The Raub District Council has issued a demolition order against a Datuk Kong shrine estimated to be approximately 60 years old, citing unauthorised construction.
The shrine has seven days to come down.
The shrine sits at the entrance of Taman Colonial in Raub, Pahang.
Council officers cordoned it off with yellow tape and posted a red warning notice on the structure.
Residents described the move as shocking.
The council has not commented.
The MP Moves In
Raub MP Chou Yu Hui received a complaint and immediately called on Raub District Council to suspend all demolition action pending consultation with the shrine’s caretakers and residents.
DAP Raub councillor Chong Yoke Lee also attended the site after receiving public complaints.
Chong said she had submitted a letter to the Land Office requesting a suspension of the demolition order.
Chou said the Datuk Kong faith has existed in Malaysian civil society for generations and forms part of the country’s multicultural fabric.
He said a shrine of this nature carries not only religious significance but also the accumulated community memory of local residents — and cannot be removed on seven days’ notice on the basis of an unauthorised structure citation alone.
If we keep saying the Unity Government respects diversity and promotes inclusivity, but makes things difficult for non-Muslim religious practices at every turn — then all that talk of diversity and inclusivity will be reduced to empty political slogans, and will be a complete betrayal of the supporters who voted us into power.
Chou added that the principles of Malaysia MADANI must be reflected at every level of government, including how local authorities treat ordinary people.
This Is Not the First Time
The Raub order is the fourth enforcement action against a Datuk Kong shrine in Malaysia in 2026 alone.
In Kajang, a 50-year-old shrine received an identical 7-day demolition notice from the Hulu Langat Land Office in July, citing illegal occupation of government land.
In Seri Kembangan, the Subang Jaya City Council sealed a 60-year-old shrine at a housing estate entrance in March, only to unseal it the same night after political intervention.
A Petaling District homeowner received a warning notice in February under the National Land Code, ordered to dismantle a roadside shrine within 7 days or face a fine.
The pattern stretches back further: in February 2020, Selayang Municipal Council officers demolished a shrine that had stood for nearly 30 years — one week after Lunar New Year.
In 2017, Klang Municipal Council demolished a newly built shrine after its yellow dome design drew complaints that it resembled a mosque.