LETTER | On May 19, the United Rights of the Malaysian Party (Urimai) was at the site of the Sri Maha Mariamman temple at the Kulim Hi-tech Park.

The Land and Mines Office has instructed the temple to be relocated to another site as the land is need for the expansion of the Kulim industrial park.

Years back the temple was located in a plantation owned by Sime Darby Plantations.

In other words, the temple is not an illegal construction.

Kedah state executive councillor Wong Chia Zhen is in touch with the temple committee headed by Kishore Kumar to identify suitable land for the relocation of the temple.

The land identified earlier is about 12km from the present site with four other temples in the vicinity.

The temple committee wants a site not too far from the existing place with the presence of the Hindu community.

It is good that Wong - who is in charge of Chinese, Indian and Siamese affairs - is taking the responsibility to find a suitable site for relocation.

Best possible option

Urimai’s interim council members including David Marshel, Satees Muniandy and I were present at the small gathering at the temple at 4.30pm.

David had established contacts with the temple committee earlier.

Urimai was there just to give moral support to the temple committee to negotiate with the Kedah government for a favourable and mutually agreeable solution to the temple’s relocation.

The expansion of the Kulim industrial park would make it difficult for the temple to function in the same place.

Urimai hopes that a negotiated settlement for the temple’s relocation remains the best possible option for the longevity of the historical temple, an important identity marker for the Hindus in the area.

I have urged Satees, who is Urimai’s secretary-general, to write a letter to Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor to look into the problems faced by other Hindu temples in the state.

Urimai firmly believes that no Hindu temple in the country should be demolished or removed in the name of development.

There is always a humanitarian way of resolving problems faced by Hindu temples in the country. The ugly and unsavoury history of Hindu temples being torn down in the name of development cannot be easily forgotten.

Whoever said that development cannot co-exist with religious structures in the country?

Material and spiritual or religious development should go hand in hand with the nation’s progress.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.