Hindraf needs support from all to save Ashram

A united voice of concerned Malaysians is needed to rescue a heritage building under threat.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hindraf Chairman P Waytha Moorthy said all Malaysians had a right to object to proposed re-development plans that could destroy the original facade of the Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields.

In a statement issued today, he disagreed with a notice issued by DBKL stating that only neighbours within 200 metres of the Ashram could voice their objections.

According to Waytha, plans to change the structure of the building by constructing residential properties on the site was a matter of public interest and “there is a need to safeguard and preserve our national treasure”.

He said that based on Section 68 of the National Heritage Act 2005, any person can nominate a site as a heritage treasure and thus, DBKL had no right to restrict the public from voicing their objections.

Waytha noted that since the Vivekananda Ashram fits all the criteria required to be classified as a heritage site, the public should strive to protect and preserve the Ashram which he considered a “national treasure”.

He urged all Malaysians irrespective of race, religion or creed to come forward and lend their support to save a slice of the city’s vanishing heritage.