Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple committeeās lawyers are setting the record straight on issues related to its plot of land.
These include claims that the temple is ātrespassingā and has profited off the commercially valuable land.
Lawyers
representing the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple committee have moved
to āset the record straightā on issues related to the plot of land along
Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Kuala Lumpur.
Former
Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan and Lawyers for Liberty
co-founder N Surendran noted that allegations and counter-allegations
against the temple remain despite the recently concluded Madani Mosque groundbreaking ceremony that marked a resolution reached between all parties.
The duo said the allegations had given an erroneous impression of the status and legal rights of the temple. The allegations are set out below and answered in turn.
(a) The temple is āharamā
This is plainly wrong and disregards the entire historical background and circumstances of the temple in that location.
The
temple was built long before Merdeka and remained in substantially the
same location, despite some rebuilding in 2008 under the Kuala Lumpur
City Hallās (DBKL) instructions to allow for an access road to be made.
Those
extensive renovations were carried out with the knowledge and consent
of DBKL, which proves that the temple was never āharamā, but was always
recognised by the authorities as legitimate. Furthermore, given the history, the legal position is not as simple or simplistic as it is made out to be.
When
Jakel Trading Sdn Bhd bought the land in 2014, it was subject to the
rights of the temple situated on the land. This is why we had earlier
asked for the sale and purchase agreement between Jakel and DBKL to be disclosed.
The
legal position is that rights have been acquired by and subsist in the
temple by equity and estoppel. Hence, it is plainly wrong to suggest
that the temple is not legal or has inferior rights as compared to the
new land owner, who came in a mere 10 years ago.
Had the matter
proceeded to court, those legal issues and the issues arising under the
National Heritage Act 2005 and other legislation would have been
presented and vigorously argued on behalf of the temple. Further, the court would have scrutinised the Jakel sale and purchase agreement to resolve the competing rights and interests.
Such
an examination was undertaken in the landmark Taman Rimba case, where
the Federal Court examined the history of the case and found that the
mayorās involvement in the sale of the land to the purchasing party, and
yet later granting a development order to the purchaser, was indeed a
conflict of interest.
Similar issues would have arisen in this
case if it had gone to court, which demonstrates that the legal position
goes far deeper than has been portrayed and poses serious questions.
(b) The temple had a windfall due to the landās market value
The
temple had its beginnings in the area in the 1890s, when the land was
not registered to anyone and was of little economic value. To now value
the land at the current market value and pronounce it as an exorbitant
gain to the temple is malicious and ill-intentioned.
Assessing the
land by value per square foot is quite meaningless as it is a place of
worship, not a commercial investment. Further, the government has
affirmed that the new land will be gazetted as a place of worship, which
means by law it cannot be sold for profit.
(c) The temple is a trespasser
It has been repeatedly said that the temple is a āpencerobohā or trespasser, and is now being rewarded with land despite its own āwrongdoingā.
A
trespasser is a person who enters someoneās land without consent. How
can the temple be dubbed a ātrespasserā when they were on the land
first, long before anyone else? Long before Malaysia was even formed or
DBKL or Jakel had even existed?
d) The temple unreasonably insisted on staying to get valuable new land
The
issue that ultimately arose was not of the templeās making. It was
always the templeās wish to remain at the present site and welcome the
new mosque as its near neighbour.
However, matters were
precipitated by a letter dated Feb 21, 2025, from DBKL, giving the
temple committee three days to agree to move to an alternative site,
which was far away from the Masjid India area and the large community of
worshippers the temple served.
Accepting an unsuitable site would
have removed all traces of the historical presence of the temple in the
Masjid India locality. It would have been the obliteration of a piece
of Malaysian religious and cultural history and the extinguishment of a
key facet of the multicultural make-up of Masjid India. Other sites
offered had to be rejected due to fundamental unsuitability.
The
new site, 50m away from the current location, was accepted by the temple
on March 25, 2025, as it would remain among the community there and, to
some extent, maintain the ethos and history of the temple.
We
trust that the clarification we have provided will make clear some of
the legal issues that arise in a case like this and will stop the
misguided polemics that have multiplied around this issue.
OCT : Anwar is a seasoned politician who knows what to say to win votes even though his statements and speeches are half truth. Just look at his statements. He painted the temple is in the wrong, illegal and he is basing his decision by following the rule of law.
Anwar doesn't even bother to find out how the land was sold by DBKL without a discussion with the temple committee members. Anwar thought on this DBKL decision was irrelevant. Anwar won't back down but double down that he will be launching the mosque groundbreaking ceremony come what may.
In the eyes of MM, Anwar is defending 2R. Who cares about NM feelings, custom and/religion!!! NM don't and cannot decide Anwar's fate as PM but MM does. What Anwar was politically correct. Anwar is selfish, deceitful and arrogant but that is how politicians work. Self interest first. Rakyat dies or lives is just collateral damages. Anwar has to be PM forever else he would be like exPM like TSMY & IS.
At the end of the day, karma will dictate. Nobody can escape karma one way or another.
It is not even a grandiose temple, but a simple structure, which stood as a temple for more than 130 years.
Today, the landowner who purchased the land with the knowledge of the temple, desires to take away the land where the temple is situated to build a mosque. I suppose, for the landowner, they may envisage receiving blessings, by building a mosque on the small patch of land the temple now occupies. Thus the necessity to demolish the temple. Little do they know, the land where the temple is situated is on a consecrated ground. They may not want to believe, but on that 130 year old consecrated ground a living Goddess Kali resides in the temple.
Woe will come, Karma will certainly make a visit.
The landowners just have to read the story of the MidValley KL Hindu Temple. IGB Bhd bought the land, and began clearing the land and the houses in the land. All went well. But when it came to trying to demolish the temple, all sort of mysterious happenings occured- they are well documented.
Finally, the landowners decided to incorporate a temple within the complex. Then everything began to go smoothly. The landowners redesigned the plan for the Mall, paid for the construction, and just charging a mere RM10 rental. It is said that the temple God, said for what the landowners did, the temple God will bless the Mall abundantly.
Today, MidValley Mall is one of the most successful ( and profitable Mall ). True, the landowners, lost a bit of land. They could have simply gone on and demolished the temple. Instead, they helped build not only a Hindu temple incorporated into the Mall, but a stunning grandiose Hindu temple.
For that act, today the MidValley Mall is blessed multifolds.
By contrast see the Mall owed by the landowners who eyed the Seafield Hindu temple.
The landowners can say bah ! humbug! But that may not be how the Hindu Goddess Kali will react. šš½šš½šš½
It is not even a grandiose temple, but a simple structure, which stood as a temple for more than 130 years.
Today, the landowner who purchased the land with the knowledge of the temple, desires to take away the land where the temple is situated to build a mosque. I suppose, for the landowner, they may envisage receiving blessings, by building a mosque on the small patch of land the temple now occupies. Thus the necessity to demolish the temple. Little do they know, the land where the temple is situated is on a consecrated ground. They may not want to believe, but on that 130 year old consecrated ground a living Goddess Kali resides in the temple.
Woe will come, Karma will certainly make a visit.
The landowners just have to read the story of the MidValley KL Hindu Temple. IGB Bhd bought the land, and began clearing the land and the houses in the land. All went well. But when it came to trying to demolish the temple, all sort of mysterious happenings occured- they are well documented.
Finally, the landowners decided to incorporate a temple within the complex. Then everything began to go smoothly. The landowners redesigned the plan for the Mall, paid for the construction, and just charging a mere RM10 rental. It is said that the temple God, said for what the landowners did, the temple God will bless the Mall abundantly.
Today, MidValley Mall is one of the most successful ( and profitable Mall ). True, the landowners, lost a bit of land. They could have simply gone on and demolished the temple. Instead, they helped build not only a Hindu temple incorporated into the Mall, but a stunning grandiose Hindu temple.
For that act, today the MidValley Mall is blessed multifolds.
By contrast see the Mall owed by the landowners who eyed the Seafield Hindu temple.
The landowners can say bah ! humbug! But that may not be how the Hindu Goddess Kali will react. šš½šš½šš½