14
speak up!
A complex situation
WITH our Hindu friends and relatives
celebrating Deepavali only yesterday,
one cannot be faulted for questioning
the timing of this article. There is no
mischief or sinister agenda involved.
Only to educate and highlight a grave
danger that could affect the lives of
many.
The Sivan Temple on Bukit Gasing
has been in the news for all the wrong
reasons of late. Instead of adorning
tourism brochures as an attraction in
Petaling Jaya, the 40-year-old site has
been receiving bad press following a
landslide in mid-March.
What started out as a shrine and then
a moderate temple today is progressing
to be the country’s largest temple
complex after Batu Caves. The original
temple is being renovated and extended
on a massive scale which as it turns into
a grand and beautiful work of art, is also
a ticking time bomb.
The Public Works Institute (Ikram)
had also raised the alarm over the
manner in which the temple is being
renovated and extended.
There are 36 meditation huts being
constructed, complete with a dragon
on the East end of the temple. (I hope
someone can explain the links between
dragons and Hinduism).
Without a doubt, the three-storey
building which will eventually be able
to accommodate up to 8,000 people will
be a magnificent sight and a magnet
to tourists and worshippers who while
fulfilling their curiosity and religious
obligations, can also enjoy breathtaking
views of Petaling Jaya from the 1,500m-
high plateau.
But the manner in which the
complex is being constructed is a cause
for concern. With the recent spate of
landslides and commercial hillslope
development on this sensitive tract of
land, there is a clear and present danger
that any construction that ignores
guidelines is a recipe for disaster.
Imagine a collapse during a festival
with thousands of worshippers in
attendance. One shudders to think of the
consequences.
The Petaling Jaya City Council
(MBPJ) has since issued a stop-work
order. This too after realising that the
temple complex – the blueprint of which
was originally supposed to be 1,400 sq
metre in size – has now progressed into
a mega development measuring 5,700
sq metre.
And now revelations are being
unearthed that the land on which
the temple sits belongs to the state
government.
In spite of MBPJ enforcement officers
TELLING IT AS IT IS
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parked outside
the temple,
contractors and Down2Earth
workers are
still visible on by Terence Fernandez
the site.
One understands the reluctance of
the authorities to take any action as
religious sensitivities are involved. But
even so, the temple authorities owe it
to their worshippers and the people
living below the slope to ensure that
everything is done above board.
Digging a hole under a
communications tower and building a
wall standing precariously on a slope is
asking for trouble.
They cannot hide behind religion
to flout guidelines and pose dangers to
people. One is sure the Gods would not
approve of it.
Since the stop-work order was
issued, there have been certain groups
who have been claiming unfair
treatment and victimisation. Let us
be clear here. If you flout the law you
pay the price. All buildings – mosques,
temples and churches included – have
guidelines for their construction.
These guidelines are not there
for cosmetic purposes, and are not
meant to make things difficult for any
community. They are there to ensure
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all aspects of safety are taken into
consideration.
The previous Selangor government
had demolished many houses of
worship – including suraus – that
were built illegally. (Of course the
manner and timing of some of these
enforcement activities have raised
questions and the ire of worshippers,
but that’s another story)
These Those who thumb their noses at
guidelines these guidelines are demonstrating
that they could not care two hoots for
are not the lives and welfare of others – and in
there for the case of the Sivan Temple complex,
cosmetic including the lives of the priests and
caretakers who will reside there.
purposes, The politicians and activists who
and are have been playing the racial card
not meant should take stock of the situation and
to make realise that what is being questioned
things is not one’s religious rights, but basic
safety issues. It is a simple case of
difficult obtaining planning approvals and
for any ensuring that your actions do not
com- endanger others.
munity. Those who have been generously
funding the construction of the
They are complex must also be responsible
there to in ensuring that the development is
ensure all done according to legal and safety
aspects standards. Surely they would not want
of safety rubble and casualties to be the final
testimony to their contribution.
are taken
into con-
sideration. Terence wishes all Hindu readers a
Happy Deepavali and hopes religious
authorities of all faiths will abide by
the law when building their houses
of worship. Feedback: terence@
thesundaily.com.