Title for temple indicates only half the allocated size

THE Taoist Mother of Dragon (Lung Mu) Temple in PJU 8 Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, plan to lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the reduced size of the land allocated to them.

Federation of Kwong Siew Association Malaysia president Ho Sai Chong said the temple was promised 30,492sq ft but the committee recently discovered the plans demarcating the temple land showed it was only half the allocated size.

“We had written to the state government numerous times and we understand that on June 28, 2012, March 15 and again on Dec 20, 2013, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had directed the district Land Office to issue a land title but nothing came out of it,” he said.

Temple adviser Datuk Dr Wong Sai Hou said that to make matters worse, the temple committee found out on July 18, 2013 that a commercial development was planned over half the land that was supposed to be alienated to them.

“From a struggle to get the land properly assigned to its organisation, the temple is now faced with the grim possibility of the land that was allocated to them being taken away by a third party.

Devotees of the temple want the Selangor government to issue the land title as promised.

 

“I support the temple devotees’ call for MACC to step in,” he added.

The former Selangor government under Barisan Nasional rule had, in March 2008, endorsed 30,492sq ft to be alienated to Lung Mu temple. However, to-date, Ho said the temple had not heard anything from the Land Office.

Ho said the Kwong Siew Association had also recently received a letter from the Malaysian Highway Authority with an enclosed layout of the project proposed by a developer, which showed that a road would cut through the 30,492sq ft land meant for the temple.

“Our 100,000 members strongly object to this. They see it as an encroachment because the members have pooled together RM300,000 to clean up the secondary jungle, landscape the area and build a temporary shrine.

“Without a land title, our temple is in a vulnerable position. We have appointed architects who designed a three-storey temple and a basement carpark but without a land title with a reference number, we cannot submit our plans to Petaling Jaya City Council,” added Ho.

Temple adviser K.W. Mak said governments could change but the original approvals must be honoured.

“Selangor government must honour the original approval of 30,492sq ft. Even if the government of the day has changed, the land allocated for a place of worship must be respected and fulfilled,” he said.

He stressed that the Land Office should not award part of the temple land for other development as it went against the spirit of the intended land use.

Ho said the temple had no intention of moving to an alternative site as the current location had the advantage of improved public transport connectivity.