PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s brief visit to the Batu Caves temple ahead of Thaipusam was not a gesture of goodwill but an act that many Hindus saw as both offensive and dismissive.
Spending only about 30 minutes at the site of Sri Maha Mariamman Devastanam Kuala Lumpur, Anwar failed to show genuine respect for the significance of the festival or the community gathered in devotion to Lord Murugan.
Adding to the lack of sincerity, Anwar was accompanied by Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo whose presence contributed little to the occasion.
This appeared to be an attempt to compensate for Anwar’s failure to appoint an Indian Tamil minister, a long-standing tradition.
Instead of engaging meaningfully with the Hindu community, he sidestepped protocol by not even stepping into the office of the temple, the Devasthanam.
One of the most striking contradictions in Anwar’s visit was his announcement that the government would reject the controversial religious guidelines proposed by the Islamic Department within his own office.
Little significance
If he truly opposed the guidelines—which aimed to regulate Muslim participation in non-Muslim religious events—why did he allow the issue to fester before finally rejecting it?
Any ordinary Malaysian could have foreseen the divisive nature of such a proposal.
Rather than decisively shutting it down from the start, Anwar allowed it to linger, only to later present himself as the “saviour” of interfaith harmony.
The way he arrived at the temple – with his usual entourage of cars, bodyguards and police – was a calculated move to project an image of authority and arrogance.
But it was clear that this was mere optics, an attempt to impress upon the gathered Hindus that their fate in Malaysia depended on his goodwill.
Unlike former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak who attended Thaipusam on its actual day in full traditional Tamil attire – the dhoti – Anwar chose to visit in his Malay outfit, days before the actual religious festival, likely out of fear of alienating his Malay-Muslim base.
This visit was not about respect or solidarity but about political manoeuvring. If Anwar truly cared about the Indian community, he would have made his presence felt on the Thaipusam day proper rather than staging a brief, strategic appearance beforehand.
Hindus in Malaysia are not naïve; they recognise political tokenism when they see it. Anwar’s miscalculation may cost him and his Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led coalition support in the long run. – Feb 11, 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.
