Hindu Endowment Board to spread its wings to other states

The Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) is hoping to see similar institutions like it expand to other states with sizeable Indian populations, as promised in Pakatan Harapan's election manifesto, Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said.

According to its website, PHEB is a "statutory board as set out in the Hindu Endowments Act in 1906, it's main role is to administer the endowments placed under its administration".

Ramasamy, who is also chair of the PHEB, said the board was probably looking to expanding its wings to Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor and Pahang.

Before this can happen, a new federal law to govern such an institution may have to be enacted in Parliament, Ramasamy added.

"Our lawyers are looking into this. The present Act is more than 100 years," he said at a press conference in Komtar to announce new PHEB members for the term 2018 to 2019.

"PHEB was a colonial institution. There was supposed to be one in Malacca, but it has disappeared, while Singapore has transformed its own under the Singapore Hindu Endowment Board," Ramasamy noted.

"We would either have to pass a federal law or pass a legislation on the matter in every state," he added.

Challenge to implement promise made

The PHEB faces a challenge to implement the promise made in the Harapan manifesto to expand similar institutions to other states to safeguard the interests of the Indian community.

Ramasamy said the group met with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday in Putrajaya, where the matter was discussed.

One of the outcomes of the meeting saw Mahathir agreeing to provide citizenship to 3,407 stateless persons above 60 years of age.

Since 2013, Penang has embarked on an intensive programme to register stateless persons and the task was carried out by the Stateless People Taskforce formed by Ramasamy after the general election that year.

"We have many tasks before us and our duties have increased. There are also issues like land ownership and Hindu burial grounds, which have to be resolved," he added.

Ramasamy also expressed hope that the board's funds from the state coffers would be increased to RM1.5 million from the previous annual grant of RM1 million.

Also present at the press conference were state Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (photo) and state executive councillor for local government, housing, town and country planning, Jagdeep Singh Deo.

Earlier, Chow announced the appointment of three new members of the PHEB, which comprises 15 members.

They are assemblypersons Kumaresan Aramugam (PKR-Batu Uban) and Satees Muniandy (DAP-Bagan Dalam), besides Nanda Kumar Velu, who is the chairperson of Malaysia Hindhudharma Maamandaram Penang.

Chow also said RM3 million will go to fund a new building, dubbed the Harmony Centre, on Scotland Road for non-Muslim religious groups to organise their events.

"It's not a big building and space will be rented out but it would be a venue for any religious groups to plan their events and activities, such as awareness programmes," he said. - Mkini