MCA Religious Harmony bureau chairman Ti Lian Ker is the foremost defender of Taoist shrines and Chinese religious rights.
He is raising a hue and cry at Jahara Hamid – who is Penang opposition leader representing Umno – over a tokong controversy in Lebuh Armenian where Guan Eng put words into her mouth that she did not say. And unsurprisingly, MCA sided with DAP … but what else.
Actually MCA’s Ti had misfired again. It is not at all an issue of “defending freedom of religion” as he had parsed it.
The real issue as highlighted by Jahara is whether it is appropriate for a shrine to be in a public park.
(My personal opinion is that if the Datuk Kong has been sitting there the past 70 years, then in the spirit of give and take, the authorities should leave him be.)
DAP being typically troublemaker
Guan Eng is being a sneaky bastard – as always – in accusing Jahara of seeking for the shrine to be destroyed or demolished.
Jahara may have offended some sensitivities when she said, “It is not necessary for it to be there”. What she said, however, does not amount to a demand for the shrine to be “destroyed” as Guan Eng has alleged.
From past experience, we know that there have been cases of Hindu temple relocation in recent years. Their resident deities were respectfully removed after proper religious rites were conducted by priests, and transferred to new replacement temples built in a different area. MIC and Hindraf can attest to this.
With regard to the Armenian Park shrine, it is for Penang to come to an amicable solution.
As state chief minister, Guan Eng should have promoted the spirit of discussion and compromise between adherents of different faiths. It was instead irresponsible for him to twist Jahara’s words to impute the most damaging and callous interpretation to what he might have meant.
Guan Eng’s act of adding fuel to fire shows him to be only a troublemaker who prefers to stoke tensions and incite religious hatred against Umno.
Read also,
‘Sah! Guan Eng memang mencampur-adukkan politik dengan agama (ini buktinya)‘
MCA is worse!
I don’t see why MCA failed to investigate the incident more in-depth and cross check first with the Hansard (to determine what exactly Jahara had said) before jumping into the fray and joining forces with DAP to bash Jahara.
Another sin of MCA is to misrepresent the flap as Umno trying to curtail the freedom of religion. I repeat — it’s really an issue of the appropriateness of a shrine to be sited in a public park.
It just so happens that in this particular instance, the shrine is connected to a local Chinese folk belief.
But it could well have been a Hindu shrine or a Melayu ajaran sesat teapot shrine such as something like Ayah Pin’s project. Whatever the faith or belief connected to the shrine, the fundamental is the same, i.e. whether on principle we want to have shrines located in public parks.
Or alternatively, one solution is to design the boundaries of the park to skirt the “heritage” shrine and leaving the Datuk Kong secluded in peace.
BELOW: The current MCA leadership seems fine with the relationship below
Nonetheless rather than mitigating the solution, MCA made it worse by similarly accusing Jaharta of ill-intent. MCA is merely pandering to the Chinese ultras and indirectly (unintentionally or otherwise?) in cahoots with the DAP.
And this is not the first time either that MCA is off mark.
Not too long ago, MCA accused Ridhuan Tee of having “exhorted his hopes of seeing a Chinese Muslim ‘President’ leading Umno or PAS one day” — this is a false accusation. Ridhuan did not say that. See, ‘Who is MCA’s enemy? Ridhuan Tee or DAP?‘
It’s becoming too obvious that MCA chooses to continuously attack Umno while letting DAP off the hook. I don’t recall MCA’s Ti Lian Ker raising any objection when late last year a DAP Member of Parliament was blatantly biadab at a temple dinner.
BELOW: Kasthuri Patto is the DAP rep in Parliament for Batu Kawan, Penang
Kasthuri Patto’s Facebook url of 11 Sept 2015 here.
For the record, screenshot here.
Helen Ang 
From MCA….. how come I am not surprised….lets see how they will fare in Bukit Bintang or Seputeh
Good luck MCA…book your plot now
Theres a Malay proverbs , “kalau jumpa keling dengan ular , bunoh keling dahulu ” , it’s means to say it more safe to deal with the snake later then the keling .
I wounder if the Malays is really that observant ,or could the Chinese be more trusted in those days .
re: “could the Chinese be more trusted in those days”
Do you believe Annie Anakin’s story that he’s half Chinese?
“Theres a Malay proverbs , “kalau jumpa keling dengan ular , bunoh keling dahulu”
THERE WAS NEVER SUCH A MALAY PROVERB. PROVE IT
now i know that you are not a malay
In my opinion miscommunication due to poor understanding of BM/BI. Like betis they think its peha.
My Apek neighbour just came home after attending their daughter’s double degree graduation from one Australian Uni. Hehehehe after Tingkatan 5 (Darjah1-6 SJKC). Never heard her speak a single English word all these 17yrs.
Anak tu fulltime tuition teacher at one Jinjang private tuition centre, entah bila masa gi belajar? Told me cost them only RM15K to get the degrees. Betoi ke ni?
Wonder if she can understand English or not…tapi bukan main owh.. An Australian graduate.. Kena check all these people, their qualification satni fake fake belaka!
Your hasad dengki is strong
Hasad Dengki,
U faham tak erti hasad dengki dengan kelentong? Banyak beza tau dak?
Your Melayu is weak!
Belum risik mendalam tapi dapat agak2 from here;
https://www.studymalaysia.com/international/why-study-in-malaysia/cost-of-studying-and-living-in-malaysia
you are one sick neighbour….i hope not to come across a neighbour like you…..kuat dengki dan suka jaga tepi kain org….i bet you are the kind who goes awe in envy with tinge of jealousy just because a neighbour has gotten a new car…..
Haiya Rina baru belajar nak jadi kiasu sekali-sekala. Prof Diraja Ungku Aziz pun ada nasihat mcm tu, apa salah kan? Yang lain lagi kiasu, the ultras, tuan tak despise pulak?
ko ni bodoh….benda dah terang2 salah, ko galakkan…….nama jer letak islam1st, tapi ajaran islam belakang kira……..tak munafiq ker tu??
Ko Tuhan?
nak pikir benda logik nak kena jadik tuhan ker?? kan bodoh namanya tu……Mana pergi akai yg dikurniakan Allah??
Kau tahu semua? Kau tuduh aku letak Islam belakang kira? Kau kata aku munafik? Itu semua logik thinking…Owh baru aku tahu, Pandainya ke kau, anak sapa lah ye??
Bijak2. Hebat!
nak hurai ni simple…..Kononnya kau Islam1st, tapi ko galakkan org berdengki, you are a hypocrite…..dlm bahasa melayu or arab, ianya munafiq…..paham??
Ms Ang,
So, as a Penangite, what is your opinion with regards to the local gov saying that the shrine was always there. Its a fixture that was returned after upgrading works.
Because I’d like immigration to allow me to travel; I must exalt the wisdom of the very clever BN. Clearly she was against causing confusion. This may be the first baby steps towards a more clear separation of church and state. If that’s her direction, it can only be applauded.
(1) I’m not a Penangite. I’m a Selangorian.
(2) Thanks for your info that the shrine was returned to its original location after upgrading works. Can we infer then that it was temporarily removed, i.e. relocated?
Thus the physical act of lifting the shrine away is not an issue since it has been done once before.
The crux of the matter is deciding on the shrine’s final resting place, so to speak. I would assume that the Datuk Kong would appreciate being left to reside at his present address.
(3) re: “This may be the first baby steps towards a more clear separation of church and state.”
It’s pointless for you to apply Western ideology. We’re not secular and neither are we a liberal country. Wong Chun Wai is wrong on both counts.
DAP Cina will just have to learn to accommodate themselves.
http://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/on-the-beat/
Did you read the Hansard? Do you know what she said or are you just shooting from your far hip as is always? You’re a real trouble Maker
verbatim … “Kalau boleh compound spirit ini tak usah la bubuh”
Bravo Helen!
The tokong had been there for 70yrs. When was the park erected?
And Jahara should have just state what’s on her mind rather than beating around the bushes and allowing others to misquote her. Jahara has always portrayed stupidity…..as expected from an umno minister. IN fact, Helen has given better suggestions than that no good Jahara. This is umno – always exploiting on race and religion issue
Other way around, surreal head !! she just asking whether suitable or not to continue the tokong existance in public park. The CM take advantage of that issue to cover his involvement of the bungalow, the Taman Manggis & The Tunnel. Any way I don’t see any chinese making an issue out of this.
DAP never did?
u celupar good for nothin son of a b…., amybody could say anything to anyone, if they have no manners, as the one above, typucal of dapsterism, which lacks everythinh especially, morality
speaking of good for nothing, what are you good at?
Leeching the tax payers to raise your children? or a golf game in US or ” kursus perkahwinan ‘ in Paris sponsored by Yapeim?
What moral you are talking about? Spending money meant for anak yatim can be classified as having good morality?
or
stealing 2.6 billion from the people and sell everything to China equals to good moral?
Hmmm, who is selling the country away btw, ” good for everything ” wswe?