FORMER officer-bearers of a Penang temple have hit out at Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB) chairman P. Ramasamy for labelling them as hooligans.

Sekar Kandasamy, a former president of the Sri Mangalanayagi Amman temple in Bukit Tengah, said the ruckus on December 24 last year took place because PHEB officials, including Ramasamy, forced their way into the house of worship.

The PHEB officials were rude and disrespectful as they wore shoes on the temple grounds, which sparked the commotion, he said.

“Although the Registrar of Societies has asked PHEB to take over the temple, there are proper ways to handle things.

“No notices were given to us about their visit. We only got to know about it through forwarded WhatsApp messages.

“Most Hindus know that temples close after pooja (prayer). This temple closes at 12pm and reopens at 6pm. When they arrived around 3pm, I told them that the temple was closed, but they didn’t listen and went on.

“They broke three locks and wore shoes on the temple grounds. That triggered the commotion,” Sekar told The Malaysian Insight.

Six individuals were arrested for rioting. They are expected to be charged at the Bukit Mertajam magistrates’ court.

Sekar said five of them are former temple committee members, and the other is a youth who helps with temple work.

RoS deregistered the Sri Mangalanayagi Amman temple last August, citing mismanagement, and asked PHEB to take over its management.

Penang approved the move last October with Governor Abdul Rahmah Abbas giving the assent in accordance with Section 4 of the Hindu Endowments Ordinance 1906.

Ramasamy, who is also Penang deputy chief minister ll, had said hooligans and thugs stopped PHEB from taking over the problematic temple.

He was referring to the ruckus on December 24, when he and PHEB officials went to the temple to take over its management.

“I was the person who led the PHEB team with the objective of announcing PHEB’s takeover of the temple management.

“Since the Sri Manglanayagi Amman temple had come under the management of PHEB, it was decided that some of its officials, including me, would visit the temple to announce the takeover and the appointment of a new management committee.”

There was an attempt to prevent them from entering the temple, and this was overcome by prising open the gate, he had said.

“Before we could commence our announcement, pandemonium broke out. A number of individuals, I would say hooligans, linked to the former temple association, sought to forcefully prevent us from speaking.”

Ramasamy added that the temple was deregistered because of its mismanagement of funds.

PHEB officials will visit the temple again soon to preside over the handover of duties to the new committee.

Sekar, meanwhile, agreed that nearly RM100,000 was mismanaged, but said an agreement was reached with the temple trustee to resolve the issue.

He said the committee was not given an opportunity to appeal the RoS decision.

“In 2013, the temple treasurer at the time couldn’t provide proper accounts for the missing funds, but he agreed to take full responsibility for it. Hence, he made an agreement with the trustee, and in 2018, he started paying RM1,000 monthly.

“So far, he has paid close to RM20,000, but he couldn’t continue because of the deregistration.

“We sent an appeal letter after getting to know about the move to deregister the temple, but we didn’t receive any reply.”

He said the previous committee is requesting that PHEB allow it to finish temple renovation works and hold the kumbhabhishekam (consecration ceremony) – a ritual performed every 12 years by Hindu temples.

Although the temple’s account is now frozen, there are sponsors keen to help it finish the renovation. – January 4, 2020.