PETALING JAYA: Attorney General Tommy Thomas has said all parties involved in the dispute over the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Selangor have had a productive meeting that will lead towards an amicable solution.
In a statement today he said the developer One City Sdn Bhd will transfer the one acre plot of land which is now occupied by the temple to a trust governed by the High Court, “subject to terms to be agreed upon”.
“Subsequently, to guard public interest with regard to charitable trusts, the Attorney-General will apply to the High Court, pursuant to Section 9 of the Government Proceedings Act 1956, for orders to constitute the trust and the appointment of trustees to manage the trust and the temple,“ he said.
“The court will be required to appoint a receiver which is accepted by all parties, as an officer of the court to control and guard the trustees, and subject to court judgment,“ he added.
The ownership of the land on which the temple resides will then be transferred to the trustees with the Attorney General holding a representational role before the High Court in order to ensure impartiality and neutrality.
Meanwhile, One City Development, in a statement, expressed support for the comprehensive settlement.
“This includes a proposal to transfer the one-acre plot of land on which the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is located to a trust, subject to terms to be agreed upon by the parties involved,” it said.
Riots took place on Nov 26 and 27 in the vicinity of the temple, located in USJ25 near Subang Jaya, arising allegedly from a dispute between parties for and against the proposed relocation of the house of worship as per a consent judgment.
Under the consent judgment of March 11, 2014, at the Shah Alam High Court, four parties agreed to the relocation of the temple and to return the present temple site vacant to the owner, One City Development Sdn Bhd.
The four parties are the state government, One City Development and two individuals claiming to be the temple administrators.
In the consent judgment, One City Development agreed to deposit RM1.5 million with the temple. The state government handed over a 0.4ha piece of land, located about three kilometres away, for the relocation of the temple.
Following the riots, the company swiftly reached out to the government, both at the federal and the Selangor state levels to propose and discuss possible solutions to the matter.
It also expressed gratitude towards the government’s stewardship in bringing the relevant parties together to resolve the land issue as quickly and amicably as possible.
“We understand that there are various steps to the resolution proposed by the Attorney-General and we are committed to working closely with the AG’s Chambers.
“We are appreciative of the Attorney-General’s leadership and the give-and-take approach exercised in achieving a resolution to this matter,“ it said.
