Masjid India Temple Issue Will Be A Serious Test To Pmx S Leadership

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AS if the unity government does not have enough problems to handle, another serious and sensitive issue has arisen which will put Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership skills to the test.
No matter how hard the PM tries to evade direct responsibility an amicable solution to the Masjid India Temple issue can only come from him and no one else.
The prime minister has stated that the law will take its course to resolve the issue, and he is expected to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony of the Madani Mosque on March 27.
How PMX is going to solve the issue without hurting the sentiments of the Indian community will reflect in the crucial future electoral support from the community.
There has been a suggestion from the Zaid Malek of the Lawyers for Liberty that both the temple and the new mosque can exist side by side, a situation that is not new to the country.
If one depends only on the law, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) was wrong and legally liable to the administrative committee of the 130-year-old Hindu Temple from the start when it sold the land to a third party.
DBKL did not go through the necessary legal requirements and procedures such as informing the temple administration since the part of the land that was sold belonged to the temple.
The said land has been endowed (wakaf) for the benefit of the local Muslim community by Jakel’s late founder Mohamed Jakel Ahmad, and this complicates the issue further.
Houses of worship are a sensitive matter in the country and proper guidelines need to be followed to avert communal animosity.
(ImageL Hot FM)The deal between DBKL and Jakel Trading Sdn Bhd, a textile company, smacks of suspicion and bad faith and should be investigated and cleared first before any resolution of the temple issue can be found.
Building a new house of worship of any faith needs to be considered carefully especially in a place congested with traffic and people place like Masjid India.
Did DBKL conduct any study concerning the construction of a mosque and the traffic and infrastructural problems that it will cause?
Unlike the small Hindu temple which is frequented by a smaller number of devotees, the congregation going to the mosque especially on Fridays will be in the hundreds if not thousands.
There is almost no parking space as the Masjid India area is a busy shopping, commercial and residential area. Furthermore, there are at least two mosques in the vicinity drawing thousands of worshippers especially on Fridays.
There has been much talk of the Urban Redevelopment Act (URA) which has been scheduled to be legislated soon.
The Act is a timely one despite misgivings and apprehensions as it will lead to higher valuation of properties, better infrastructure, raising the level of the land to cope with increased flooding in Kuala Lumpur due to climate change, better planning and zoning, better amenities and facilities, more effective drainage and retention ponds and other benefits.
One of the first areas in KL for urban renewal should be the Masjid India area which has high residential density, poor infrastructure, insanitary conditions. It is also a low-lying area prone to sinkholes and flooding from the nearby Klang river.
This being the case why is there a hurry to build a mosque at the site? Much of the nearby areas consist of dilapidated and run-down buildings that needs to be demolished and re-built.
A surau could be built temporarily on the site. The mosque construction can wait until such time when the urban redevelopment is being done to ensure that a larger mosque can be built in a more spacious area.
Since the temple is 130 years old it can be preserved as a heritage site very much like the Jamek Mosque situated at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers.
V. Thomas is a Focus Malaysia viewer.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 
- Focus Malaysia.

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