MIC deputy president M Saravanan also suggested that the board comprise politicians, whom he said could better highlight the issues raised.

“But the most important thing is for the board to resolve issues affecting non-Muslims harmoniously,” he said when met by reporters during the campaign for the Ayer Kuning by-election last night.

Yesterday, Sentosa assemblyman RG Gunaraj of PKR called on the government to set up such a board, saying it would allow for a more structured, systematic, and inclusive approach to these issues.

The establishment of an advisory board would complement existing state-level mechanisms, such as the special committee for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism (Limas) in Selangor, he said.

Gunaraj said the board could coordinate the registration of non-Muslim places of worship while mediating land and zoning disputes.

He said the board could also help resolve long-standing issues faced by non-Muslim communities, including the use of terms that are misleading and offensive such as “illegal temple”, which he said was legally and culturally inaccurate.

The relocation of the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple off Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur stirred controversy last month, sparking debates over other temples which certain quarters claimed were illegal.

On Monday, Saravanan asked Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to issue a directive to government agencies and departments to refrain from using the term “illegal temple”.

In March, former PKR divisional leader Thiban Subramaniam called for a non-Muslim affairs department to register temples and other places of worship, following controversy over the planned relocation of the Hindu temple.

In February, the government rejected a proposal by a DAP MP for the creation of a ministerial post to handle non-Muslim religious affairs following the uproar over proposed guidelines for Muslims attending non-Muslim functions.