Hindu Sangam to hold 'urgent' town hall meeting with temples

Summary

• The Malaysian Hindu Sangam announces a town hall meeting with temples nationwide.

• The meeting will take place on April 6 in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.

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The Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) has announced an “urgent” town hall meeting with temples across the country, according to a post on its Facebook account.

The meeting, which follows a controversial temple relocation for the construction of a mosque, is scheduled to take place in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, on April 6, from 8am to 3pm.

The relocation of the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple in Jalan Masjid India has sparked polarised reactions, with a segment of social media users focusing on the legal status of Hindu temples.

A Facebook group was also created to report on such temples.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | Exploring temple crisis in the heart of KL

In response, lawyers representing the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple committee, including former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan and N Surendran, issued a clarification stating that the temple was not illegal.

The lawyers also denied claims that the temple is a “penceroboh” or trespasser, and is now being rewarded with land despite its own “wrongdoing”.

‘Nationwide registration’

On the Hindu Sangam Facebook page, one comment proposed that MHS conduct a nationwide registration drive to identify and document all Hindu temples.

“Work closely with authorities to secure land titles and gazette temples. Develop a digital mapping system to track a temple’s legal status and historical significance.

“Historical documentation is crucial in this matter, as there will be no room for others to question the temple’s historical significance. This registry must be transparent to all Hindus,” read the comment.

The comment also called for more workshops and seminars to educate temple committees on land laws, gazetting processes, governance, and compliance.

Yesterday, Urimai deputy chairperson David Marshel revealed that certain individuals are labelling temples as “kuil haram” (illegal) on Google Maps and demanded action against the hate speech.

“This is not only offensive but also a direct insult to the Hindu community in Malaysia. Many of these temples have existed for over 50 years, primarily in estates and suburban areas where Indian labourers have lived and contributed to the nation’s development.

“Labelling them as ‘illegal’ is an act of disrespect and discrimination,” he said.

‘Nationwide endowment board’

Meanwhile, Deputy National Unity Minister K Saraswathy said the government has no plans to establish a national-level Hindu endowment board to regulate and resolve temple-related issues.

She said the government expects to collect more data on land issues involving temples through a multi-stakeholder committee led by the MHS.

“Whether it is managed by an endowment board or a committee, the issues are the same - the ownership of the land and problems within the temple administration.

“If these two things are settled, then the endowment board would just be a regulatory body, like the Registrar of Societies is with the non-endowment temples,” The Star reported her as saying today.

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