Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi, a public intellectual, expressed concern that the same level of prompt and assertive action was not applied to Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Md Nor or PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for their past actions.
He was commenting on the arrest of two individuals on Monday in connection with a viral video after surrendering themselves at the Klang Utara police headquarters.
In the video, a man can be seen stepping on the kolam and using his foot to deface the decoration. An onlooker can be heard saying “vandalism”.
“Why (is there no action against) Sanusi for destroying a Hindu temple in Kedah? Yes, the temple was in an illegal place, (but) why destroy the shrine instead of moving it to another location?
“Also, why the very slow response to Hadi calling DAP members ‘godless communists’? The party in question has members who are Christians, Buddhists and Muslims, and has nothing to do with communism or its belief,” Tajuddin said.
He said no action had been taken against Hadi for claiming that non-Muslims were the root of corruption either.
In December 2020, Sanusi reportedly drew brickbats for giving the go-ahead to the Alor Setar City Council to demolish the Sri Raja Muniswarar Temple in Kuala Kedah, which was standing on state land long before PAS came to power.
Last month, in a series of tweets, Hadi reportedly said DAP must be vehemently opposed as it was “pro-communist”, adding that communism was a secular ideology that rejected the belief in God.
He said while communists here did not carry out military campaigns as those in the West, they would nevertheless “colonise” the minds of the various races.
Tajuddin said remanding the two individuals over the kolam incident sent the wrong message, as it implied that politicians and prominent figures were free to desecrate the faiths of others without consequence while young people were punished severely.
“These two young people may be disciplined by their employers and that should be enough to end the matter.
“I do not take the matter of desecrating artefacts, places and values of religious faiths lightly, but we must tamper our concerns within the context of the intention and also the level of education of the perpetrators,” he said.