By Najwa Yusman
PETALING JAYA, 26 December 2021: IIUM volunteers’ move in lending their hands at cleaning the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Taman Klang Utama has been praised after a video featuring their hard works went viral on Friday (24 December).
In the video, IIUM volunteers, along with volunteers from Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM), unite in cleaning the temple regardless of their race and religion.
PBM Klang coordinator Nallan Dhanabalan said that the respectable frontman of Sri Maha Mariamman temple contacted him privately to ask for help.
Nallan also highlighted that the cleaning process of the temple took almost two hours considering the situation of the temple.
“The floods affected most of the furniture in the temple, and most of the items were severely covered by the mud,” he added.
He also stated that the willingness of IIUM volunteers that mainly consist of students to clean the temple had brought positive vibes in the cleaning process.
“As a Malaysian, I believe race and religion need to be put aside in order to unite, particularly during the pandemic and floods that affected our country,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, one of the IIUM volunteers, Sarah from Kulliyyah of Education, shared her experiences in the volunteering session that day, including cleaning the temple and two schools affected by floods.
“While in the temple, I helped by cleaning the floor, and when we proceeded to another place, which was the two schools, the situation got more intense as the classes were filled with flood waters,” she said.
She also stated that she was touched by the Indians’ willingness to help a lot throughout the day.
“Although we are from a different race, we managed to show unity by respecting each other’s culture. To be honest, I was a bit scared at first, but as time went by, I managed to prioritise my intention to help and ease each other’s difficulties,” she further remarked.
To watch the video featuring IIUM volunteers’ cleaning of the temple, readers may visit this link https://fb.watch/a6Id1CZT8M/***
Source: Free Malaysia Today