Fahmi: Cabinet didn't discuss calls to ban 'illegal temple' term

Summary

• Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil says the cabinet did not discuss calls for government agencies or departments to stop using the term “illegal temples”.

• This comes after MIC deputy president M Saravanan urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to issue a directive to ban the term last week.

The cabinet has not discussed calls for government agencies and departments to stop using the term “illegal temples”, said government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil.

This comes after MIC deputy president M Saravanan urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to ban the use of the offensive term.

“It was not discussed in today’s meeting,” Fahmi said during his weekly post-cabinet press conference today.

Two days ago, Saravanan urged Anwar to issue the directive following a response from the Taiping Hospital management to a complaint regarding a place of worship located on its premises.

In an official reply titled “Maklumbalas PCB 965228 - Aduan Kuil Haram” - Taiping Hospital deputy director Arni Nadhirah Abdul Hadi stated that appropriate legal action would be taken.

Saravanan strongly objected to the language used, highlighting that many of these temples have existed for decades - long before the enactment of the National Land Code in 1965.

The existence of these temples came under the spotlight following the controversial relocation of the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur, which was moved to make way for a mosque.

At the time, Anwar said the temple had been built on land without the consent of both its previous and current owners.

The relocation sparked mixed reactions, with some netizens focusing on the legal status of Hindu temples in Malaysia.

On April 19, Lawyers for Liberty called on the prime minister and the government to defuse the controversy, asserting that they bear responsibility for the matter.

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