The construction of a row of toilets located opposite the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple will be completed despite a series of protests led by Shah Bandaraya MIC chairperson KP Samy.

klang toilet near mosque temple church 140409 “After gathering feedback from the traders, hawkers and local residents in that area as well as looking into all the complaints that the MPK have received so far, the council has decided that the current location is the most appropriate.

“There is no reason why the toilet’s location should be a problem. They are located quite a distance away from the places of worship. And the toilets are already 80 percent completed anyway,” said Selangor exco member Dr Xavier Jayakumar when contacted by Malaysiakini today.

He added that the construction of the toilets will be completed in about a month.

He also made a statement in community paper Sinar Harian today that since the toilets were funded by the federal government, putting its construction on hold would disrupt the flow of development funds from the federal government to the Selangor state government.

The location of the toilets have been the subject of dispute over the last few weeks, after some local residents complained that their location near the famous temple as well as a mosque and two churches was inappropriate.

Protest letter sent to council

The protest escalated after a rally by local NGOs and Samy led a group of shop owners to submit a protest letter to the Klang Municipal Council (MPK).

estate worker suhakam chairman resignation 080207 xavier jayakumar Nevertheless, Jayakumar commented that Little India – as Tengku Kelana is fondly known – was a tourist hotspot and that the influx of tourists meant that there was an acute need for toilets in that area.

In addition, Jayakumar remarked that KP Samy’s protests were a desperate attempt to gather publicity for himself, and noted that there were bigger social issues to settle.

“There may be small groups out there protesting against this project but at the end of the day, our decision (to build the toilets) was made in the interest of the public.

“We meant no disrespect to anyone or any group.”

Toilet project put on hold?

However, Samy gave a contrasting account of the status of the project.

He claimed that a MPK engineer by the name of Jerauf told him that the project had been put on hold.

kp samy interview 300108 point Referring to Jayakumar's statement in Sinar Harian , Samy said: “Dr Xavier’s excuse was most unacceptable. The federal government may be the one providing development funds, but it is the state government that has a say in approving the project.

“Anyway, I have submitted a letter to the Tourism Ministry today to seek explanation on this matter.”

He revealed that he had planned another protest rally tomorrow, but that it was now postponed for the weekend.

He also dismissed Jayakumar’s suggestion that he was just garnering publicity for himself, adding that: “I do not need any publicity. I am merely defending Hindu rights.”