Batu MP P Prabakaran has urged the government to abolish fines under Section 295 of the Penal Code and mandate immediate imprisonment for anyone who desecrates places of worship, following a recent temple intrusion along the New Pantai Expressway in Kuala Lumpur.
The proposal was raised in the Dewan Rakyat during debates on the 2027 budget. P Prabakaran argued that current monetary penalties fail to deter individuals who repeatedly target sacred sites and inflame religious tensions.
Under existing legislation, desecrating a place of worship with the intention of insulting a religion carries a punishment of up to two years in prison, a fine, or both. The lawmaker contends that removing financial penalties entirely and relying solely on incarceration will better protect societal harmony.
New Pantai Expressway Temple Intrusion and Prior Incidents
The parliamentary push followed a recent breach at a temple near the New Pantai Expressway (NPE) in Kuala Lumpur, where four statues were smashed inside a Hindu place of worship. Lawmakers identified a self-proclaimed land activist as a central figure in the intrusion.
Forget fines, send those who desecrate worship houses straight to jail, Batu MP tells govt dlvr.it/TVzmZX pic.twitter.com/BVwkOsZgir
— https://x.com/malaysiakini/status/2112465004285051032
According to parliamentary remarks, the same individual was linked to similar prior acts. An initial incident occurred in Langkawi, followed by another in Rawang, before the latest breach in the capital. In the Langkawi case, the 34-year-old suspect pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s Court on July 21 to a charge of damaging a sacred Hindu three-pronged spear, known as a soolam, by stepping on it at an old temple site. The court granted bail of RM10,000 with two sureties, requiring him to surrender his passport and report to a police station every two weeks.
Regarding the Kuala Lumpur temple vandalism on October 6, police arrested the suspect alongside two others in Beranang, Selangor, on October 11. All three were subsequently released on police bail while investigations continued.
Parliamentary Debate on Section 295 of the Penal Code
Addressing the legislature, the Batu MP stressed that offenses threatening religious harmony require uncompromising measures from the state. He maintained that granting bail or imposing fines only complicates volatile situations.
Do not grant him bail or any action that could complicate the situation; jail him directly.
P Prabakaran, Batu MP, via Malaysiakini
Elaborating on his stance in subsequent media communications, the lawmaker clarified that his proposed statutory amendment targets religious desecration specifically. He argued that monetary fines trivialise the offense when societal peace is at stake.
So any party threatening societal harmony shouldn’t be fined; jail them directly. (This is) for religious cases only.
P Prabakaran, Batu MP, via Malaysiakini
Prabakaran also emphasized that broader disputes surrounding illegal structures should remain strictly under the purview of authorized government agencies rather than being handled by members of the public.