Protest over temple land leased for car wash

Butterworth residents stage a protest against the Penang Hindu Endowments Board for leasing a temple land for a car wash business.

BUTTERWORTH: A group of local ethnic Indian residents protested against the Hindu Endowments Board, Penang, for allegedly leasing out a temple land here for a car wash business.

The 20-minute peaceful protest was held today from 10am near the Jalan Siram – Jalan Telaga Air junction, next to a Hindu cemetery, on a land which belongs to the temple, Butterworth Sri Mariamman Kovil endowments.

The protesters condemned the commercial endevour as being against lay Hindu public interests and demanded Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy to resign immediately as the board chairman.

They also called on for the repeal of the Hindu Endowment Ordinance 1906 and abolishment of the board.

During the protest, they displayed anti-HEB and anti-Ramasamy banners and chanted similar slogans.
A protester A Raja said the board was overstepping its boundary as caretaker and trustee of Hindu properties under the temple jurisdiction.

“The board cannot simply privatise temple land without the committee’s knowledge,” said Raja.
When contacted, Ramasamy said he was unaware of the purpose of the protest.

He said that until now, no one from Butterworth had met him to discuss the controversial issue.
He added that he would have to gather details of the car wash leasing before he could response to the public.

“Anyway, I am willing to meet the people to find an amicable solution to the issue,” Ramasamy told FMT.

The unknown operator of the car wash business had already set up a shed and done some earth clearance on the plot of land.

No positive response

Raja (left) meanwhile said he had telephoned Ramasamy on Dec 14 after 9pm to inform the DAP leader on the Hindu public objection to the project.

“But I did not receive a positive answer,” Raja, a temple trustee at nearby Periacheeamman Alayam, told newsmen during the protest.

Another protester S Rajasegaran said the car wash operations would disrupt Hindu devotees’ frequent use of the land to perform religious rituals and rites during temple festivals.

He claims neighbourhood Hindus have been using the land for the purpose for past 150 years.
“Who is the board to take away our rights? It’s Hindu land, not the board’s,” insisted Rajasegaran.
When locals brought up the issue to the board’s attention several weeks ago, he said several board officials, who were inspecting the site, had brushed aside the locals’ demands.

Rajasegaran alleged that the officials even challenged locals “to do whatever you all want to do. We will carry out our project.”

“The board officials were rude and ill-mannered.”

No comments from HEB

When contacted, HEB official M Ramachandran declined to comment, saying that the board would issue a written reply to the controversy tomorrow.


Periacheeamman Alayam chairman K Jaganathan, 64, said under the colonial ordinance, the board was only a trustee to safe keep several Hindu properties.

As such, he cautioned the board of over-stepping its jurisdiction to manage Hindu properties in Butterworth because “the temple committee is the real manager.”

In today’s property market, value of the endowments, which are all located in prime areas, would be over RM500 million.