Unity Ministry clarifies: autonomy, supervision of Hindu board remains with Penang govt

THERE is no question of the federal government planning to usurp control of the oldest and most active endowment board for a non-Muslim religion in the country.

Following discontentment aired by the Penang government, National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang has sought to allay concerns about the the fate of the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB).

He said that the autonomy, supervision and executive powers of the board will continue to be under the state government following a restructuring exercise that placed the board under his ministry.

He added that the administration of the board has been under the state government since independence, and its chairman has been appointed by the state executive council, with the consent of the Penang Yang Dipertua Negeri till now.

“The federal government, through the National Unity Ministry, will only monitor the board under the Ministerial Functions Act 1969 and present its annual reports and financial statements to the Cabinet and Parliament,” he said in a statement yesterday evening.

The ministries that have been involved in presenting the board’s reports previously include the National Unity and Community Development Ministry (2000 to 2005); The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (2005 to 2014); the Prime Minister’s Department and the Human Resources Ministry.

The board is a statutory body set up on Jan 1, 1906 to administer, maintain and supervise Hindu endowments given or will be given for religious and welfare purposes, including education, as well as manage property and temples in Penang.

Aaron also stated that his ministry welcomed the strategic partnership between the state and federal governments in strengthening the board.

The restructuring of government agencies was part of the cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently, with the board’s transfer as well as that of the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra), from the Prime Minister’s Department to the Unity Ministry.

Chairman looks forward to federal support

Meanwhile, PHEB chairman R.S.N. Rayer said that he plans to meet Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow after the latter had reportedly expressed "shock" that the board would be placed under the jurisdiction of the National Unity Ministry.

Speaking to The Vibes, Rayer said that Chow may have forgotten that PHEB used to come under both the Human Resource Ministry and the PM's Department in the past.

The placement is solely an administrative procedure while the powers of autonomy remain vested with the PHEB, he said.

"I think Chow could have suffered a slip of mind over the matter. I will meet him to brief him over the matter.

“There is nothing new about PHEB coming under a federal agency. It has happened previously," Rayer said.

The Jelutong MP stressed that the matter is mostly administrative.

However, now that PHEB is under the watch of a Unity Ministry, the board can source for federal funding, such as for its religious and welfare initiatives, he said.

He added that the ministry can help with the problem faced by many Hindu temples and bodies in getting priests and religious officials from overseas to serve in Penang.

The only other time PHEB received a federal grant was when DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng was the finance minister. He had allocated RM700,000 to help the board manage its needs and expectations of the Hindu devotees.

Chow had yesterday described the move to place the PHEB under the Unity Ministry as “shocking news,” saying the state was never contacted by the federal government on the matter.

The state government will seek an official explanation from the ministry, said Chow.

To this, Rayer said that being under federal supervision is a common occurrence because the board is a statutory organisation first formed under a 1906 enactment by the colonial government of the Straits Settlements comprising Singapore, Penang and Melaka.

PHEB administers five endowments, property and 13 temples on the island and the mainland. It also organises the annual Thaipusam and Ponggal festivals in the state. – The Vibes, January 6, 2024.