Sarawak PKR will lodge a report with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) over Tuesday’s incident in which more than 30 graves in a Muslim cemetery in Kuching were exhumed without the approval of relatives.
The party believes there are elements of corruption and abuse of power in the case and “we have to get to the root of matter”, its state adviser Wan Zainal Abidin Wan Senusi said in a statement today.
He added the case is far from settled as claimed by state assistant minister of Muslim affairs Daud Abdul Rahman today.
On Tuesday, angry relatives set alight an excavator on the site at the Jalan Keretapi Muslim cemetery after they found out that the graves had been exhumed without their knowledge and consent.
The 100-year-old cemetery contains the graves of some 400 Muslim and is located along a busy highway that passes through a stylish residential and commercial neighbourhood in the state capital.
Wan Zainal appealed to the ACA to conduct an impartial investigation and take appropriate action against the culprits involved, including those attempting to cover up any misdeeds in the case.
The incident has caused great consternation among the Malay population in Kuching, amid reports that a politically well-connected family is to be the beneficiary of a commercial project to be built on a piece of land along the highway which would included the cemetery site as well.
Government officials have now announced that the Muslim cemetery will remain and that it will be fenced up as a burial site.
Earlier, Wan Zainal described the act of exhuming the graves as “heinous” and “shameful”.
“We understand that it was the Lembaga Amanah Kebajikan Masjid Negeri Sarawak (LAKMNS) that issued a contract for the exhuming”.
Approval given earlier?
Daud Abdul Rahman who claimed he had no knowledge of the ‘commercial project’ proposed on the cemetery site was reported to have apologized to the families of those buried there.
Wan Zainal said the assistant minister’s claim that there was no truth in the allegation that the graves were exhumed to make way for commercial buildings appears to be attempt to cover up the fact the land has already been approved for the project by the Land and Survey Department to a well-linked applicant.
“In fact, this plan has been in the pipeline since 2006. If Daud claims that he doesn’t know of this plan then it means that he doesn’t know what is happening in the department under his jurisdiction and therefore he should not be there,” Zainal contented.
He said the promise by the authorities not to ‘disturb’ the burial site and to fence it up so that it looks beautiful comes just a little too late, adding that this should be done ages ago.
“PKR further that the affected relatives should be adequately compensated for the irresponsible damages done” Wan Zainal said.
by Tony Thien: Malaysiakini Aug 14
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