He compared the situation to that of Penang, which had the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB).

“If an incident like the Seafield one took place in Penang, the PHEB, a statutory body, could have invoked Section 4 of the Hindu Endowments Ordinance 1906 to bring the temple under its management.

“If Selangor had a Hindu statutory body like the PHEB, I believe the matter could have been dealt with amicably,” he said in a statement today.

Since 2008, he said, two temples in Penang that had seen serious internal strife had been brought under PHEB.

“If there are major problems in Hindu temples in Penang, the Registrar of Societies often refers to the PHEB for speedy resolution as it is fully equipped to manage Hindu temples under troublesome committees, something that the Malaysian Hindu Sangam is incapable of doing,” he added.

In Penang, he said, there were no attempts to demolish temples as the PHEB would step in to resolve matters related to worship, land and temple relocation.

Recalling Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto pledge for the establishment of Hindu endowment boards in states with sizeable Hindu communities, he said such a move could help resolve temple issues.

However, he cautioned that any board should be a statutory body, not run by individuals or NGOs.

“As a statutory body, the Hindu endowment board must be led by elected representatives, especially those with administrative positions in the state or federal government,” he added.

The riots at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya last November saw an assault on fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, who died from his injuries on Dec 17.

Cars were torched and several other people were also injured, while the office of land developer One City Development was vandalised.