Posts Tagged ‘Indian Cultural Centre’

more on indian cultural centre

January 20th, 2008
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The Star reports on the delay of Indian Cultural Centre, offering another view compared to the MK report .

Interestingly the report names Kamala Ganapathy and NGOs while MK focused on Nadarajah of Batu Caves committee.

Indian Cultural Centre not delayed on purpose

source

KLANG: The Selangor government is not deliberately delaying the construction of the Indian Cultural Centre that it announced recently as claimed by some parties.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said the state government had already allocated the funds for the construction of the centre but was still waiting for the proposal on its design to be submitted.

“I do not have in-depth knowledge of Indian culture and therefore it would be unfair for me to decide on what the centre should feature. “That is why I handed the task to (state executive councillor) Kamala Ganapathy and various Indian-based non-governmental organisations to come up with the concept for the centre,” he said during the Selangor 2008 Budget and Business Opportunities Seminar here yesterday.

Dr Khir said the parties involved were still discussing the various aspects of the Indian culture that should be showcased at the centre and the state government therefore could not start the project. “As soon as they submit their proposal, we will study it and start its construction,” he said, adding that he was also aware that not all Indian-based NGOs got the chance to have a say in the project.

He said it was not possible to include every NGO as there was a large number of them but this did not mean that they could not present their views to the state government. The state government would consider any views it felt were valid and add them to the list of things needed at the centre even if the construction had begun.

Dr Khir said the state government had never ignored the needs of the Indian community and only recently approved a RM2mil allocation for Tamil vernacular schools. “Education is important to help the Indian community better itself and that is why this fund has been made available,” he said.

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Khir Toyo blames community for delay of Indian Culture Centre

January 20th, 2008
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Hmmm…government giving 20 million, and these guys have not sent a proposal yet? I’m more than willing to step in if these guys have other better things to do. I’m sure the Indian community feels the same as well.

And Nadarajah’s response – “was unwell”.

Perhaps this is a chance for MHS to come back from death?

The so-called proposal was submitted during the meeting between Khir Toyo and Selangor temples representatives held on Jan 4. Extract from the article:

At yesterday’s dialogue, Malay- sian Hindu Council chairman Datuk R. Nadarajah also submitted to Dr Khir a proposal for the setting up of a Malaysian Indian Cultural Centre in Batu Caves. This is following an announcement by Dr Khir that there was a RM20 million state allocation for the purpose of building a cultural centre for the Indian community.

read it here.

to be fair, MHC can claim that it has only been 2 weeks since Toyo announced the allocation and they need more time to come out with comprehensive plan. But if I’m not mistaken, the plan for Hindu Cultural Centre was announced quite sometime back by Selangor govt.

Khir in dark over cultural centre proposal
http://malaysiakini.com/news/77213
Syed Jaymal Zahiid | Jan 19, 08 11:54am

The Selangor state government has blamed the Indian community’s lack of initiative for the delay in implementing the Hindu Cultural Centre project in Batu Caves.

Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said that his government has allocated RM20 million for the project but has yet to receive any feed back from community leaders or the Batu Caves temple committee, headed by R Nadarajah. “I have given them the freedom to decide on how they wish to conceive the cultural centre, according to their needs and the state government has allocated RM 20 million for the project. “If the state government is to implement the project without consulting the Indian-Malaysian community, they would say the government is unfair,” said Khir when contacted by Malaysiakini.

He was commenting to a recent protest by some 100 Indian-Malaysians from the Batu Caves area over the delay in the project. These protesters claimed that Khir and his government’s three-year-old promise to build the Hindu Cultural Centre (said to be built within the vicinity of the Batu Cave temple on a 20 acre land) has not been fulfilled.

Khir explained that the reason why the project was yet to be implemented was because he has not received any proposals regarding the cultural centre from the Indian-Malaysian community. He denied press reports which quoted Nadarajah as saying that the temple had submitted a blueprint and proposal to Khir on Jan 4.

Khir said he was shocked to discover that the proposal submitted by Nadarajah was actually a proposal of merely landscape alterations for the Batu Caves temple and not the blueprint for the cultural centre. “So why accuse me of lying? You ( Selangor Indian-Malaysian community) give the proposal, we will study it and if approved, it will be implemented immediately,” said Khir.

Nadarajah, when contacted, said that he was unwell and could not comment on the matter.

As for the 100 local residents who protested over the delay in the project, Khir believed the event did not reflect the opinions of majority of the Selangor residents. “Most of the protesters were PKR supporters. They are just desperately trying to manipulate the situation to gain support. I suggest they get their facts right,” he said.

To counter allegations that the delay in the project was racially motivated, Khir argued that his government has implemented the Chinese and Malay cultural centres respectively. Khir said both the Chinese and Malay cultural centres are currently undergoing development though he could not elaborate on the details.

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what happened at the temple committee meeting with selangor MB

January 6th, 2008
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20 million ringgit? Hmmm…always follow the money trail. Welcome to Malaysian Hind Council!
 
6 months…long enough to make promises and later… Well, if MHS can be forgotten within days, I can only wonder what will happen to the proposals and memorandums.
 
Anyway, glad to hear the state govt have approved 146 temples. In how many years ah?
 
I'm also curious that churches nowadays seem to exist in shophouses. Are they the churches he mentioned? No one will realise that the churches in building exists since they are devoid of any external architectural designs or identity. Perhaps Hindu temples should start to relocate into shoplots!
 
As usual the NST writes a differing view as compared to MK. You can also read other related articles at:
 
 
Committee to deal with temple issues set up

RAWANG: Representatives of some 700 Hindu temples in Selangor have agreed to form a committee among themselves to deal directly with the state government on erecting, demolishing and relocating temples.

They also agreed with Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo's proposal to have the self-regulatory committee ready within six months. The decision was made at an hour-long dialogue session between Dr Khir and the representatives, facilitated by the newly set up Malaysian Hindu Council.

At a press conference after the meeting, Dr Khir said state exco member Kamala Ganapathy would assist the proposed committee. "The committee must come up with regulations and requirements in terms of qualifications of priests, locations of the temples and the funds needed and so on," he said. The menteri besar said a temple to be built must comply with the regulations set by the committee and, the committee, after agreeing that the temple has met the requirements, will meet the state government's committee for approval.

While waiting six months for the committee to be set up, Dr Khir said the state would avoid taking action against temples built without approval. However, relocation exercises would proceed for the temples that had agreed to be relocated.  Dr Khir said action had also been taken against mosques, surau and Chinese temples that were built without permission. "The only place of worship we have not encountered any problem with is the Christian churches. They always abide by all regulations."

At yesterday's dialogue, Malay- sian Hindu Council chairman Datuk R. Nadarajah also submitted to Dr Khir a proposal for the setting up of a Malaysian Indian Cultural Centre in Batu Caves. This is following an announcement by Dr Khir that there was a RM20 million state allocation for the purpose of building a cultural centre for the Indian community.

 
 
 

S'gor halts temple demolitions for six months

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76712
Syed Jaymal Zahiid | Jan 5, 08 12:49pm

The Selangor state government has announced a six-month moratorium on the demolition of Hindu temples in the state.

The six-month duration is to allow the temples themselves to establish a self-regulatory committee to deal directly with the state government on erecting, demolishing and relocating temples.

This was announced by Mentri Besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo after an hour long meeting with representatives of some 700 Hindu temples in the state in Rawang yesterday evening.

The meeting was facilitated by the newly set up Malaysian Hindu Council, headed by the Jalan Bandar Maha Mariamman temple and Batu Caves temple president R Nadarajah.

"The committee must come up with regulations and requirements in terms of qualifications of priests, locations of the temples and the funds needed and so on," Khir said.

He also added that a newly build temple must comply with the regulations set by the committee and, the committee, after agreeing that the temple has met the requirements, will meet the state government for approval.

"We don't want temples being built without approval. Suggestions from this committee will be discussed at the executive council level before approval (for building new temples) is given," he added.

He said that MIC's state exco member Kamala Ganapathy would assist the proposed committee.

Matter of legality

He also said that while waiting six months for the committee to be set up, the state would avoid taking action against temples built without approval.

However, relocation exercises would proceed for the temples that had agreed to be relocated, he added.

"We want everybody to work together in this matter. Once this regulatory body is put into frame, it will be easier for us to move on to the next step," Khir said.

The dialogue session set up between Khir and the temple representatives, held at the Perangsang Templer Golf Club in the outskirts of the city, was to discuss the problems of the series of temple demolitions that have occurred in Selangor throughout last year.

The Indian community have accused Khir's government of intolerable ruthlessness when it comes to dealing with the temple issue.

Khir and his government however pointed out that the temple issue was just a matter of "legality", saying that the temples that have been demolished are those that were not built according to law.

"We must not look at this (temple demolition) from a prejudicial and cynical perspective. It is not race or religious bias that made us act on the temples, but a legal one," stressed the chief minister in his speech earlier.

'I have always been fair'

He said that in Selangor, besides Hindu temples, other religious edifices like the Muslim's surau, the Chinese' tokong have all faced state government action because they were built not in accordance to regulations.

"The only religious building that the state government have not taken action against are churches. Why? Because they were built in accordance with the law set by the state and the federal government," he noted.

According to the chief minister, his government has always been fair to all races in the state.

To counter allegations that his administration practices religious bias, Khir said the accusers should look at the facts.

"In Selangor, the state government have approved the construction of 146 Hindu temples. If I practice religious bias, why are there 146 Hindu temples in Selangor?" he said.

In support of his claim, he added that his administration have allocated RM20 million for the construction of a Hindu Cultural Centre, which will be located at Batu Caves.

"I want people to understand the culture of the Indian Malaysians here so that all that the racial unity that our forefathers have strived to build will be safeguarded by future generations," he said.

MIC's council of temples

Following the meeting the temple representatives and the state government in Selangor, another such meeting would be held in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 13 involving all temple representatives from the city.

This was announced by MIC president S Samy Vellu today. He would be chairing the KL meeting. Many cases of temple demolitions are confined to Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

According to Bernama today, Samy Vellu said that without political support, the fate of temples, especially those built illegally would be in limbo.

He also said that MIC would be forming a council of Hindu temples in every state to protect the temples and resolve their problems through the state governments.

"The MIC considers the demolition of temples as a very serious political matter and it requires consultations from various parties," he said in a statement.

As such, the council would be tasked with several functions, among others, to safeguard temples and to protect the integrity of the Hindu religion; to register temples which comply with the requirements; and to obtain permanent and suitable alternative sites for temples.

Samy Vellu said that if a temple was found to have been built on private or government land, the council would seek an alternative and suitable site for it.

"The council will also ascertain that the plans for all the temples have been submitted to the local authorities to prevent future problems. The council will get the approval for the plans once they have been submitted," he said.

However, it would not interfere in the running of the temple or its administration, he added.
 
 
 
 

Temple reps: Meeting a political ploy

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76718
Khairil Zhafri | Jan 5, 08 3:27pm

Representative from about 700 Hindu temples in Selangor met in a close-door dialogue with Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo yesterday to discuss problems faced by the temples.

The meeting was facilitated by the Malaysian Hindu Council (MHC), a newly-formed umbrella body that claims to represent Hindu temples and Hindu-based organisations in Malaysia.

The purpose of the meeting was to allow the temple representative to discuss matters pertaining to temple demolition, renovation and building of new temples in the state with Khir.

After the dialogue, Malaysiakini asked temple representatives for their comments on the dialogue.

One temple committee member who declined to be named said the menteri besar didn't answer most of the issues raised by the Hindu temples. Instead he is claimed to have chimed in with projects the Barisan Nasional government had done for the Hindu community.

"He didn't say much, but just (speaking to) gain support for BN in the election," he said.

However, the representative from a temple in Klang welcomed the financial allocation for Hindu temples as promised by Khir as it was what they are duly entitled to.

In his speech, Khir had asked the audience whether they agree to set up a body to self-regulate Hindu temples in Selangor. There were no response from the audience at first.

Khir then reiterate his question for the second time asking "agree or not?". Only then majority of the audience said "agree" and gave an applause.

Problems with the new body

However, another temple representative approached by Malaysiakini at the event told that he did not understand why the state government wanted to set up a new regulatory body for Hindu temples.

"In his speech, he (Khir) said the state government already have a committee to take care the Hindu matters. So why (need to set up) a new committee?" asked the temple representative from Banting.

The temple representative was referring to the committee for non-Muslim places of worship in the Selangor government, whose members include non-Muslim state executive councilors.

He also said the setting up a new regulatory body will only cause more problems to Hindu temples as there would be overlapping regulations by the government and the body.

Another temple representative said that he did not see any concrete outcome from the dialogue.

When asked to comment on the memorandum submitted to the Selangor government, he said, "we support the memorandum but if the government is not doing anything about it, (there is) no use (to send any memorandum)," he added.

Demanding government assistance

At the event, a memorandum was submitted to the state government by Malaysian Hindu Council on behalf of Hindu temples in the state:

In the 13-paged memorandum, MHC proposed, among others, that:

– all Hindu temples to be legalised and state government draw up a guideline on legality of Hindu temples upon consultation with Hindu bodies

– certain procedures should be followed in the event of demolition and removal of temples

– government to give a waiver for utilities like electricity, water, sewerage, quit rent and and also assessment

– Hindus should be given the liberty to build a temple to their own specifications

– registration of temple committees with the Registrar of Societies should be made easier

The event was held at Perangsang Templer Golf Club in Rawang. It was originally planned to be held at Batu Caves but later changed to the golf club to accommodate the big number of attendees.

Objections to MHC and Nadarajah

The event started at 5.00pm with speech by MHC chairperson R Nadarajah followed by Khir's speech. Members of the press was asked to leave the venue to allow Khir and temple representatives to talk in private.

During the dialogue, Khir answered the issues raised by temples representatives for about one and a half hour. State exco A Kamala Ganapathy took over from Khir when he left the hall for a press conference with Nadarajah.

The meeting between Hindu temple representatives and Selangor mentri besar had received objection by a group of Indian NGOs earlier. The NGOs questioned the credibility of MHC and Nadarajah to handle the meeting.

Last year, Selangor government took action to demolish all places of worship claimed to be illegally built . The matter was at its height when a 100-year-old temple in Rimba Jaya demolished by the local authority with use of violence and force.

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