Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a press conference at Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya November 28, 2018. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

PETALING JAYA, Nov 28 — New places of worship will require the local authorities’ permission before they are constructed, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

Dr Mahathir said the problem currently is that “temples are being built anywhere even on other people’s land”.

“Many temples are built on land that does not belong to temple owners,” he said in a press conference after the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s leadership meeting here.

“Now the government will pass a resolution and make it a condition that houses of worship like mosques, temples or churches cannot be built without the permission of local authorities.

“They cannot build on land that does not belong to them; that will solve the problem,” he added.

Dr Mahathir said the proposed solution would apply to future places of worship that have yet to be built.

“I’m talking about the future. What is there now, we can’t do anything,” he said.

Dr Mahathir was asked how the government would prevent a repeat of the rioting at a Hindu temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, which has been linked to a land dispute where the temple was due to be relocated from the land owned by a private developer.

The Sri Maha Mariamman temple was to be shifted away on November 22 in line with a 2014 court order where all parties agreed to the relocation based on certain conditions.

A group known as the Save Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple task force is among those who want the temple to remain at its current location.

When asked to elaborate on why the government would not be able to apply the proposed solution to existing temples, Dr Mahathir highlighted the difficulties involved.

“If we touch the temple, there will be a lot of objections and all kinds of reaction. They do not go according to the normal way of reporting any breaches of the law or policy, so we do not want to stir up trouble where there is no trouble,” he said.