Kudat Chinese community and religious leaders today held a meeting with Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman in Kota Kinabalu over the halted construction of a Mazu Goddess statue.

At the meeting these representatives of the Chinese community were give an assurance by the Chief Minister that an alternate spot would be found in Kudat to build the statue.

However these community representative were not consulted on the new location, said a community leader who attended the meeting.

The leader, who wished to remain unnamed, said Musa informed them that the construction of the statue was stopped halfway due to its "close proximity" to a mosque.

Apparently Musa had received several objections from other communities regarding the Mazu project in view of its closeness to the mosque.

The project was then stopped by the local district council after taking into consideration the religious sensitivities involved in it.

"Musa did not ask our opinions about alternative location but they promised that they will soon figure it out," said the community leader.

Tourist attraction

The community leader also said that Musa, who is also the Sabah Umno chief, gave his assurance that everyone in Malaysia has the right and freedom to profess their own religion.

Musa also promised that the government was willing to compensate for the relocation of the Mazu project or to provide basic infrastructure like road or allowance, added the leader.

The statue in Kudat, which would have been the world's tallest Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) statue project, was mooted as a tourist and economic attraction for the district.

Previously Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang had said that the project, if had been continued, would have enhanced the nation's international tourist competitiveness by drawing tourists from China, Taiwan and Japan.

Former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Chong Kah Kiat, the state assemblyperson for Tanjung Kapor, revealed last week that Musa's decision to stop the project was a main reason for his decision to quit as Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment last month.

Undemocratic government

Earlier today, Sabah's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) took Musa to task over the decision to stop the project, urging him to re-start works on the 10-storey-high statue.

"If the PAS-led Kelantan state government could approve three largest Buddha statues in its Muslim-dominated state, there's no reason why Sabah need to abolish the Mazu project," Sabah PKR liaison deputy chief Christina Liew, a lawyer, added.

"Chong's revelation on his reasons for the resignation confirmed to the Sabah people that the Umno-led BN government is an inconsistent, undemocratic government that lacks credibility and transparency," Liew said.

"It shows the arrogant attitude of the present state government, that the Chief Minister has the right to order termination of any project anytime without consideration of money and resources spent, as well as the sentiments of the larger community," she added.

"If this can happen to Mazu project, it can also happen to any other projects," she said.