'Stop using bulls to pull your chariot or we'll seize your temple'
The Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) has warned the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple management against using bulls to pull their silver chariot in the upcoming Thaipusam celebrations.
If the management refuses to pay heed, the board may consider taking over the temple, said PHEB chairperson P Ramasamy, adding that PHEB has every right to do so...
The Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) has warned the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple management against using bulls to pull their silver chariot in the upcoming Thaipusam celebrations.
If the management refuses to pay heed, the board may consider taking over the temple, said PHEB chairperson P Ramasamy, adding that PHEB has every right to do so.
The silver chariot procession last year made headlines - albeit for the wrong reasons, when allegations of animal abuse surfaced. The chariot contained many people on board, pulled by a pair of bulls.
The golden chariot, run by PHEB, meanwhile, is pulled by push back tugs.
Ramasamy, who is also Penang deputy chief minister II, also took the Chettiar temple committee to task over a remark of one of its trustees to the Star Online yesterday, saying the silver chariot has been traditionally drawn by bulls, which he likened to "mothers."
"If the Chettiars consider the bulls as their mothers, the animals should not be subjected to such extreme cruelty.
"Do we subject our mothers to extreme cruelty? We should be kind to the bulls and not exploit them during the festival," he told Malaysiakini.
He further told the temple committee to consider using the push-back tugs, as used by the golden chariot.
"We are willing to offer them the push back tug for a small fee. If they insist on having bulls for symbolic purposes, the animals can accompany the chariot, but do not let them be the ones drawing the chariot with devotees on top," Ramasamy added.
During last year's Thaipusam celebration in the state, a short video clip, showing a pair of bulls struggling to pull the 127-year-old silver chariot, with allegedly more than 10 people on board, went viral on social media. This raised the ire of netizens, who cried animal abuse.
Malaysiakini has contacted the temple committee for comments and is awaiting their reply.
At least a million people are expected to attend this year's Thaipusam celebrations in Penang, next Monday (Jan 21).
