GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Hindu Endowments Board, formerly supervised by the state government, will now come under the national unity ministry, it was announced today.
The move is part of a reshuffling of agencies carried out by the prime minister, said unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang. He said the board and the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit were moved to the ministry as part of a restructuring exercise.
He said the two agencies would have “a positive impact in the long- term for the development and improvement of Indians in the country”.
The ministry will continue to aid low-income people in the Indian community and help raise their standing in terms of education, the economy and society, he said.
The board is a statutory organisation first formed under a 1906 enactment by the colonial government of the Straits Settlements comprising Singapore, Penang and Melaka. The enactment later became federal law as the Hindu Endowments Act.
The board administers five endowments, property, and 13 temples in Penang island and the mainland. It also organises the annual Thaipusam and Ponggal festivals in Penang.
The board is headed by a chairman and vice-chairman and 11 commissioners, all appointed by the Penang governor on the advice of the state government.
Its current chairman is RSN Rayer of DAP, the MP for Jelutong, and the vice-chairman is a senator from Penang, Dr Lingeshwaran R Arunasalam. Among the commissioners are state executive councillor S Sundarajoo; MIC leader J Dhinagaran; and Bagan Dalam assemblyman K Kumaran of DAP.
In an immediate response, Rayer said he welcomed the board’s takeover by the unity ministry and hoped that it would get large financial grants.
“This comes at a good time, as we are about to celebrate Thaipusam in Penang under the theme of unity. We hope a large annual grant for the board will be made available so the board can continue to manage temples and take care of Hindu welfare in general.
“We thank the prime minister for this, it shows he cares about Hindu and Indian affairs,” he told FMT.
When asked if the board’s autonomy would be lost, as control of the body has been transferred from the Penang state government to Putrajaya, Rayer replied in the negative.
“The board is ready to listen and work with the unity ministry,” he said.
FMT is awaiting comment from the chief minister, Chow Kon Yeow. - FMT
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