I refer to an article in The Star dated 7 March 2017 on a rebuttal by Gerakan’s Kohilan Pillay on the issue of land allocation for places of worship in Bagan Jermal, Penang.
I would like to correct The Star in a statement today implying that I had suggested “that building churches and temples next to three huge sewage ponds is better than under trees and at shop houses”. This is a gross error on the part of The Star and a retraction, a correction and an apology to this statement must be made.
In the same vein, I would like to throw a question to Gerakan if they also share the same concern on state land allocated for places of worship in Barisan Nasional led state governments for non-Muslim places of worship as what they are doing in Penang.
Many devotees and parishioners have approached the state government of Penang and local elected representatives to assist them in securing land to be used as a place of worship for their building for fear of being relocated, or due to the forces of nature such as floods. With the intention to legalise these places of worship, the state government therefore has allocated these 32 lots on state land for application in Bagan Jermal for non-Muslim worship houses in Penang.
To date, the state government has already received more than 30 applications and more enquiries have been made regarding the application for land.
If Penang, the second smallest state in Malaysia, where land is scarce, is able to allocate state land for the purpose of building places of worship then, will Gerakan also thump its chest and express the same concern over allocated land for future development for places of worship in Barisan Nasional states.