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KUALA LUMPUR, MON:
The government has asked MIC to continuously monitor all Hindu temples in the country and submit a report on their status to the cabinet periodically.
MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wanted the MIC to forward to him and the cabinet the list of temples that may have to be demolished for various reasons.
“As temples are a sensitive matter, a new approach is necessary to resolve the issue and the MIC will take over completely this task,” he said in a statement here today.
Samy Vellu said he would travel to all the states soon to enable him to prepare a report on the number of temples in the country and their problems for submission to the cabinet.
“We’ll identify illegally-built temples first and check on their status. We want to know of any move to demolish or relocate them,” he said.
Samy Vellu, who is also Works Minister, said he had asked Federal Territory MIC chief Datuk M. Saravanan and Selangor state executive councillor Kamala Ganapathy to organise meetings involving temple chiefs in their respective states.
It’s a great move!!!. I echo PM’s call..atleast it’s heard finally courtesy of Hindraf’s move.
Hopefully MIC will sort this out properly and gazette accordingly so that new undertakings to demolish any temples would not arise in future.
I remember some similar move last time where all the temples were told to be registered but it wasn’t complete then. Someone responsible should have followed up on that earlier but….
Hopefully this time, things would be done in an organized manner. Temple owners shd have full obligation to register the temple..u dun want our dieties to be located unlawfully..pls do your part.
Hopefully, MIC wd get a list of all the temples that’s in local council’s radar screen as the first step, not necessarily requiring a travel to each state. Form a team to look into temples that are registered against the reported number of temples in every state. Court injunction not to demolish any temples without premier’s signature shd be obtained for the temples that are at risk.
For rationale reasons, if temple relocation is necessary, then let’s take that as god’s call..no politics…
It’s the obligation of temple owners and trustees to ensure our dieties are not touched in any unwanted ways. Temple owners who have received demolition notice shd immediately flag up and find amicable solution than to wait for an unwanted “war”… Malaysians want to live in peace and harmony with everyones co-operation.
MP: the problem is that the central govt agency should be the national unity dept (jabatan perpaduan), but now, the govt is pushing it to a political party MIC to handle. that will create problems since MIC may choose to ignore or pressure those temples run by non-MIC people – maybe forcing them to become members or asking for favors. By right, this job should be allocated to a govt dept or agency, and maybe helped by MIC representatives at state exco level and/or MPs (wakil rakyat). I feel govt is making a mistake and is in fact pushing the problem away. a govt dept handling this is more powerful than a bunch of politicians handling this. looks like govt is not serious in solving the problem.
If possible, local council need to be barred from temple demolishing activities as data thus far showing insensitiveness from their part. A rule can be made such that central governing body associated with religious activities(if there’s one) be the final gate for demolishing any sensitive builings( mosques, temples, churches etc.)..This action will completely be aligned to the first verse of our Rukunegara…which is indeed what we need to preserve.