DAP leader hits out at Brickfields ashram’s ‘money-minded’ trustees

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 13): A DAP lawmaker today hit out at trustees of the Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields, saying they are more concerned about the commercial gains in developing the site rather than preserving the over century old landmark.

Ipoh Barat MP M Kula Segaran (pictured, above) said this following the High Court's postponement of the trustees' appeal to quash the decision to gazette the area a heritage site, pending a meeting with Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz to ask him to reconsider the gazette decision.

"I am most disappointed the trustees are more concerned about commercial gains in developing this site.

"They have openly said if development takes place, over RM60 million can be made and apparently they need monies to fund the SJKT Vivekananda PJ, SJKT Vivekananda and SJKT Tamboosamy Sentul.

"But, the government provides enough funds yearly and apparently had given RM6 million last year, and the public would like to know how these monies were spent," Kula said in a statement.

He said people also wanted to know why membership of the ashram was limited, adding that since the public had donated towards the running of the ashram, it should have accepted new members freely.

"By restricting membership, it goes to show the trustees only want 'yes man' as members!" he added.

The DAP lawmaker said instead of appealing against the gazette, the trustees should organise events to emulate what Swami Vivekananda had been advocating for the world.

"The ashram is too quiet, the trustees should leave it to those who can give life to the ashram.

"Yesterday was Vivekananda's 153rd birthday and the trustees should have had a grand event to commemorate that."

Kula (pic, left) quoted the words of Vivekananda: "If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better."

The Vivekananda Ashram's board of directors filed a judicial review in October to quash the National Heritage Department's decision to declare it a historical site.

They said the department's decision to gazette the place under the Heritage Act 2005 was vague and lacked in particulars.

Nazri had announced that the ashram would be gazetted as a national heritage site after Putrajaya rejected appeals from the site owner.

Nazri had also said that under the Act, the minister's decision was final and could not be challenged in court.

Today's matter was postponed after the trustees' lawyer informed the court that they would be meeting the minister to persuade him to reconsider the heritage status for the site.

The board had previously submitted a proposal to sell and redevelop the land into a 23-storey apartment tower. -- The Malaysian Insider

Besides the brouhaha over Vivekananda Ashram, Brickfields is a great place for property investment. Click here to check out the properties there.