MIC’s Mugilan accused of swindling temple

A police report says he took, without authorisation, 20% of RM2 million for a crematorium project.

HULU SELANGOR: A local association has accused MIC youth leader V Mugilan of misappropriating funds meant for a crematorium project in Serendah.

The Serendah Indian Community Association last Sunday lodged a police report alleging that Mugilan worked in cahoots with certain office bearers of the Sri Selva Vinayaga Temple to take out RM400,000 from a RM2 million fund without authorisation.

The Federal Government gave the money to the temple last May to fulfil a promise it made in 2009 during the campaign for the Hulu Selangor by-election.

“We planned to build a crematorium and a hall to benefit the Indians in Serendah,” said K Sathiaselan, a spokesman for the association and a temple trustee.

However, he added, the association learned two weeks ago that $400,000 had been withdrawn from the fund without any announcement to the temple committee.

“When I asked the temple president about the money, he claimed that it was to be spent on drafting a plan for the crematorium,” he said.

“This is strange. As far as I know, RM400,000 is enough to build an entire crematorium.”

But Mugilan, who is deputy chief of MIC Youth, told FMT that the money was used to pay a deposit to the contractor for the project and represented 20% of the cost.

He said he was appointed by the temple committee in 2008 to oversee the project.

“The project is my brainchild,” he said. “Indians from Bukit Beruntung and Sentosa have to travel all the way to Petaling Jaya to cremate their dead, which is time consuming.

“I even have a letter from the temple appointing me as a coordinator for the project.”

Sathisalen also said the contract was given to a Malay company in direct negotiations instead of through open tender.

Asked to comment on this, Mugilan declined.

“I believe the people making noise about this are not even from the temple committee,” he said. “It is a ploy by certain quarters to tarnish my name because if the crematorium is successfully built, it will bring thousands of additional votes to the Barisan Nasional government.”

Sathisalen said the Indians of Serendah were planning a “massive protest” against Mugilan and the temple president.