KEDAH Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has declared Jan 18 as a holiday for Thaipusam in the state next year.
It was the same Sanusi who cancelled this year’s Thaipusam holiday due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Thaipusam was not celebrated by the Hindus due to the pandemic this year, there was no reason whatsoever for Kedah to cancel the holiday.
Thaipusam is not a gazetted holiday in Kedah, but the state executive council must give its approval annually.
But why was Thaipusam not gazetted as a public holiday in Kedah? It seems strange, as other states have already done this a long time back.
Sanusi was condemned for cancellation of this year’s Thaipusam because he was seen as a racist and religious extremist.
It was not just the cancellation of the Thaipusam holiday, but the demolition of two historic Hindu temples in Kedah, one in Alor Setar and the other in Kulim, within a matter of months.
Putting all these actions together against the Indian community, Sanusi came to be seen as intolerant person.
The temple in Alor Setar was built more than a hundred years ago during the British colonial period by the Indian railway workers.
This was the reason why the temple – which was essentially a shrine – was placed under a magnificent tree near the present railway station.
It was demolished in the early of the morning by the irresponsible Alor Setar city council authorities to make way for a motorcycle parking lot.
How the authorities could destroy a Hindu temple to make way for a mere motorcycle parking lot is beyond me.
To make things worse, an alternative site for the temple was not given.
Similarly, the more-than-60-years-old Hindu temple in Kulim was destroyed on grounds of its illegality without the benefit of an alternative land.
There is a fear more Hindu temples on private and state lands might meet the similar fate of the two temples mentioned.
Under the present PAS state government, the future of the Hindus remains uncertain.
Good sense or fear of God must have prevailed for Sanusi to allow for Thaipusam holiday next year.
The Hindus in the state might be happy, but I am not sure they are willing to appreciate or forgive Sanusi.
They see evil in him.
But there is a very small section of Indians in PAS who might be eternally grateful to Sanusi and to PAS that has nothing but contempt and total disregard for non-Muslims.
It is not necessary for the Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) to see Sanusi through the backdoor.
Its leaders might even want to take credit for “influencing” Sanusi to allow for the Thaipusam holiday.
Such is the sad state of affairs of MHS and many other Hindu organisations for not defending the rights of Hindus in the country.
But unfortunately, they have all the time in the world to interfere and discredit the curriculum in Tamil schools with their particularities on religion.
It is not the time to divide the community but to defend it against racists, religious bigots and those masquerading as wolves in sheep’s clothing. – Dec 16, 2021
Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
