Kedah opposition wants all details pertaining to demolition of temple ruins

Opposition assemblymen in Kedah have asked the state government to provide details on the demolished temple ruins (pic) known as candi number 11 land in Sungai Batu to shed light on the issue and to help people understand how the demolition could have occurred.

State Opposition leader and Anak Bukit assemblyman Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah said he himself was not sure about the status of the land, even though he was in the previous PAS-led state administration.

He said he did not know for sure if the land on which the temple ruins once stood, had been sold to a developer or how the new owner obtained approval to build a residential project.

"I don’t know what transpired. If we are to know what happened, we need the state to provide the answers and also a chronology of events so we can understand.

"Otherwise, we will keep shooting in the dark," he told The Malaysian Insider today, adding that the opposition had refrained from touching on the issue as it did not have much information on it.

Amiruddin said he recalled that the PAS government had rejected an application from a  company to develop land in Lembah Bujang sometime between late 2008 and early 2009.

He said the company had plans to develop residential units, which contradicted the original Kedah International Resort City plans mooted by the previous Barisan Nasional government for Lembah Bujang some 20 years ago.

The resort development, which never took off, was a joint-venture between a Qatar-based company and the Menteri Besar Incorporated.

"When the plan was presented to us, we felt the residential part was not in line with the original resort plan. Parts of the proposed development will also be on plots that are environmentally sensitive and occupied by squatters.

"The PAS government thought that we did not need a Qatar-based company to build houses in Lembah Bujang so the application was rejected," he said.

However, Amiruddin said he was not sure if the land on which candi number 11 is located was part of the area slated for development in the rejected proposal.

"I don’t know if this piece of land is part of it. This is why we need the state to provide details," he said.

Yesterday, it was reported that former Kedah Menteri Besar Tan Sri Osman Aroff was devastated by news of the demolition of the temple ruins as he had made the preservation of all candi (temple tombs) a "strict condition" when he approved the resort project in 1993. His successors had also denied selling the land to any developer.

However, a spokesperson for the developer Bandar Saujana Sdn Bhd, which demolished the 1,200-year-old temple ruins, had said that when the company bought over the land, it had no encumbrances.

Amiruddin said he also wondered why the site was not preserved when candi number 11 was reconstructed as early as 1974 by the Museum Department.

He added that the previous PAS administration was agreeable to gazetting some areas in Lembah Bujang as heritage sites with the understanding that the Federal Government would provide the funds for the necessary land acquisitions.

"But things became quiet and the money never came," he said.

Following the public outcry over the demolition of candi number 11, Amiruddin said it was imperative that the relevant authorities like the Tourism and Culture Ministry and the National Heritage Department decide and act quickly to preserve the heritage of Lembah Bujang.

"Just do what has to be done to preserve the heritage of the valley at whatever cost. If they have to acquire land from private owners, then do it and gazette the land.

"If they have to provide funds to support excavation works and reconstruct damaged temple ruins, do it too. Get it over and done with," he said.

Amiruddin said there is a great likelihood that more undiscovered temple ruins would be unearthed all over Lembah Bujang and there should be a policy that compels all private landowners to report them to the right authorities.

Candi number 11 was reportedly demolished by the developer in September. It sparked an outrage among the people, both locally and internationally. The Kedah government has since ordered the developer to cease work on the land.

Lembah Bujang is a rich archaeological site with excavations in Sungai Batu revealing jetty remains, iron-smelting areas and a clay brick monument dating back to 110AD, making it the oldest man-made structure to be recorded in Southeast Asia.