PUTRAJAYA, May 8 — Putrajaya will soon receive its first Buddhist house of worship, after MCA minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan launched the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday for the Dhammaduta Malaysia Buddhist Centre at its Presint 20 here.
In a report by The Star Online, Ong said the national Buddhist centre will be built on a 0.27-hectare government-owned land, as part of the plan for a multi-religious enclave in the country’s administrative capital.
“It represents and underscores the Government’s commitment to religious freedom, as stated in our Constitution,” the International Trade and Industry Minister II was quoted saying.
According to Ong, the centre will ensure that adherents nationwide will have a “Buddhist capital” there.
The Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia (BMSM) reportedly will raise around RM8 million for the construction of the centre, which will be its national headquarters.
Planned to be a two-storey building with a garden rooftop, BMSM president Loh Pai Ling also revealed that it would include a resource centre, training facilities and an education centre.
“It will feature contemporary designs with significant and symbolic elements to showcase the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion in modern times,” Loh was quoted saying.
Loh said the centre, which is set to be finished by August 2018, will cater to the around 2,000 Buddhists residing and working in Putrajaya.
The centre is located next to the Devi Sri Lalithaambigai Alayam temple complex which is still under construction — the first Hindu and non-Muslim house of worship to be constructed in Putrajaya.
There is no other non-Muslim house of worship in the federal territory, which is dominated by Malay-Muslim civil servants.
