PAS leader claims possible repeat of Seafield temple riots unless Chinese Organisation Congress stopped

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — A leader from Islamist party PAS has urged the police to step in and stop the Chinese Organisation Congress from going ahead to avoid a repeat of the 2017 riots at the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple in Subang Jaya.

Datuk Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali At-Takiri today also called on the Ministry of Home Affairs to deregister the Dong Jiao Zong Chinese education group under the Societies Act 1966.

“Even so, despite the Prime Minister prohibiting them, Dong Zong and Jiao Zong are still hard at work to host the Chinese Organisation Congress.

“Like the issue of riots at the Sri Maha Marimamman temple, Dong Zong and Jiao Zong are emboldened by their perception that government leaders are in support of them,” he said in a statement today.

The riots in November 2017 happened after the community from the temple congregation were challenging the relocation of the house of worship, which quickly got out of hand and resulted in the death of one firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.

Mohd Khairuddin also pointed out that action should be taken by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad against leaders within the government, such as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy and Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang, who have openly supported the congress.

He said action must be taken against them, especially the minister, to make sure no other leaders would be emboldened enough to take action that is not in line with the Prime Minister’s.

“There is no need to make noise about support from MCA and Gerakan leaders because their support from the Opposition that is powerless carries no impact.

“What needs to be considered is the support of government leaders like the Ministry of National Unity and Social Wellbeing and the Iskandar Puteri Member of Parliament,” he said.

This is in response to the upcoming congress planned by the education group said to take place on Dec 28, aimed at pushing the government to remove the introduction of Jawi lessons in vernacular schools.

Dr Mahathir has advised against holding such meetings, saying it could result in more demonstrations by the Malay community aimed at pressuring the government to shut down the vernacular schools.

Mohd Khairuddin then asserted that Dong Zong and Jiao Zong should not be allowed to go against the grain after having ‘betrayed’ the nation on several occasions in the past.

He then listed instances of when the education group spoke out in disagreement, from the time they were against the Students’ Ordinant in 1957, the Education Act in 1961, the plan to implement a Sekolah Wawasan back in 2000, and their most recent contention against the introduction of the Khat calligraphy within syllabi of vernacular schools.