SHAH ALAM, Feb 10 — The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has called for the issue of unauthorised temple construction to be stopped and resolved conclusively.

The Sultan of Selangor’s private secretary, Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, said that His Royal Highness wants the matter to be put to an end as it has long caused anxiety among all parties and has affected peace and harmony in society.

“The state government and local authorities are reminded to always scrutinise every application for the construction of houses of worship to ensure they are processed transparently, fairly and systematically, without disregarding the provisions of existing laws.

“Monitoring must also be continuously carried out by the authorities to curb and control the construction of houses of worship without permission on government and private land,” he said in a statement today.

According to Mohamad Munir, Sultan Sharafuddin has always been mindful of the sensitivities of Malaysia’s multiracial and multireligious society, in line with the principle of tolerance that forms the foundation of social harmony in the state.

As the Head of Islamic Religion in Selangor, His Royal Highness stressed that every house of worship must be built based on applications made and must obtain valid approval from the government and local authorities, in addition to complying with all laws and guidelines in force.

“Any construction of houses of worship without valid approval involving encroachment on government and private land will give rise to disputes among followers of different religions, which could ultimately pose threats and security risks to the state and the country,” he said.

Mohamad Munir said His Royal Highness had also been briefed by the state government on statistics concerning the construction of unauthorised Hindu temples in the state, totalling 687 temples as at Jan 31 this year.

“This involves 388 temples built on government land and 299 temples built on privately owned land. The number of unauthorised temples is high when compared with the Indian Hindu population in Selangor, which stands at approximately 11.3 per cent.

“This figure does not include temples across Selangor that were legally constructed and have obtained approval from the state authorities,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Munir said Sultan Sharafuddin also welcomed the statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who disagreed with the construction of any house of worship that does not comply with established rules and laws.

The matter was also discussed between the Sultan of Selangor and Anwar during their meeting in the capital two days ago.

“The firm stance of the Federal Government, as stated by the Prime Minister, is in line with the principles and approach consistently emphasised by the Sultan of Selangor, namely to ensure that every development carried out complies with existing laws and upholds good governance,” the statement said. — Bernama