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Approvals for the building of churches and temples are 'extremely' difficult' to obtain from the authorities concerned and this includes both land and building applications for such places of worship.

This is revealed in a book The Journey of the Catholic Church in Malaysia, 1511 to 1996 authored by Sister Maureen KC Chew and released last year.

"Allocation of places of worship and burial grounds have not been made in the master plans of some of the new towns," adds the writer in her 500-page paperback.

The book outlines the history of the Catholic religion in Malaysia spanning 485 years from the Portugese occupation of Melaka up to the present day.

The writer also deals with all aspects of the Malaysian church-experience and explores the achievements, ambiguities, tensions, and nuances that characterise church-state and church-Vatican relations.

Chew says that several reports, such as the Report of Survey for Johor Baru, Mukim Plentong and Pasir Gudang, recommended that Muslims be given an 'allocation ratio of 1:800 (population) with a spatial requirement of 0.4 hectares for a mosque, and 1:250 (population) with a spatial requirement of 0.1 hectares for a surau .

For non-Muslims, she added, the ratio given was 1:4,000 (population) with a spatial requirement of 'suitable standards' for a church or temple.

"Leaders of the non-Muslim religions in the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBCHS) objected to the disproportionate allocation and proposed that the standard 1:800 population and 0.4 hectares be allowed for non-Muslims as well," she said.

"When the Plentong and Pasir Gudang draft structure plan was released it was noticed that the MCCBCHS' proposals were rejected. The 'suitable standards' for church and temple buildings were later set at 0.2 hectares," she added.

Approval withdrawn

Chew points out that while town planners in Shah Alam, Selangor had allocated suitable sites for mosques and surau , Hindu temples on former estate land had to 'hang on' in their dilapidated states as there were no signs of alternative sites or compensation.

She also cited the example in Shah Alam where the constructions of a proposed Catholic church has been stalled since1977 after the Selangor state government allocated and sold a 1.116 acre site to the Catholic Church in 1985.

Formal approval to build the RM3.5 mil church at Section 24, Shah Alam was granted eight years later in May 1993.

"However, a committee of representatives from various Islamic associations, welfare organisations and political parties in the district protested," said Chew, adding that a memorandum was subsequently submitted to Menteri Besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib on Aug 16 the same year.

"It (the memo) said that the construction of the church could challenge the sanctity of Islam as the country's official religion and the position of Muslims as a whole," says Chew in her book.

She said Muhammad later instructed the Shah Alam municipal council to withdraw its earlier approval for the church's construction after which the Catholic Church sent three appeal letters to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad without result.

No dialogues

Chew said that the church authority was then asked to revise their building plans by the state government which it subsequently did and formal approval to build the church was again given on June 17, 1995.

"The local residents again mounted protests," said Chew adding that on Oct 5, the menteri besar announced via the media that a more suitable site would be made available for the church and a dialogue session would be arranged with the church authorities to seek an amicable solution.

However, according to Chew, no dialogue sessions were arranged and since there was no official communication to stop work, piling and related ground works at the site proceeded. "However, all works stopped in compliance with a letter dated Feb 2, 1996 from the Shah Alam Municipal Council," she said.

Chew also quotes an excerpt from the speech made the country's present King, the Sultan of Selangor, at an investiture ceremony at the Istana Shah Alam on the occasion of his 57th birthday in 1984. The Sultan had commented then:

"I am very happy to see many mosques and surau throughout the state, including in Shah Alam. But I am very unhappy to see that there is not a single place of worship in Shah Alam for non-Muslims.

I am also aware that portions of land have been identified for non-Muslim places of worship but its conversion has been stopped, perhaps by the state government or the Selangor State Development Corporation."

SUSAN LOONE is a malaysiakini journalist.