PENANG Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P Ramasamy has clarified that it was not his intention to provoke anyone when he wrote a letter to Kedah Mentri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, asking the latter to solve the problem pertaining to the recent demolition of a Hindu shrine in Kedah, amicably.
“The caretakers came to see me and asked for my response as the Penang Hindu Endowments Board chairman. Hence, I wrote a nice letter to the Kedah MB to advise him to solve the matter in an amicable manner.
“I only asked him to discuss and consult the caretakers and solve the matter peacefully. Instead, he said that I was ‘needling’.
“The Kedah MB said that the Kedah government had offered the caretakers an alternative site for the shrine. I know that is not true,” Dr Ramasamy responding to a question by a journalist during a press conference in Komtar today.
Dr Ramasamy said the incident had tarnished the image of the Kedah government.
It was reported by an online news portal that the Hindu shrine, located under a tree opposite the Alor Setar rail station, had been demolished by the Alor Setar City Council (MBAS) in the early hours of July 9.
It was also reported that MBAS had served an eviction notice on the demolition plan a few weeks earlier, adding that the shrine was built ‘illegally’ on road reserve land and was disrupting traffic flow.
Dr Ramasamy said that the demolition of the Hindu shrine was not the only incident.
“I understand that the Chinese religious groups are planning to send a memorandum to the Kedah MB and the Sultan over what happened recently,” he said.
It was reported that the Chinese associations in Kedah had met over a series of ‘clear out notices’ sent by MBAS to Chinese places of worship over the past month.
The news report quoting Kedah Chinese Assembly Hall said notices were served on the managements of about 10 Chinese shrines and temples for illegally building places of worship or having gone against building use rules.
Dr Ramasamy added that the Pakatan Harapan Penang government does not simply tear down places of worship during its 12 years of governance.
“We discuss and see what can be done whenever there is a problem,” he said.