Three NGOs form national committee for Hindu temples

A national committee for Hindu temples made up of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS), Malaysia Hindudharma Mamandram (MHDM) and Malaysian Hindu Lawyers Association (MHLA) have been set up to address long standing issues, especially land and legal matters.

The committee is led by its chairman Senator K Saraswathy, a former deputy national unity minister.

The committee has five key goals:

Resolving land and legal status issues affecting temples;

Strengthening governance and compliance frameworks;

Facilitating engagement with federal and state authorities;

Providing advisory and mediation support;

Preserving Hindu religious heritage for future generation.

“This initiative reflects responsibility and a proactive commitment by the country’s leading Hindu organisations to safeguard the interests of Hindu temples and the community at large,” the three organisations said in a joint statement.

The formation of the committee is based on the unanimous decision reached at the National Hindu Temples Conference held in November 2024.

A total of 12 resolutions were passed during the conference.

“The ministry subsequently fine-tuned these resolutions and later brought them before the cabinet on March 23, 2025.

“One of the key resolutions was the establishment of a dedicated committee to systematically address and resolve land-related issues affecting Hindu temples.

“The committee had been formed and was functioning under the leadership of Saraswathy during her tenure as deputy minister.

“It will now reposition itself as an independent and structured platform to ensure continuity, coordination and effective engagement with relevant authorities,” read the statement.

“The decision to formalise and reposition the national committee for Hindu temples was made yesterday during a virtual meeting.

“The discussion concluded with a clear and unified mandate to move forward without delay in addressing critical temple-related issues,” it added.