Ganabatirau apologises for blaming 'Muslim group' in temple chaos
SELANGOR DUN | Selangor exco member V Ganabatirau has apologised for blaming a "Muslim group" for the attack on the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman in Subang Jaya in the wee hours of Monday.
"We have to acknowledge that all this violence stemmed from a group.
"However, after receiving the advice of many, especially the government and opposition, I have changed my statement from a 'Muslim group' to a 'group of gangsters'...
SELANGOR DUN | Selangor exco member V Ganabatirau has apologised for blaming a "Muslim group" for the attack on the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman in Subang Jaya in the wee hours of Monday.
"We have to acknowledge that all this violence stemmed from a group.
"However, after receiving the advice of many, especially the government and opposition, I have changed my statement from a 'Muslim group' to a 'group of gangsters'.
"I wish to apologise if I offended anyone," he told the Selangor state assembly today.
Ganabatirau had released his statement on the attack on Monday morning.
It was revealed by Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today that the attackers were 50 Malay men hired by lawyers linked to One City Development Bhd – the developer that owns the temple land.
The men were hired to secure the temple in order to facilitate efforts to relocate the temple.
The attack was the trigger point for two nights of violence at the temple.
Meanwhile, Selangor opposition leader Rizam Ismail welcomed Ganabatirau's apology, and hoped that such incidents would not be repeated.
"This is an isolated incident between the developer and the temple, but because there was a mistake in a statement, it caused a misunderstanding that led to chaos which caused the destruction of property and harm to the public and authorities.
"We in the opposition hope the government doesn't repeat this.
"The government should be the intermediary in solving this problem, and we hope the police will take action against the masterminds who caused this incident," the Sungai Air Tawar assemblyperson said.
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