AG: Sri Maha Mariamman land to be transferred to temple trustees

PETALING JAYA (Dec 14): The one-acre land housing the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Seafield, USJ 25 will be given to the temple's trustees, said Attorney-General Tommy Thomas.

This decision follows a meeting held earlier this week with lawyers representing all stakeholders involved in the dispute over the parcel, reported The Star.

One City Development Sdn Bhd will transfer the one-acre plot of land to a trust to be administered by the High Court, subject to terms to be agreed upon, he said in a statement.

Next, the AG will apply to the High Court for orders to constitute the trust and the appointment of trustees to manage the trust and the temple.

"At the appropriate time, the High Court will be invited to transfer the ownership of the land on which the temple is situated to the trustees," he said.

To ensure impartiality and neutrality among all the parties involved in the dispute, the AG should be represented in all the applications before the High Court, he added.

He expects an amicable resolution for the issue to be achieved in the coming months.

In response, One City Development said it supported the "comprehensive settlement put forth" by the AG "towards a peaceful and lasting resolution on the recent temple issue".

"Following the incident on November 26, we swiftly reached out to the Government, both at Federal and the Selangor State levels, to propose and discuss possible solutions to the matter.

"We actively expressed our full commitment and cooperation to provide the necessary resources in order to reach a resolution that is deemed appropriate by the government.

"We are grateful for the government’s stewardship in bringing 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," it said in a statement. 

'We are appreciative of the Attorney-General’s leadership and the give and take approach exercised in achieving a resolution to this matter."