GEORGE TOWN: An angry Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy declared this morning’s Thaipusam silver chariot procession as illegal and threatened to take over the running of a Chettiar temple for violating an order not to hold processions due to concerns they will spread Covid-19.
The state had banned the Thaipusam procession this year because of the pandemic, but the chariot took off after a federal minister pulled some strings in allowing it to take place at the last minute.
Ramasamy said the procession was deemed illegal as the National Security Council (MKN) had declared it to be so.
The only exception MKN had given was for the chariot procession from a temple at Jalan HS Lee in Kuala Lumpur to the Batu Caves temple in Selangor, he said.
He said the Penang chariot procession, while claiming to only be limited to 10 people, had caused many to head to the Chettiar temple in the wee hours of the morning in anticipation of the chariot, with videos proving a large crowd of devotees gathering there.
Ramasamy said given the brazen violation of the state and MKN’s order that no processions should be held during the movement control order, Penang will consider censuring the organisers.
He said the Nattukottai Chettiars Trustees will also face a possible takeover of their temple under state law, if the state executive council and governor agreed to it.
“It was an illegal procession. Not only was it against MKN’s ruling but against the Penang government policy.
“If MKN had allowed the procession as claimed, there would have been approval in black-and-white, together with set SOPs (standard operating procedures), similar to the ones for the Batu Caves chariot procession. But there were none.
“We will be writing to the Chettiar temple committee to ask why action should not be taken against them for violating the order,” he said at a press conference at Komtar.
Ramasamy said the Chettiars continued to “peddle falsehoods” by saying they were forced to accept the no-procession decision. He said there were no objections from them at a meeting held earlier.
He said the decision to call off the Thaipusam festivities in Penang was not made by him, but collectively with the consultation of all parties, including the Chettiars. The decision was later affirmed by the chief minister.
In a broadside against federal minister M Saravanan, whom the Chettiars said was the sole reason why the procession was allowed to go on with a heavy police escort, Ramasamy said Saravanan had no business interfering in Penang matters.
“Saravanan called to tell me that the chariot could proceed. I told him, please don’t interfere with Penang matters.
“We are concerned over a worsening pandemic. It appears that Saravanan had asked senior minister for security Ismail Sabri (Yaakob) to give permission. MKN has not informed us about this,” he said.
He said it was better if Saravanan could use his energy to reinstate a Thaipusam public holiday in Kedah instead. Kedah had decided not to declare Thaipusam a holiday due to the pandemic.
Jelutong MP RSN Rayer, who is also Penang Hindu Endowments Board commissioner, said the Chettiars’ move in defiance of the state order was deplorable.
With Putrajaya allowing such processions, he said, people of other faiths will start demanding that they too want to go to their places of worship to pray.
“The issue of ‘if they can do it, why can’t we’ will prop up. If more Penangites die due to Covid-19, will Saravanan or the Chettiars take responsibility? Why did Putrajaya allow this when Covid-19 numbers are high?” he asked.
The Chettiars declined to comment for now.- FMT