In the wake of a spate of demolitions of Hindu temples built illegally on government land in Malaysia, two Indian organisations have urged authorities to give prior notice before taking such steps. The Malaysian Indian Congress and the Malaysian Hindu Sangam have also set up a committee to look into the sensitive issue of the recent demolitions and have established a set of guidelines to assist temples facing possible demolition.
One of the steps includes holding negotiations with the local authorities to prevent any demolition while talks are in progress. Committee Chairman A Vaithilingam, who is also the head of the Malaysian Hindu Sangam, said the relocation or demolition of a temple should be undertaken in accordance with Hindu rites and tradition and not the "humiliating manner" in which they were being carried out now, the Star newspaper reported.
He said the final notice for demolition should be given to the temple committee six months before the target date and a copy extended to the special committee. Meanwhile, Works Minister and head of the Malsysian Indian Congress Samy Vellu said he had held talks with the City Hall officials and they had understood the Hindus' plight and offered alternative sites.
It is estimated that there are about 20,000 Hindu temples in Malaysia with 2,000 established ones, 5,000 medium-sized ones and the rest shrines, the paper said. Temples were built on land owned by the plantation groups, public works department, railway authorities and electricity board among others.
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