The land on which the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple is located was sold to Jakel Trading Sdn Bhd in 2012, and the company’s proposal to build a mosque on the site has been met with resistance by the temple’s community, NGOs and other parties.

Today, Anwar clarified that the government had no role in the decision to construct a mosque at the location, emphasising that the company owning the land made the choice to build it there, Bernama reported.

“I hope there will be no inappropriate response, including from the Muslim community, and that we handle this matter properly,” he told reporters after performing Friday prayers at Masjid Sultan Abdul Samad at KLIA.

“The mosque will be built as planned and a site for the temple will be provided. I cannot imagine myself as prime minister ordering the demolition of any temple or religious establishment.

“It’s an old temple but its status is not officially approved. However, to maintain harmony, the company (which owns the land) has agreed to provide some assistance, while DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) has already identified a replacement site to prevent any issues.”

Jakel Trading said yesterday that while it received permission to begin constructing the mosque in 2021, it delayed the process as the temple had yet to be relocated.

In a statement yesterday, DBKL said a new site for the temple had been identified, and promised that it would not demolish the temple until it is relocated.

Anwar also called on the stakeholders involved in the relocation of the temple to find the best way to resolve the matter amicably. He reminded all parties not to take advantage of the situation.

“The problem is that there are religious opportunists, including lawyers who have never been involved in Hindu religious activities, suddenly positioning themselves as champions and making statements as if the temple is about to be demolished,” he said.