Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has castigated MCA for criticising the Penang government over a 70-year-old shrine, when it was its ally Umno, which he claimed had wanted the structure “demolished”.

However, state opposition leader Jahara Hamid later clarified she only questioned the presence of the shrine in the public park, and did not ask for it to be torn down.

Lim said the state government viewed the issue as a matter of heritage and freedom of religion, and his views were mentioned in a Malaysiakini report yesterday.

In the report, the chief minister said if the shrine was an illegal structure, it would have been torn down, like the illegal Goddess Mazu structure in Pulau Jerejak.

"If we did not defend the shrine, it would have already been demolished," he told a press conference at the state legislative assembly today.

"Umno and MCA are playing politics. MCA should criticise Umno, which raised the issue about the shrine.

"If they are really interested in the issue, they should ask Umno to withdraw its statement to have the shrine relocated or demolished," he added.

He was responding to MCA religious harmony bureau chief Ti Lian Ker, who slammed the chief minister for treating the shrine as a heritage relic instead of defending freedom of religion.

Ti described Lim as a "coward" and suggested that the DAP secretary-general was perhaps afraid of offending Muslims by treating the issue as a heritage matter instead of "sticking by his guns to defend this custom, belief and practice of the Chinese of making peace with local spirits".

Earlier, Ti had Jahara to task for questioning the presence of the shrine in the newly refurbished Armenian Park.

Jahara in her speech to the state assembly last week said some Muslims might become confused by the shrine and so its position must take into account the sensitivities of other races.

Lim expressed regret that the issue was raised by Jahara when it should not have been cropped up at all.

"Jahara even seems to know more than us in the state government and said we have received complaints about the shrine.

"However, Komtar assemblyperson Teh Lai Hing confirmed that there had been no complaints received regarding the shrine, which has been in the park since World War II.

"It is regrettable and painful as it is an attempt to whip up religious sentiments. Both parties in BN criticise us and they are playing a malicious and dirty game," he said.

He said the park - a project by the state government and federal agency Think City - is situated in the middle of George Town's heritage site.