JOHOR BARU: A Johor exco member has expressed regret over the demolition of the Malai Aalum Murugan Temple in Kangkar Pulai.
Johor unity, heritage and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar said the demolition, carried out by the Kulai Municipal Council (MPKU) on Dec 15, "was carried out on a state public holiday, without any prior notifying me as the state executive councillor directly responsible for matters concerning non-Islamic places of worship."
Raven urged all relevant agencies, especially local authorities, not to repeat such hasty actions.
Temple secretary M. Manimaran said the demolition took the temple committee and devotees by surprise, claiming they were not given any notice it would take place.
"We were all caught off guard. In fact, we only found out when a hiker near the temple took photos and videos, which eventually reached us," he said.
Manimaran was also critical of the manner in which statues of deities were removed, saying it was done without proper and respectful procedures.
He said the demolition occurred while negotiations with the local council were ongoing. "We have been in discussions with MPKU about the matter since January, after receiving a notice to vacate the site.
"We were granted several extensions in the past few months and based on our last discussion, we had until Oct 31.
"However, on Oct 9, we submitted another appeal for an extension but did not receive any reply," he said.
Manimaran said the temple committee plans to submit a memorandum to the Mentri Besar's Office on Monday (Dec 22) and has already collected over 1,000 signatures.
The Star has reached out to MPKU but have yet to receive a response.
