Don’t demolish 100-year-old temple until solution reached – Ramasamy

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11: Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy said that land ownership should not be an excuse to demolish the 100-year-old Sri Jada Muni temple at Ladang Alma, Bukit Mertajam.

“Recently, landowners have taken action to demolish several structures at the temple site after obtaining court order.

“Although all parties have agreed that the temple land is the right of the owner, the state government should not allow any party to take action to demolish any house of worship including the Hindu temple without an amicable solution,” he said in a statement.

Ramasamy, who is also Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) chairperson, said all parties should abide by local authority’s regulations before demolishing the temple.

Ramasamy added that he has also written a letter to the landowner to stop any demolition action and hold discussions with relevant parties for an amicable solution.

He said that the PHEB will take efforts to ensure a suitable solution is found on this issue.