Temple site a health hazard

The Human Rights Party Malaysia (HRP) warns that the move by the Selangor state government to allocate land to rebuild the Padang Jawa Kuil Sri Maha Mairiamman below a Telekom tower, will endanger the lives of the priests and devotees.It considers the tower a health hazard.The Selangor Pakatan state government had recently allocated 15,000 square feet of land for the temple after BN had demolished it in 2007.
HRP pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar said: "From our records, forcing a place of worship under a Telco tower has never been done before in any other part of the world.

"Why are the Hindu temples singled out in Selangor and in Malaysia? Is it because Indians are soft targets and the poor and politically powerless Indians are easy to bully?" he asked.He also questioned the rationality in the Selangor state government's move to unveil the official signboard to gazette the temple land without quoting the date and gazette number.HRP also finds it rather insulting that the allocated temple land is on a mere 15,000 square feet of land which is just over one quarter acre.

HRP said this in an open letter dated Sept 24 to Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim made available to Malaysiakini today.HRP wants Khalid to provide the date and gazette number and whether the land title has been issued in the name of the temple trustees.Uthayakumar (right) said: "We regret to note that despite three years of PKR ruling Selangor, it is only now that the signboard has been unveiled and a mere promise of RM300,000 to rebuild this temple."

Information database

HRP is going on an ambitious plan to set up an information database of all the 2,540 Hindu temples located in Selangor.In their letter, HRP wants the state government to provide a list of all these temples together with details of how many have been granted land by the Selangor state government, the gazette date, and details of the land titles."In any event we regret to note that the atrocities committed by the previous state government on the Padang Jawa Hindu temple and demolishing 96 Hindu temples in Selangor, as ethnic cleansing, wiping out their over 200-year-old history and heritage."

He argued that 90 percent of the Malaysian Indians, having voted PKR, DAP and PAS to form the Selangor state government, are now only granted this piecemeal deal.Speaking on behalf of the estimated half a million in the Selangor Indian community, HRP wants to apply for another suitable five acre piece of land for the construction of the Padang Jawa Hindu temple, to undo the injustices that has happened to it and the other Hindu temples.This is necessary for the temple, a jasmine garden, a wedding hall, a community hall centre to serve the neighboring poor Indian community, a car park and land for future temple development, to be planted with coconut trees and banana plants sacred to the Hindus in the interim.

This could serve as Selangor's model Hindu temple which could become a prime tourist attraction.HRP also requested that the state government grant land to all 2,540 Hindu temples in Selangor in one go and gazette them under the name of their trustees.

Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/143959