Ban 'haram' temple, 'keling' terms - Gerakan

Summary

• Gerakan president Dominic Lau urges Putrajaya to ban the use of terms such as ‘haram’ to refer to temples, and ‘keling’, now rampant on social media.

• He urges Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to emulate his predecessor, Najib Abdul Razak, saying he abhorred any form of derogatory language.

Gerakan president Dominic Lau urged the government to ban the use of terms such as “haram” to refer to temples and “keling”, which are now being used rampantly on social media.

“Let’s stop using the word ‘haram’ (illegal) to refer to Hindu places of worship.

“And the government should also ban the use of the ‘K’ word, which is offensive to the Indian community.

“Enough of referring to old lore. What we must refer to now is sentiment, respect, and wisdom in strengthening unity,” Lau (above) said in a statement today.

His statement came on the heels of MIC deputy president M Saravanan’s calls for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to direct all government agencies and departments to cease using the term “kuil haram” (illegal temples).

The former minister’s appeal follows a response from the Taiping Hospital’s 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.

Yesterday, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said the cabinet did not discuss the call to ban the term.

Unperturbed, Saravanan said Anwar does not require the cabinet’s approval to ban it.

‘Emulate Najib’

In defence of places of worship, Lau urged authorities to study the matter thoroughly before deciding on anything.

The study, he added, must include the premises’ historical background and initiatives taken to register them, among others.

“We should not be looking at land ownership alone. The legal perspective must be followed by proper understanding and justice,” Lau added.

On the “keling” term, Lau urged Anwar to emulate former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s opposition to the use of any form of derogatory language.

“I must laud the national unity minister for being sensitive to such matters.

“However, I urge the ministry to review and strengthen laws that touch on preserving Malaysia’s unity,” he added.

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