PAKATAN Harapan turned the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple riots and their fallout into a racial and religious issue, said Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

The Umno Youth chief said what sparked the violence was a dispute between the temple management and a private developer, and the matter was never a fight between Malay-Muslims and Indians.

“The temple committee split into two. One side was willing to move the temple to another site, and the other did not want to relocate. The developer hired thugs to get them to move, and to take over the site.

“But after the fight, which saw cars torched, the whole country was dragged into it.

“Who was the first to issue a statement the morning after the fight? DAP executive councillor V. Ganabatirau, who said the temple was attacked by Muslims.

“The ones who played up racial sentiments was not Umno, PAS, MCA or MIC, but DAP and PH,” he said at a Rantau by-election campaign ceramah in Felda Sendayan last night.

In the incident last November, fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, from the Subang Jaya station, was injured while on duty near the temple.

He died of his injuries on December 17 while undergoing treatment at the National Heart Institute.

Adib’s death is now the subject of a coroner inquest.

Asyraf said any community would get angry if their house of worship came under attack by people of another race or religion.

He said the morning after the unrest, Indian cabinet members held a press conference, questioning police’s handling of the matter.

“Instead of issuing a statement to calm the situation, they poured fuel on the fire and added to the tension.

“That was why that night, 10,000 Indians gathered at the temple, which eventually led to Adib’s death.”

Asyraf was drumming up support for Barisan Nasional’s Rantau candidate, Mohamad Hasan.

Mohamad, who is former Negri Sembilan menteri besar, is up against PH’s Dr S. Streram, and independents R. Malarvizhi and Mohd Nor Yassin in the polls, to be held on Saturday. – April 8, 2019.