NOVEMBER 27 — We, Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia and other Civil Society Organisations are aghast at the violence that have broken out at the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple in the morning of November 26 (Monday) and the vandalism on at the One City building in the morning of November 27 (Tuesday). Such deplorable acts of violence that caused injury to innocent peoples including temple devotees, residents, and members of police and Bomba as well as damage to vehicles and properties in both episodes must be vehemently condemned and never tolerated or excused.
In the face of this escalating tension and risk to life and property, we, the undersigned civil society organisations call on every peace-loving Malaysians of all walks of life to do as follows.
1. We implore the various groups involved with the dispute at the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple to stop taking law in their own hand. As peace-loving Malaysians of every ethnic and religious background, we must always promote peace and stand up against any call for violence and aggression. There can be differences in opinions and even disputes – land use and development in the case of the Seafield temple relocation – but such disputes and disagreements should never lead to acts of violence and aggression. All acts of violence by any party must be condemned in no uncertain term.
2. We reach out with compassion to all who have suffered in one way or another as a result of the riots and thuggery. We pray for the recovery of Fire and Rescue Department personnel Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim who is now in intensive care, and strength for his fiancée Nurul Najihah and families at this trying time. We feel the pain endured by the temple devotees, residents, journalists, members of police and other innocent people; the temple community and wider Hindu/Indian community who were traumatised by the desecration of the temple; by the owners of the One City building that was damaged from vandalism and of burnt vehicles in both episodes. We pray and hope for healing upon the victims' wounds, both physical and psychological as well as for the general welfare of those who have been advertently involved and suffered as a result of this most regrettable incident. We call upon community and religious leaders to help in mediating for a just and peaceful solution for all parties.
3. We urge that no one should further provoke or retaliate in this already tense situation as violence begets violence. We must prevent anger from further escalating which may eventually set the whole country aflame on a path of hatred and revenge. All victims must let the due process of the law run its course and the perpetrators be brought to justice. Lest we forget the wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi who says, “an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind”.
4. We call for the authorities to uphold the rule of law and the due process of justice. We are gravely disappointed by the Subang Jaya police's failure to act more quickly and decisively to stop the impending violence when they had the occasion to do so. We urge the Deputy IGP to directly lead a task force to monitor and control the situation to restore the public’s confidence in the rule of law and ensure all those who abetted, instigated and used violence and aggression are brought to justice. There must also be independent and credible investigation on the Subang Jaya police’s mishandling of the situation on the two consecutive nights, which underlines the need for the immediate establishment of the Independent Police Complaint and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) which the Government promised on 27 September. Failure to uphold the rule of law and public accountability in this incident may leave behind a bleeding wound reminiscence of what happened in the treacherous aftermath of the Kampung Medan incident in March 2001.
5. We acknowledge that communal and religious relations are deteriorating recently, and call upon Malaysians of all religious and ethnic backgrounds to come together and stand in solidarity with each other, not just to denounce violence but also to dispel the toxic perception and notion some quarters are attempting to instil that faith communities are attacking or threatening each other. Today, we must send the message clearly – that in the event one faith is attacked, all other faiths are attacked; and when one community suffers, all other communities suffer. As Malaysians, we share a common destiny irrespective of faiths and beliefs. Our respective faiths and cultures teach us to love and embrace each other as brothers and sisters notwithstanding our differences.
*This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
