BUSINESSMAN Vincent Tan, who has initiated a fund-raising campaign for Sri Maha Mariamman Temple to acquire the land on which it sits in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, is confident the owner of the land will sell.

He said he personally knew the chief executive officer of Ayala Corporation, which subsidiary owned the land.

“Ayala Corp is the largest and oldest company in the Philippines, the owner is a kind, respected person who loves doing charity work.

“Ayala Corp may give us big discounts, I believe the company will do something good for their business in Malaysia,” he told a news conference after visiting the temple.

Also present was Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

Ayala Corporation early this year acquired a 66.25%  stake in local property company MCT Bhd (MCT), the parent company of One City Development Sdn Bhd, which owns the land.

Tan said the donation drive to fund the acquisition had raised RM2 million so far.

Meanwhile, Dr Xavier at the same press conference asked all those who signed the consent judgment to return to the negotiating table to find a solution.

The temple’s relocation triggered riots in the nearby area on early hours of Monday and Tuesday, which saw a firefighter seriously injured. More than 20 vehicles were set on fire and the glass panels of One City, about a kilometre away, smashed.

Fifty-eight people have been arrested in connection with the incidents. – Bernama, December 3, 2018.