This is reference to the article by A Sivarajan, Tragedi Kg Rimba Jaya bukan isu perkauman .

While I agree with Sivarajan that the expulsion and destruction of the property of squatters had a class dimension, ethnicity was also there. While it may be true that there was some kind of complicity between the developer and the state officials, like it happens in other situations, the destruction of the Hindu temple was certainly a continuing act of the Malay-Muslim officials of the state.

However, Sivaraman in his idealistic zeal to promote class analysis fails to see that hundreds of temples have been destroyed in the country over the years. In Selangor, destruction of Hindu temples on the grounds of their illegality has been going for many years. Perhaps Sivarajan should provide some figures about the removal of suraus and mosques by the state government.

A few years back, a surau was destroyed in Bandar Baru Bangi just because it was controlled by PAS. But the destruction of temples and non-Muslim places of worship has been systematically done as result of the Islamisation of the country.

Sivarajan is dedicated cadre of the unregistered Parti Sosialis Malaysia. But the biggest problem with the Left in Malaysia, despite their dedication and superior grassroots work, is the problem of shying away from ethnicity or religion. Since socialism considers these elements as epi-phenomena, members of the Left tend to toe the mechanical lines of the old Left.

Given this, they fail to grasp the reality of the ethnicisation of Malaysian politics and how race and religion reinforce each other to buttress the Malay hegemonic discourse. It is pity that the Left never learns its lesson, even despite its past failures.