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Malaysia body tells Sikhs no land
left for you
WSN Network
PENANG:
Malaysia’s Penang Development Corporation has refused land allotment
for a Sikh Gurdwara Committee thus shattering the hopes of the Bayan
Baru Sikh community to have a gurdwara of its own. Malaysian Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was approached early last
year to seek allotment of land in the Bayan Baru non-
Islamic
enclave for the Sikh Community. Earlier, land was allotted to
different communities, including the Christians, Hindus and
Buddhists who have already constructed their places of worship;
however other communities, including the Sikhs in Bayan Baru, have
to share the common carpark with followers of other religious
faiths. Manjit Singh, an official of Bayan Baru Gurdwara
Association, alleged that the Sikh Community has grown rapidly and
greatly needed its own place of worship. He claimed that earlier, a
0.4 ha piece of land had been allotted to the Sikh Community but
local Sikhs were never able to construct a Gurdwara building there.
He asked the Prime Minister to re-allot the land bank to the Sikh
Community.
Datuk Rosli Jafar of the Penang Development Corporation alleged that
no such land was allotted for construction of a Gurdwara. He said
that he respects the wishes of the Sikh Community but the question
of returning the land to the Sikh Community was not feasible as the
corporation does not have any spare land left for allotment
purposes. Mr. Jafar did say that he was open for a dialogue if the
Sikh Community was keen at developing its own Gurdwara, however he
suggested the use of the common carpark. Local Sikhs are expected to
meet soon to discuss the possibility of raising a dialog with the
Penang Development Corporation.
7 January 2009
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