SEBERANG PERAI, March 6 — Persatuan Kebajikan Surplus Pulau Pinang has cancelled its plans to hold a demonstration at a Hindu temple in front of Bukit Mertajam Hospital after discussions with temple representatives and police this morning.
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) chairman Sophian Mohd Zain said they held a discussion with the temple representatives and the police this morning and they have agreed to not go to the temple tomorrow.
“We want to clarify that we were only planning to visit the temple and to show the public the situation, where the temple is located but suddenly it became viral that we were going there to demolish the temple, this is not true,” he told reporters outside the Seberang Perai Tengah district police headquarters here.
He added that they are merely an NGO, and they do not have the authority to demolish any places of worship.
He said they had planned the visit for tomorrow because it was a public holiday so it will be easier for the NGO's members to attend. They were not aware that the temple would also be holding a religious celebration tomorrow.
“We are unaware of the religious celebration so, today, after we discussed with the temple representatives, we agreed not to go to the temple tomorrow so they can continue with their celebration,” he said.
He claimed that the original poster, which he had put up to announce their intention to visit the temple, had been manipulated using AI by certain parties to make it appear as if the group had planned to demolish the temple tomorrow.
He said there were even news reports yesterday claiming that he had issued statements insisting that they would continue with the planned visit tomorrow when he did not.
“Maybe we might lodge a report on this after this, we will discuss this with our lawyer later,” he said.
Sophian said he will make the announcement on his social media platforms that the visit to the temple tomorrow has been cancelled.
Meanwhile, Kuil Sri Dewi Muniswarar committee chairman M. Karthikesan said they held a peaceful discussion with Surplus Pulau Pinang members with the Seberang Perai Tengah district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Helmi Aris.
“We held a peaceful discussion and both parties have agreed to maintain the peace and harmony,” he said.
He said tomorrow there will be a religious celebration for devotees so those who attend the temple will only be there for prayers and to receive blessings from the deity.
He added that there will not be any protest from the temple too.
When asked how long the temple has been there, Karthikesan said the temple has existed for about 127 years, before Bukit Mertajam Hospital was built.
Sophian then called on the Health Ministry, the Seberang Perai City Council and Penang state government to issue statements clarifying the status of the temple.
