your say'I would love to see Thaipusam revert to the days when immersion in prayers was the order of the day, not this carnival that we have now.'

 


Stageless S'gor gov't a sensation at Thaipusam

Usha Kumari Pillai: I would love to see Thaipusam revert to the days when immersion in prayers was the order of the day, not this carnival that we have now. I feel it is sacrilegious to allow politicians to do their stuff during religious festivals, and I am extremely sad at such a turn of events, where so-called intelligent people use every opportunity to degrade a religious occasion.

Maybe it is cheaper for political parties to use such venues, since the crowds are already there and do not need to be paid to attend the event. You forget that we are there to pray, not for your electioneering or carnivals.

Is it because Indians have allowed it over the years? If so, I have to blame our Indian political leaders who have caused this moral and religious decay. Yet they claim to want to serve us.

Surely these politicians can capitalise on other events where they can do their business and fulfill their own needs. It's definitely not for the benefit of the people.

Jacob George: Shows how morally and spiritually bankrupt we have become when politicians and their lap dogs show no respect or sensitivity towards the religious aspirations of a gathering devotees. Shame on all of us for allowing things to develop to this.

RK: The Pakatan Rakyat leaders had their gathering outside the temple. It was not on temple grounds but on public property. BN leaders had theirs inside the temple compound, so you can't blame both for doing same thing.

During Thaipusam in Batu Caves, there are a lot of stalls selling food, drinks, household items, etc, so people are not only there to pray, but also to enjoy the carnival, and this has been going on for decades. If one is truly focused, one would not be distracted by such events, political or therwise, when performing one's religious duties.

So it is not fair to condemn the politicians. Like the traders, the politicians are there to promote themselves.

Matahari: Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim, we do not need your donations. Stop your ‘wayang kulit'(theatrics). We need you to issue land titles to the existing temples and schools, not demolish them.

As for Najib Razak and your wife, you are lucky no one booed you. Stop using the temples to champion your agenda. Hindraf has opened our eyes and neither BN nor Pakatan Rakyat can hoodwink us.

Cala: Despair not, Khalid. The voters are a lot more discerning than you think. March 8 is a case in point. Your commitment to helm Selangor is readily visible for all to see. Never mind if MIC president S Samy Vellu denied you your chance to show you are with the celebrating crowd.

Kgen: This partisan act by the police is another nail in the coffin for Barisan Nasional. What has Najib Razak done for Indians except issue empty slogans? Under BN, Indians have to build their temples illegally on state land and under trees. Has a BN menteri besar ever taken a personal interest in relocating a Hindu temple?

This is not to excuse Hindraf leaders, who are merely political opportunists out to promote themselves as champions of their race. The Ponnusamy brothers (Uthayakumar and Waythamoorthy) only know how to shout and moan to promote themselves.

KayKay: Increasingly, public perception is that the police and all the other government agencies have shamelessly abandoned their responsibilities towards the people and have gone on to focus on protecting Umno against the opposition. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the police, the Home Ministry, etc. You name it, they are at it.

Meanwhile, Umno politicians are busy twisting and turning every issue into a racial issue, just to hoodwink the Malays into giving them a blank check.

After the ‘Allah' issue, expect more racial issues to emerge from Umno. They don't seem very interested in bringing people together and managing the economy. Things are already going to the dogs. If the economy sinks further, the first people to suffer will be the rural people.

Ong Guan Sin: After his gestures to the Indian community and the much-hyped 1Malaysia campaign, it's a great surprise that Najib still needs to elbow his way into the Indian community by abusing the police force and using dirty tactics.