I refer to the malaysiakini report Chaos reigns in Kg Berembang . What on earth is going on? The brutal demolition of the surau in Kampung Berembang is shocking to the spine. We have many instances of temples being demolished. We have reports of deities being desecrated. And now even suraus are not spared.

Worse, little children and womenfolk who stand in the way to protect their place of prayer and learning are being hurt by burly bodies representing the law.

This episode does not augur well for our quest to build and protect a nation of people who can stand united to defend this God-blessed country. Worse, it certainly does not complement the reputation of the prime minister and the image of a successful government of fifty years.

What on earth is going wrong with Malaysia today? Can someone please take accountability and give a ray of hope for the citizens?

Here was a village that was around for four over decades. Suddenly, the law takes precedence over humanity and human rights. Why? And after round one of demolishing the so-called squatters' houses and leaving them in the rain, why do the authorities come back later and tear down the humble surau? What is the message we are spreading?

If we continue to fail in enforcing adequately the building by-laws of the country and instead end up resorting to militantly tearing down places of prayer, we are truly playing with fire for religion is close to the heart and soul of mankind.

The least the authorities could have done is to have mapped out a proactive and collaborative strategy with NGOs, political parties and opinion leaders of Kampong Berembang to galvanise any re-settlement exercise. Surely we could have done that couldn't we?

All episodes such as these are tilting the state of the nation precariously and we certainly cannot afford it now. The government of the day has a moral responsibility to make a stand.