ALOR SETAR: Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor today said MIC ought to be banned for inciting people to break the law, on the back of a demolition of a Hindu temple here and simmering tensions between the party and the PAS-led government.
Yesterday, the Alor Setar City Council demolished the Sri Raja Muniswarar Temple at Taman Bersatu, Kuala Kedah, which is said to be over 50 years old. Last week, a MIC leader complained about no allocations from the state for Hindu temples in next year’s budget.
“Is the MIC formed to incite others to commit unlawful acts? If yes, it should be banned.
“I want to advise MIC, please don’t act like a hero, don’t be rude,” Sanusi said in a five-minute tirade against the party at a press conference at his office here this evening.
He said places of worship, such as temples, must be built with prior permission from the local government.
Sanusi said when mosques can be built in accordance with the law and careful decision by the state Islamic religious council, and taking into account the number of adherents nearby, people of other faiths should also abide by the law in building their places of worship.
“Why do people of other faiths build places of worship wherever they like? If we do not follow the law, then we are not doing things right.
“One cannot be doing things based on popularity. When you do so, despite it being illegal, then you do not deserve to be a leader.
“A leader cannot follow the whims and wants of the people. A leader should lead,” Sanusi said, alluding to the Barisan Nasional (BN) component.
“I want to advise MIC that it is a party governed by a constitution and approved by the Registrar of Societies (RoS). If the party’s activities are causing disharmony, then the party should be banned.”
The relationship between PAS and Kedah MIC had become sour recently after its state chief S Ananthan called for BN to “review” its cooperation with the Islamist party.
This was after Ananthan claimed that there was no allocation for non-Muslim places of worship in Kedah’s 2021 state budget tabled by Sanusi recently.
He also claimed there was no allocation for Kedah BN by the PAS-led state government, among others, in a report by Malaysiakini last week.