Developer’s lawyers hired thugs – Muhyiddin
PUTRAJAYA: The lawyers to the developer involved in the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple issue hired thugs that led to the riots, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The Home Minister said police investigations revealed that the leader of the group which instigated the conflict was handed RM150,000 by the lawyers, which was used to pay the thugs involved from RM150 to RM300 each.
“Because they hired Malays to ‘take care of things’ at a Hindu temple, you can imagine the reaction it would trigger.
“As an example, imagine what would happen if you send Hindus to take care of a mosque?” said Muhyiddin at a press conference here yester.
Muhyiddin said the two lawyers who paid the thugs were among the 21 arrested by the police.
He said the most irresponsible and illegal act of encroaching into the temple had angered the Hindu devotees who were in the house of worship and sparked the quarrel and ensuing fight as well as the damage to property.
One City Development is the owner of the land on which stands the temple.
Muhyiddin said the Shah Alam High Court had on March 11, 2014, recorded a consent judgment on the relocation of the temple and the return of the present temple site vacant to the owner.
Nevertheless, he said, the consent judgment could not be executed because of an objection to the judgment by some Hindu devotees.
Based on the police investigation, two groups of Hindu devotees were involved – one in agreement to the relocation and the other against, he said.
Muhyiddin said that after a series of negotiations between the parties failed to reach a consensus, the developer planned to take over the temple site as per the court order but failed because of the protests from the Hindu groups and commotion at the site.
The developer tried again to take over the temple site, scheduled for 7 am on Nov 26, after having discussions on the matter with the temple committee, he said.
Muhyiddin said the police were informed of the plan and they were prepared to maintain order in the vicinity of the temple.
However, the police investigation found that the developer’s lawyers had hired a group of men who intruded into the temple and exercised control over the house of worship before the arrival of the developer and the police that morning, he said.
The minister also would not state for certain if the lawyers had acted on their client’s instructions, instead offering his opinion that the two legal practitioners’ choice to allegedly employ thugs was illconsidered.
He then clarified that his disclosures yesterday were deductions based on the information investigators have been able to extract so far.
Muhyiddin said he was disappointed with the rash and negligent action of those linked to the developer, adding that they had clearly violated the law.
“If this rash and negligent action had not been resorted to, I believe there would not have been the clash between the Malay men and the Hindu devotees at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple,” he said.
Muhyiddin said the government took a serious view of the incident which had caused anxiety among the multiracial and multi-religious people in the country.
He said the police were still conducting an investigation to identify the other people involved in the incident and the group of Indians who were involved in the riot on Tuesday.
The second incident resulted in injuries to a firefighter and a policeman as well as damage to public and private property, he said.
“I believe the police will be able to complete their investigation soon and prosecute those involved as soon as possible,” he said.
Muhyiddin had been briefed earlier by the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun on the two incidents at the temple.
The home minister urged the parties in the dispute over the temple site to resolve the matter amicably in accordance with the law.
“No side should attempt to manipulate the issue to trigger racial tension,” he said.
Muhyiddin said he has instructed the police to take stern action against anyone who had violated the law in connection with the incidents. It also includes those who had made racial statements of a provocative nature, circulated false news as well as defamatory and seditious information and organised gatherings to stoke racial sentiments, he said.
“Stern action according to the law will be taken to maintain national security and peace,” he said.
In a statement Monday (Nov 26), One City refuted allegations that it was behind the temple scuffle.
It said allegations that it had orchestrated the incident were malicious lies, and that the company condemned both acts of violence and insinuations that it would resort to “such despicable acts”.
“Most importantly, One City is committed to adhering to the rule of law in addressing the temple which is sitting on its land,” the developer said in its statement.