DEC 22 — The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) mourns the avoidable tragic loss of our brave firefighter, the late Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim. We must stand united in praying for the departed soul and his family to be bestowed with courage amid such testing circumstances.

The perpetrator(s) must be identified and brought to justice, including those who trespassed the Sri Maha Mariamman Seafield temple land which led to the many unfortunate events. While we take note that the case is reclassified as murder, we also call upon and trust the police to carry out its investigation in a fair and comprehensive manner.

We are saddened that the circumstances surrounding the death of a brave young man are being heavily politicised, with attempts to turn it into a racial and religious issue. This includes the unfair demand calling for the resignation of our National Unity Minister YB Senator Waytha Moorthy, even at a time when the matter is still under police investigation.

It is being mischievously alleged that people who gathered at the temple on the second day were due to statement/s made by YB Senator Waytha Moorthy.  On the contrary there is clear evidence that people had gathered as a result of hundreds of messages sent by the temple authorities asking devotees to gather as the Sri Maha Mariamman Seafield temple was allegedly about to be demolished. It is therefore clear that people who gathered at the temple on the second day were there to protect the temple from being demolished which had absolutely nothing to do with YB Senator Waytha Moorthy.

The MCCBCHST calls upon all to uphold solidarity and wait for police investigations to be completed without jumping into any conclusion. We must unite in showing respect to the late firefighter Muhammad Adib, instead of making false statements and allegations to serve personal interest by irresponsibly leveraging on this unfortunate incident.

Putting harmonious existence at ransom is detrimental to Malaysia’s long standing social stability. The MCCBCHST thus strongly urges all Malaysians to honour our multicultural diversity, upholding the sanctity of the Federal Constitution in protecting the values of fairness and respect for all.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.