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What’s hotter than Black Panther, bigger than Wakanda, with a better product than vibranium? And right here in Malaysia?
When it comes to netizens, the answer is Wakedah, the “super rich” northern state, poised to deliver a saga bigger than anything Marvel or the Russo brothers can dream of.
Where Wakanda was all action, Wakedah is turning out to be a tragicomedy. Wakanda had vibranium, but Wakedah has rare earth elements – a total value of RM 62 billion (or RM 43 billion?).
In place of the Avenger T’Challa, there is the vengeful Muhammad Sanusi Nor, the PAS menteri kissing who appears to be on a campaign to make as many enemies as possible. Drunk with the newfound power, he has become almost incorrigible, to the point that even Umno brandies like Papogomo are shocked.
Sanusi began by announcing that Kedah would not help any non-Muslim places of worship, saying that it would be unconstitutional as Islam is the religion of the federation.
Of course, as Batu Kawan’s MP Kasthuri Patto pointed out, he is forgetting article 8 (2) of the constitution. It establishes that, unless expressly authorized, “there will be no discrimination against citizens based solely on religion, race, ancestry, place of birth and gender in any law.”
So how can Sanusi discriminate against non-Muslim places of worship and take care of only one religion?
To make matters worse, he decided to go on the attack when a local council tore down a roadside shrine in Kuala Kedah. Those affected complained and their representatives had to present their complaints.
The point is, the council was legally right in what it did.
The sanctuary was not one of those century-old legacies from the British colonial area. And it certainly wasn’t one of the ancient candis that tells us that Kedah was once a Hindu kingdom about 2,500 years ago before King Phra Ong Mahawangsa converted to Islam in 1136 and called himself Sultan Mudzaffar Shah I.
This shrine or small temple in Taman Bersatu had only arisen some thirty-odd years ago under a large tree in the area, right next to a padi field. She sat on what is usually called “leftover land,” idle land with no elaborate plans for her.
The Hindu temple was not alone. The Chinese residents of the area set up a hut where they could hang out and the Malays built a dewan where they could meet to chat in the evenings. It was his own little three-race community center.
None of the buildings were legal and all were demolished, apparently to make way for an indoor soccer field. Residents, however, say there is plenty of vacant land nearby for such a court without having to tear down any of those structures.
I will be the first to admit that Hindus in Malaysia build too many temples and shrines that do not serve their real purpose. Rather than being religious, educational and community centers, these shrines become lucrative ventures for some unscrupulous people, as well as allowing practices that have no place in actual Hinduism.
Hindus there, however, claim that the temple was installed to make life easier for them. With the demolition, the closest temple is now about 15 km away.
Things could have been so different. The kissing mentor could have listened to the plight of the residents and been more diplomatic in resolving the matter. Instead, he came out like a punch drunk boxer, swinging wildly. He compared the leaders who spoke for the residents to the Toddy drinkers who got very drunk after drinking some of the hard drink.
It was something strong and a very low blow, coming from a state leader from whom more maturity is expected.
The victims of the attack were outraged and the war has begun. Illegal factories have been included in the story and, of course, in that infamous find of yours: the 43 trillion ringgit (or 62 billion ringgit) rare earth element.
Suddenly, Wakedah’s version of T’Challa looks more like a Malaysian Joker. First, there was that boo-boo about how much minerals were worth. Then he said he signed a deal with an unknown KL-based company to extract the items, simply by driving pipes into the ground. Talk about a chimera.
According to official data. there are deposits of rare earth elements in places like Sik, Kulim, Ulu Muda and Padang Terap. There may even be radioactive minerals like uranium and thorium somewhere, all with a total value of about $ 14 billion or RM 56 billion, still a far cry from the claimed RM 62 billion.
The problem is that almost all the deposits are in forest reserves or near water catchment areas where logging is prohibited.
Even the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, has criticized the Menteri Kissing plans, saying that no mining of any kind will be allowed in those areas. The dream of 62 billion ringgit is now in tatters.
Meanwhile, MIC leader S Vigneswaran is angry at the “drunk man” analogy and has vowed to do his best in his attack on the menteri kissing. He has already alleged that the company in Kuala Lumpur and Sanusi are taking Kedah for a spin.
It looks like Killmonger is on the warpath, and mentoring kissing is on a rocky road, indeed.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
