LETTER | I wish to respond to the suggestion made by the Penang police chief Commissioner A Thaiveegan that for Thaipusam in Penang next Wednesday, there should be fewer stops for both the chariots or alternatively the stops for both the chariots be reduced to enable the chariots to reach the temples on time.

I wish to state here that Thaipusam in Penang is a very grand affair and is celebrated in extraordinary manner every year by the Hindus not only from Penang but also from all over the world.

Many local Chinese and tourists from all over the world gather along the streets and roads to witness this once a year religious event paying homage to Lord Muruga.

Last year with the arrival of the Golden Chariot, the procession on the eve of Thaipusam in Penang became more grander with devotees being able to pay homage to the “Golden Vel” and the Silver Chariot together.

There were no major issues such as traffic congestion as everything was well coordinated by the temple management committee and the police. The crowd was also very orderly and everything went on smoothly.

The delay, if any, was caused by the increase in the number of devotees and the coconuts broken and this is something to be expected every year.

The suggestion made by the police chief to reduce the stops for both the chariots to ensure that the chariots reach the temples faster is not something that will be well received by Penangites.

As a commissioner of the Hindu Endowments Board, I think its wrong to liken the stops by the chariots along the procession route to “bus stopping every time someone flagged it”.

Thousands of devotees wait along the procession route every year to pay homage and it has been a norm for the chariots to stop at every refreshment stall or “thaneer panthal” to allow the devotees to offer their prayers.

The duty of the police is to provide security during Thaipusam and the Penang police have done a splendid and excellent job in maintaining peace and order during Thaipusam over the last few years.

However any attempt to rush the Silver and Golden Chariot procession will certainly stifle the Thaipusam ceremonies and I hope that the Penang

police chief Commissioner A Thaiveegan is not serious about “speeding up the procession time for the chariots” as we the devotees in Penang cannot and do not want to be rushed.

The writer is state assemblyperson for Seri Delima.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.