Exco sends legal notice of demand to Liow over temple issue
Tuesday, 04 August 2009 07:38am
©The Sun (Used by permission)
by Opalyn Mok
GEORGE TOWN (Aug 3, 2009): State executive councillor Wong Hon Wai has sent a legal notice of demand to MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai to stop him from making malicious remarks on the demolition of an illegal structure on a playground in Butterworth.
Wong, who is also the housing, town and country planning and arts committee chairman, said he has instructed his lawyers to issue the letter to Liow to remind him not to continue making inflamatory and false remarks regarding the issue.
"I am sending this legal notice in my capacity as the chairman of the Non-Muslim Houses of Worship Committee to say that the words he uttered in an article which appeared in an English national newspaper on June 27 are false, highly malicious and calculated to incite racial disharmony," he told reporters in his office today.
In the article, Liow blamed the current state government for allegedly demolishing a Taoist temple in Butterworth and demanded that the state government apologised to the public.
Wong said the legal notice would serve as a reminder to Liow, who is also Penang MCA liaison head, and other MCA leaders not to use the demolition of the illegal structure as an issue for the upcoming Permatang Pasir by-election.
"The legal notice states that I reserve the right to take legal action against Liow and any MCA leaders who insists on spreading more lies and malicious talk about the issue," he said.
The issue in question was over the demolition of an illegal structure built by a Tua Pek Kong Temple committee on a children's playground on state government land in Tanjung Indah, Sungai Puyu.
The original Tua Pek Kong temple was located a mere 20m from the playground and was squatting on private property since 2004 after the temple was given compensation to relocate to another private land earmarked for development.
Facing eviction from the current land-owner, the temple had initially started to build a structure on the playground without obtaining approvals or permit from the local council.
The council had then torn down the partially-built structure following complaints by residents but did not tear down the original temple as it was on private land.
Liow and other MCA leaders, including MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, have been giving media statements that the current state government had allowed a temple in Butterworth to be torn down.
Sungai Puyu assemblyman Phee Boon Poh said the temple was not torn down as falsely claimed by Liow and Wee while showing a picture of the temple.
"What was torn down was an illegal structure and the temple is still there. As it is in my constituency, I am willing to resign if Liow or Wee can prove that the temple has been torn down," he said.
Phee challenged Wee and MCA leaders to go down to the ground to the temple with him to see for themselves that the temple was not torn down.
"If they don't respond to this challenge within a week's time, I will then label them as liars from then onwards," he said.
每區平均每人0.1平方公尺‧檳威須保留非回教場地
2009-08-04 14:08
漢偉（左）及彭文寶表示金山伯公廟沒有被拆除，因此他們促請馬華不要再利用拆廟的課題來撈取政治資本，否則將會受到法律的對付。（圖：星洲日報）
星洲日報／大北馬‧2009.08.04
（檳城）檳州行政議會在上週的會議中決定，檳威兩地的市政局必須執行檳州結構大藍圖中，每個地區平均為每人保留0.1平方公尺的非回教宗教場地。
檳州城市及鄉村規劃及房屋委員會主席黃漢偉說，每人保留0.1平方公尺的非回教宗教場地的指南已經在檳島市政局實行了，但是威省市政局卻未落實，而這項指南在2003年已經定下了。
2市局設非回教場地資料庫
“由於不能持有一州兩制的情況出現，因此州政府在上週的行政議會上通過，威省市政局必須根據檳島市政局，執行這項指南。”
他是於週一（8月3日）（3日），召開新聞發佈會時這麼宣佈。行政議員彭文寶亦陪同出席。
他說，除了每個地區平均為每人保留0.1平方公尺的非回教宗教場地外，行政議會也決定，指示檳威市政局，創立一個非回教宗教場地的資料庫。
他說，有關資料庫必須是市政局一站式小組中心所通過的非回教宗教場地，而有關資料必須在每3個月，呈交給檳州非回教徒膜拜場所委員會。
“此外，任何發展商如果欲豁免保留非回教宗教場地，必須向檳州非回教徒膜拜場所委員會提出申請，並由委員會作出最後的決定。”
彭文寶說，目前威省市政局所採取的指南，是每2600名信徒，才能建造宗教場所的舊指南，導致威省沒有明顯的非回教宗教場所地段劃分。
缺席衛生部流感會議
彭文寶致函廖中萊致歉
另外，基於較早前已經承諾處理小販課題，檳州衛生及福利委員會主席彭文寶未克出席由中央衛生部，於今日（週二，8月4日）所召開的H1N1型流感會議，並由檳州衛生事務主任鄭麗珠代表。
這說，他已經致函給衛生部長拿督斯里廖中萊，並向他致歉。這項會議是重要與各州政府召開，一項有關流感的重要會議。
他說，目前檳州的情況仍受到控制，早前入院並在加護病房留醫的3名學生，也對治療中所使用的藥物呈良性反應。
黃漢偉：以拆廟網球王作課題
“廖中萊魏家祥勿炒作”
也是檳州非回教徒膜拜場所委員會主席的黃漢偉吁請檳馬華主席拿督斯里廖中萊及馬青總團長拿督魏家祥，勿仿效德國納粹的宣傳部長戈培爾的名言“謊言講100次就會變成真理”，一再以拆廟及網球王事件作為撈取政治資本的課題。
他說，網球王事件的報告，早在4月20至27日的州議會由檳州公共賬目委員會呈上，並在會議上進行辯論。因此，魏家祥不必以這個課題來“炒冷飯”。
針對廖中萊拆廟論發律師信
他說，公共賬目委員會中，有4個國陣代表，而且當時報章也廣泛報導，因此他質疑鮮少到檳州的魏家祥，到底是不知情，還是檳州馬青成員沒有提供正確的資料？
他希望魏家祥及馬華，不要再以拆廟事件，作為炒作課題的謊言。
另外，他說，他已經針對廖中萊的“檳民聯州政府拆廟”的言論，發出日期為7月10日的律師信，提醒對方勿再把北海金山伯公廟當成課題，否則民聯將保留追究的權利。
他說，事實上被拆掉的建筑物並不是金山伯公廟，只是一個非法建在兒童遊樂場的非法構造，因此廖中萊於6月27日所發出的言論並“不正確、無基礎、具高度惡意及引起種族緊張”。
