THE newly minted Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh said that re-location of the 130-year-old Dewi Seri Patharakaliamman Temple in Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur is something “unprecedented” in the history of Hindu temples in the country.
She added that the close cooperation of the government, the FT Ministry, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the temple committee and the developer made it possible for the re-location of the temple.
Given the approval of the new re-location site, it will be a matter of time before the temple is moved.
Yeoh used the word “unprecedented” to show that the re-location of the Hindu temple which existed before independence was a fantastic achievement of the Madani government headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
‘Dangerous precedent’
It was Anwar, in an attempt to please majoritarian ethnic and religious forces who termed the existence of the temple on its present site as illegal, thereby paving the way for its forced re-location.
On the matter of re-location, DAP, PKR and MIC leaders worked closely with the government to facilitate the re-location.
Yet these political parties are supposed to represent the Indian community in the country.
Appeasing majoritarian forces has its limits but certainly not to the extent of forcing re-location of a temple.
How could the temple be described as illegal when it has stood for 130 years with all the infrastructural facilities, right in downtown Kuala Lumpur?
If the forced re-location of the temple was an achievement that is totally unprecedented, then I do not know the meaning of the word “unprecedented” or “achievement” anymore.
The forced re-location of the temple has set a dangerous precedent in the country.
In other words, there is the possibility that other Hindu temples could be forcefully re-located on the grounds of their alleged illegality or even demolished. The demolition of so-called “illegal” temples is nothing new in the country.
The re-location of the temple is not unprecedented in terms of the government’s ability to resolve the matter amicably.
‘Hindus are hurt’
Rather, the crux of the problem is the forced re-location of the temple against the wishes of the Hindu community.
It is not for Yeoh to laud the Madani government’s efforts in the re-location but simply to implement what had already been decided.
The forced re-location of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Hindu temple is a blot on the Madani government’s record of successful management of inter-faith relations in the country.
All the Indian representatives could do was to follow faithfully the dictates of the government under Anwar.
The re-location of the temple has deeply hurt the Hindus in the country. Anwar will go down in the history of the country as a leader who spoke one thing and did another.
The Indian representatives in the Madani government will have to live with the shame and ignominy of the forceful re-location of the temple against the wishes of the Hindus in the country. – Jan 20, 2026
