PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) today welcomed Attorney-General’s recommendation on the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple issue, but felt it was unfair to take back the 0.4 ha plot given by Selangor state government because a temporary structure had already been built there.
Its president Datuk R S Mohan said the legitimate committee, headed by Chellappa Kalimuthu, had long agreed to relocate the temple and had in fact put up a temporary building called ‘Balastanam’ (shrine) to house the deities for the time being.
This construction was put up with part of the RM1.5 million given by the developer One City Development Sdn Bhd to the temple committee to build a temple at the new location.
“However, the sudden interference by another group in June 2017, which refused to have the temple relocated, is believed to be the cause of the chaos which has now resulted,” he said.
The temple committee was agreeable to shift the temple and entered into a consent judgment with One City Development, whereby the developer gave RM1.5 million to the committee to relocate the temple to a plot of land donated by the state government.
Mohan said if there was no issue regarding the relocation, why had the committee not carried out the judgment for four years, and had to wait for the Attorney General Tommy Thomas to intervene.
(Thomas had said the owner of the land where the temple is sited in USJ 25 had agreed to transfer the one acre plot to a trust to be administered by the High Court).
“If there was a way in law to overcome the consent judgment, why wasn’t it used to resolve the issue sooner. Why did we have to wait for four,” he questioned.
He said the hands of the MHS were bound due to the consent judgment.
“Even Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy said the temple shouldn’t be relocated. But after going through the judgment, as a lawyer, he felt nothing much could be done,” Mohan said, speaking to the NSTP when met at the MHS 2018 council meeting at Sri Subramaniar temple in Bandar Sunway here.
On the suggestion to form a temple trust, he said it needed careful selection of the board of trustee members because it involved responsibilities.
“I hope the selection of trustees is made carefully with representatives from MHS, and a reputable person is made in charge of the temple affairs,” Mohan said.
“The temple land tussle matter is coming up in court on Jan 11, and we look forward to the decision on the status of the land, the temple, and the money given by One City Development”.
Efforts to contact Chellapa for comments since yesterday have been futile.