Hassan Karim Sparks Online Furore For Championing Hindu Temple Cause Branded Madani Traitor

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PKR lawmaker Hassan Karim’s rating within the pro-Madani faction has seemingly fallen to a new low after he penned an open letter to PMX appealing to the latter not to demolish the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple in Jalan Masjid India “but to build the mosque next to it”.
Against the backdrop of the authorities – both the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – being in favour of the temple’s re-location to facilitate construction of the purported Masjid Madani, the Pasir Gudang MP was trolled over failure to see that the temple is sitting on someone else’s land.

In so doing, he has joined the fray as probably the fourth Malay Muslim KOL (key opinion leaders) – coincidentally all are legal eagles – who rally behind the idea that the Hindu temple must not budge from the spot where it sits on today.
They are the two Zaids – former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and Lawyer for Liberty (LFL) executive director Zaid Malek – and human rights activist and Orang Asli advocate Siti Kasim.
Although Hassan is often seen as a righteous politician in the eyes of non-Malay/non-Muslim Malaysians, the 74-year-old former Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) president has of late been hailed by Madani government backers as a “thorn in the flesh” for incessantly rowing against the tide.
As Hindu netizens thanked him for his benevolence in the latest episode, a commenter on the two-term Pasir Gudang MP’s Facebook page berated him for disgracing PMX with his act of “wanting to show the open letter to the entire world”.


“What is your motive? Can’t you just Whatsapp, call or meet PMX directly? Isn’t there a WhatsApp group for PKR? Let the government handle this issue properly with all stakeholders,” chided the commenter.
Some chastised him for being “anti-PMX” by being on the same boat with former Malaysian Bar president and BERSIH (Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and LFL’s Zaid Malek.

Few commenters opined that it is inappropriate for Hassan “to play hero” or instigator for both he and PMX should leave the matter to be resolved by the landowner and “its illegal occupant”.

Another insinuated that it would be more appropriate for Hassan to call for the matter to be resolved by the court of law than “to further burden PMX to handle the matter for at the end of the day, the winner shall turn into coal while the loser becomes ashes”.

Some took on the racist rhetoric to show their furore on Hassan.

One harped on the narrative of too many illegally erected temples throughout the country and the need “to learn a lesson from the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim”.

At the end of the day, peace loving Malaysians are keeping their fingers tightly crossed than an amicable solution can surface from the on-going tripartite negotiation between landowner Jakel Trading Sdn Bhd and the temple committee with DBKL playing the role of mediator. – Focus Malaysia

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