Hisham to meet Section 23 residents
Residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam - some of whom who were involved in a ‘cow-head' protest to oppose a relocation of a Hindu temple to their neighbourhood - will meet Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein tomorrow to voice their grievances over the issue.
Residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam - some of whom who were involved in a 'cow-head' protest to oppose a relocation of a Hindu temple to their neighbourhood - will meet Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein tomorrow to voice their grievances over the issue.
Speaking to reporters in Putrajaya today, the minister said the residents, who have requested an appointment with him, come from "different political ideology" despite speculation that they are all from Umno.
“We need to look at the angle where a temple is going to be moved there, so we need to go across the political ideology. The relocation could be offensive to anyone,” he said.
Hishammuddin also said the police are still conducting an investigation against the protesters based on 52 police reports lodged so far.
He said the probe will have to be closed before any arrest can be made.
"But we are not hiding anything from the people... We will take action against anybody who has (affected sensitive issues) but at the same time, we need to be fair to the people concerned (the residents) because they have the right to defend themselves,” he added.
Message for MB
Hishammuddin also said he does not rule out the possibility of a discussion with Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to convey the residents’ grievances, after the meeting.
“If my representation is based on the people’s voice to pass on the message to the state government, that should be okay. But if it comes from my own view, I don’t think the MB will listen,” he said.
The state government has already directed the Shah Alam City Council to hold a dialogue with the residents of Section 23 over the relocation.
The meeting appears to be a bid to defuse tension after about 50 residents protested the move last week, placing a severed cow's head in front of the state secretariat building.
This resulted in public outrage among both Hindus and Muslims, in what has been widely described as an attempt by a small group of individuals to stoke religious animosity.
