KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 — A dedicated regulatory body should be created to oversee the registration, land status, and dispute resolution of Hindu temples, the Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) said today.
The Hindu advisory group stated that it is prepared to lead the initiative, in collaboration with the government, to safeguard the rights and heritage of the Hindu community.
“This body should also initiate discussions with relevant authorities on legalising the status of Hindu temple lands to provide long-term security and protection for places of worship,” it said in a statement today.
The proposal comes after plans to demolish and relocate the 132-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple along Jalan Munshi Abdullah near Masjid India to make way for a mosque came to light recently.
Lawyers representing the temple said that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had ordered the temple, along with its original artefacts and relics, to move to its current site in 2008.
Meanwhile, Batu MP P. Prabakaran said that the temple’s application to convert the title to land reserved for a non-Muslim house of worship in 2012 was also rejected.
The land was reportedly bought by Jakel Trading from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in 2014, with plans to construct a mosque there.
However, the temple’s lawyers claimed that the temple was only informed it was residing on privately owned land in 2016 — two years after the land sale.
Given the circumstances, MHS said maintaining the temple at its current location, alongside the proposed mosque, would be the best arrangement for all parties.
“Such an arrangement would demonstrate to the world Malaysia’s commitment to coexistence amidst diversity,” it added.
MHS also refuted allegations that many Hindu temples in the country were operating illegally, which have been circulating on social media following the incident.
It said that many Hindu temples were established with proper approval during the British colonial era, but land sales and urban development after independence had rendered the status of some temples ambiguous.
