NGO calls off rally against shrine near Bukit Mertajam Hospital

 Persatuan Kebajikan Surplus Pulau Pinang reiterates that it does not have any intention of tearing down the structure.

Surplus chairman Sophian Zain said there are no plans for a gathering after a meeting with the shrine’s management committee at the Seberang Perai Tengah police headquarters.

GEORGE TOWN:

 An NGO that was reportedly planning to organise a protest against a Hindu shrine near the entrance of Bukit Mertajam Hospital tomorrow has scrapped the plan after meeting the police today.

Persatuan Kebajikan Surplus Pulau Pinang (Surplus) made the decision after a meeting with the shrine’s management committee and Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Helmi Aris at the Bukit Mertajam police headquarters.

“We want to make it clear that we will not be going to Bukit Mertajam Hospital,” said Surplus chairman Sophian Zain at a press conference held jointly with the shrine’s committee outside the police headquarters.

“Anyone who goes to the hospital will not be our people. We can’t stop them.”

Sophian dismissed claims the NGO wanted to tear down the shrine, saying it only wanted to visit it after receiving complaints and because a video of the shrine went viral online.

“An NGO like ours does not have the power to demolish structures,” he said.

He said Surplus was not behind the widely shared poster on the protest, adding that it was AI-generated.

He said his group merely wanted to “find common ground” on the issue and had never intended to stoke disharmony.

Several politicians, including Jelutong MP RSN Rayer, had lodged police reports after controversial preacher Zamri Vinoth called for the shrine to be demolished in a Facebook post.

Penang police chief Azizee Ismail said on Wednesday that police were investigating the post under the Penal Code and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

In a statement today, he also confirmed that a discussion led by Helmi with Surplus and the shrine management committee resulted in the rally’s cancellation.

Azizee urged the public not to gather or take part in any gathering, either at the shrine or elsewhere.

“Such acts will disrupt harmony and jeopardise public safety around the hospital, which is a crucial facility for the local community,” he said. - FMT