SEAFIELD Sri Maha Mariamman temple committee members hope to finalise the appointment of trustees with the attorney-general in the next two weeks.

They said the matter of court-appointed trustees for the temple has been pending since it was suggested by the then attorney-general Tommy Thomas in 2019 following riots over the relocation of the building due to a land dispute.

Save Seafield Temple Task Force secretary V.K. Regu told The Malaysian Insight the delay has prevented repairs to the temple.

He hoped the AGC will hand over the care of the temple to the trustees without delay as promised.

“We will be meeting with our lawyers soon and hope to take the issue up with the AGC.

“We are waiting for the matter to be settled as we still need to fix the temple that was damaged during the riots,” he said.

In January 2019, following riots at the temple in November, Thomas had proposed for a board of trustees to be appointed to look after the Hindu temple in Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Thomas had said the 0.4ha plot of land on which the house of worship sits would be handed over to a court-administered trust.

This was seen as a win-win situation for the temple commmittee, the state government as well as the developer who had wanted the land for a project.

However, Thomas left office in February 2020 following the resignation of prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Thomas was replaced by Idrus Harun.

Regu said that they have been waiting for the trustees to be appointed before they can carry out renovation and repair works at the temple.

“Since the riots, nothing has been done. We need to do fencing, internal structures and other work.

“The temple is 159 years old. We simply cannot collect funds (for repairs) if there are no trustees.”

He added that currently the task force is the temple caretaker.

“We have to refurbish the temple in stages when funds are collected.”

In November 2018, then home minister Muhyiddin Yassin said a lawyer linked to the firm One City Development had hired Malay thugs to “secure” the temple ahead of its planned demolition.

Police investigations revealed the lawyer had paid the leader of a Malay group RM150,000 to storm the temple before officials from One City were to turn up accompanied by cops.

Some 50 people were hired for the job, and each paid between RM150 and RM300, said Muhyiddin.

Selangor police later said 13 suspects had been arrested in connection with the fracas, and charged in court.

Those charged were among the total of 106 suspects arrested following the riots.

In the violent episode at the temple, masked men intimidated devotees into leaving, and damaged the temple and vehicles.

Fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim was injured in the riots, and died about a month later. His death led to the coroners’ court conducting an inquest.

No one has been charged with his death. – April 16, 2021.