THE thorny issue of illegally erected houses of worship and their demolition to make way for new developments was brought to light in a Facebook post by former The Star environment section editor Andrew Sia.
He wondered it was worth the developer risking divine wrath for not taking appropriate steps to safeguard the existence of places of worship on sites that have been earmarked for development.
Citing several examples, Sia highlighted that safeguarding such sacred places could have positive effects on the development’s success as in the case of the Mid Valley Megamall. His post which borders the logic of spiritual mystic and feng shui (geomancy) elicited many responses.
Quite a few netizens shared the belief that the Mid Valley Megamall’s phenomenal success is linked to the preservation of the Sri Maha Sakthi Mohambigai Amman Alayam temple on the site.
Some netizens highlighted other examples and that commercial developments erected on consecrated land will not thrive.
With a few bemoaning that the actions of greedy developers and insensitive authorities have caused many a heritage site to be lost forever.
Conversely, some netizens pointed out the difficulty for landowners, stating that just because it is a massive corporation does not make it any easier or that they deserve to be “cursed”.
The post was also shared on the Malaysian Education Info (And Home schooling too) Facebook forum which sparked a fiery debate.
Netizens argued that it was imperative that proper procedure is followed to avoid destruction of such places of worship, starting with the purchase of said land.
Some netizens noted that it is not as straightforward as merely buying the land the place of worship sits on.
Malaysians’ predilection for such matters was highlighted when one netizen posited that the feng shui of Putrajaya was less than conducive with no less than seven Prime Ministers taking office!
On the other hand, the very fact that the Mid Valley Megamall’s management resorted to upgrade the Sri Maha Sakthi Mohambigai Amman Alayam temple instead of demolishing it has enabled “the qi that flowed out to boomerang back”.
As per the comments highlight, this is surely a very complex issue. Given that this highly sensitive matter can inflame communal unrest, it is imperative that the authorities have open dialogue and find ways to appease all parties concerned – be they the landowners or staunch devotees of a particular faith.
In the meantime, perhaps politicians may want to consult geomancy experts or other suitable ‘specialists’ to see if an office in Putrajaya suits them. – March 11, 2024
Main image credit: Douglas MacKallor via Google Maps
