuals, lacked the political strength to resist the government’s demands.
Meanwhile, the so-called “Madani Indian” representatives displayed a shameful lack of integrity in allowing the forced relocation of a 130-year-old temple—one that predates any formal land ownership in the area.
The temple was built at a time when the land was unregistered, essentially existing on what was then no man’s land.
It was only after the introduction of the Torrens system of land registration that DBKL acquired the property, eventually selling portions of it, including to Jakel Trading Sdn Bhd.
How could you, as prime minister, so casually dismiss the historical and cultural significance of this temple?
How is it that a 130-year-old place of worship is deemed “illegal” simply because DBKL granted Jakel approval to build a mosque on the same land?
If DBKL had the authority to sell the land, why was the temple never granted legal ownership despite previous applications?
What happened to the MIC representatives in the Federal Territories Ministry—did they ever advocate for a permanent land grant for the temple, or were they too busy playing along with your so-called “amicable solution”?
It is disgraceful that these MIC leaders are now parroting your narrative, portraying the relocation as a fair resolution.
If you truly cared about the sentiments and rights of Hindus in this country, you would have ensured the temple remained on its original site. Instead, you chose to assert your authority by marginalising a vulnerable religious minority.
Your actions send a clear message: you are more interested in proving your strength to the Muslim majority than in safeguarding the rights of non-Malays.
The entire process of “negotiation” was nothing more than a façade—a cover for the underlying coercion applied to the temple committee.
The presence of Indian representatives in this matter was merely an attempt to give the government’s actions a veneer of legitimacy.
Perhaps some will hail this as a political victory, an example of your leadership’s effectiveness but let me be clear: this is a pyrrhic victory.
March 27, 2025, will be remembered as the day you used your authority to humiliate and bully the Indian community into submission.
No self-respecting Indian will forget this betrayal. Indians once placed great hope in you, but you have disappointed them beyond measure. – March 27, 2025
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
