COMMENT | Addressing the issue of land ownership among temples requires an in-depth understanding of the issue. If one thinks we can address all of it by playing along racial and religious lines, then trust me - we will face the same problem again and again in the coming years.

I came across the comment by Malaysian Advancement Party president, P Waythamoorthy on the MIC president's statement requesting all soon to be built Hindu temples to have proper land ownership and documentations.

Why is that being made an issue now? Was his advice wrong? Or did he mention that all temples without proper documentation or facing issues with land ownership be demolished as being propagated by some?

Like it or not, we all know what's the answer is. Let me recap some important facts on land ownership among Hindu temples in Malaysia.

The last survey conducted on temples and their land ownership status was around 2009. It was carried out by Malaysian Hindu Sangam and the Educational, Welfare & Research Foundation Malaysia (EWRF). The outcome of the survey was submitted to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the survey received reasonable funding for subsequent phases.

One of the main outcomes of the study was that we managed to have detailed data on temples and their land ownership status. Here's a breakdown of the ...