KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 3, 2007: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has called upon all state governments and local authorities that wanted to demolish Hindu temples in their areas, to cease immediately, as their actions could be construed as being disrespectful to Hinduism. “The demolition of a temple in Kg Karuppiah, Padang Jawa, on Tuesday night hurt the feelings of the Hindu community in the area. “Temples are still being destroyed even though I have repeatedly brought the issue up during meetings with menteris besar and chief ministers,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He added that the first principle of the Rukun Negara was “belief in God” and that the government could not penalize those who merely wished to practice their religion and exercise their right to believe in God. “It is a well-known fact that the majority of Hindu voters, and almost the entire Indian community in fact, are Barisan Nasional supporters. “As such, I am pleading with the government to not resort to drastic measures like demolishing temples, even though they have been constructed illegally.”
Samy Vellu said the Indian community had no choice but to build their temples on private or government-owned land, as they did not own any land of their own to build the temples on in order to fulfill their religious obligations. He called upon state governments and local councils to find alternative locations to replace temples that are earmarked for demolition or to merge smaller temples on a bigger plot of land. “I would also like to advise Hindus to not build temples any where they please, but only on permitted land,” he said.