'Protesters wrong, land belongs to us'

The Hindu Endowment Board (HEB), which got a beating from Butterworth residents yesterday for allegedly having grabbed land belonging to a temple, has clarified that it owns the plot in question.

HEB executive director M Ramachandran said the site falls within the Butterworth Endowments, which comes under the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Butterworth.

The same goes for the Dewan Sri Mariamman on Jalan Mengkuang and the Hindu cemetery on Jalan Siram.

"The question of land grab, or of anyone's rights being seized, or the board becoming a trespasser or overstepping its boundary as caretaker and trustee of Hindu properties - including the board privatising temple land - does not arise at all," Ramachandran told a press conference today.

Yesterday, a group of Hindus  staged a protest at the Sree Gangatharan Shiva Peruman Temple on Jalan Siram, where a plot of land has been leased out to private business operators from Pengkalan Weld and Taman Bagan.

They were among some 30 protesters who carried banners castigating the Penang government and Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy for allowing the land to be used for commercial purposes.

They also claimed that the HEB had failed to consult residents about this, particularly since the land is used by devotees for an annual fire-walking festival in May.

The protesters targeted Ramasamy, who is also HEB chairperson, and demanded his resignation, saying he has been arrogant and rude to them over requests not to use the land.

However, Ramasamy (right) said the land comes under the board and denied the land grab allegations.

He also denied having spoken to any of the protesters about the issue. As such, Ramasamy said, the allegations about his ‘unbecoming’ conduct did not arise.

Ramachandran, a former Seberang Perai municipal councillor, said the land was leased to a car wash centre and second-hand goods dealer, following applications from the Indian business owners.

The HEB, consisting of 12 commissioners, had discussed the matter before granting approval last month.

Ramachandran said the land would only be leased out to Indian operators and that residents would be consulted if any big project was to take place.

He noted that the portion leased out was formerly used by state water authority contractors as a site to dump granite stone and that it had been since been covered by thick undergrowth.

"The site does not in any way affect or encroach into the (area) allocated for use during the festival," Ramachandran added.

"Many Indians have approached us, asking to lease small portions of the vacant land for business as they are currently operating on local council and private land. They will thus encounter various problems, including compound payments and evictions.”

‘No seizure of property’

Ramachandran insisted that the HEB has never seized property belonging to temples and urged complainants to provide the necessary evidence to back such claims.

He also dismissed reports quoting K Jeganathan as chairperson of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple.

Jeganathan was quoted as having urged the board not to take away the land as it was one of the few places where Hindu festivals were be carried out yearly.

Ramachandran denied that any temple committee member, including those from the Sree Gangatharan Shiva Peruman Temple, had taken part in the protest.

The protesters had warned that they would raise the matter with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the courts if the purported 'land grab' issue was not resolved within a week.

Ramachandran replied that it anyone has the right to raise problems with the MACC or courts, adding "we have no problem with it".