Batu Caves Condo Project: MIC and the other BN coalition partners must apologise to all for their councilors” silly mistake!

Media statement by M. Kula Segaran,  MP for Ipoh Barat and DAP National Vice Chairman in Ipoh on Saturday, 27 October 2012

Batu Caves Condo Project: MIC and the other BN coalition partners must apologise to all for their councilors” silly mistake!

Yesterday, internet portal Free Malaysia Today reported that  only some 300 people flocked to the Batu Caves temple to protest against a proposed high-rise development project. The attendance fell way below the organiser’s grand 100,000 target.

The two 29-storey condominium project was approved by the Barisan Nasional-led Selangor government in 2007.

It is obvious that even the attendance of former MIC president Dato Seri Samy Velu together with the Temple President Dato Nadarajah was not able to bring the sea of people as targeted.

Why so few people attended?

In fact the present MIC President Dato Palanivel had openly asked for protests all over the country but his call has failed miserably is

I am convinced the Malaysian public is aware who actually is the problem and has caused this unnecessary “headache" to Murugan temple of Batu Caves and to the Hindus of this country.

1.     DAP saved Batu CavesTemple in 1990.

For many years the Batu Cave lime stone area was authorised by the BN state Government for quarrying. The temple committee’s open objections and protest fell on deaf years. Finally, quarrying activities were endangering the temple and its surrounding.

In 1990, YB Lim Kit Siang and Sdr. A.Sivanesan from the DAP led a protest and it was then that the BN State Government finally revoked all quarrying licences on the Batu Caves area.

2.     Who approved the building of Condos?

The BN was the party running the Selangor Government in 2007 when the building plans for the condo project were submitted for the necessary approvals. The Selayang Local Council was the approving authority for this project.

At the material time, the present Deputy Foreign Minister A Kohilan Pillay was a councillor with 4 more from the MIC and many more from the BN Coalition. 

The councillors had the full authority to approve or reject this scheme.

What did they do?

They approved the project. Kohilan now has the audacity to say publicly that what was approved in 2007 was only a planning permit.  

The BN Councilors are guilty for the wrong done to the Batu Cave Murugan temple and the Hindu community. They and the BN government must be held responsible for their mistake.  

MIC should also reveal openly who were their appointed councillors who made the unacceptable decision to approve the condo project.  

Instead of trying to put the blame on Pakatan Rakyat government,   the MIC and the other BN coalition partners must apologise to all for their councilors” silly mistake!

3.     Solution

1) The nature society says it is unsafe to allow the construction of the condos.

2) The Temple Committee and politicians from the Government and Opposition are in agreement that the condo scheme should be scrapped.

3) Ordinary Malaysians feel the condo project could be done elsewhere.

DAP’s position is that the construction project must not proceed. This means that the project will have to be cancelled.

A win win solution can be worked out. The solution will be for the Selangor government to offer the developer some other strategic land in Selangor to compensate them from the cancellation of this project.