PETALING JAYA (Malayasia), June 26, 2013: Malaysia Hindu Sangam has urged the government to simplify procedures for the approval of working visits by foreign priests, musicians and sculptors. The organisation’s president, RS Mohan Shan, said in a media statement today that the current requirements made it onerous for the local Hindu community to address an acute shortage of clerical functionaries, particularly priests. “We have a shortage of about 1,500 priests and this hampers the performance of daily rituals in the temples,” he said. “The application process to bring in new priests is beset with many difficulties and hindrances.” Among these difficulties is that each application must be accompanied by a support letter issued by a federal minister who is an Indian. The government has yet to announce which of the two Indians in the current cabinet has been authorised to issue the support letter. According to a survey by Hindu Sangam, there are 2,300 Hindu temples in the country and they are served by 600 local and 250 foreign priests. Mohan complained of religious discrimination, saying the requirement for the ministerial support letter applied only in the case of Hindu priests. “Priests from other religions only need support letters from their respective religious associations,” he said. He also complained that Hindu priests, unlike those of other religions, had to undergo an induction course conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources. At times, he said, the course would be delayed, requiring temple authorities to apply for special extension passes for their priests. “On top of that, the temples have to pay RM100 monthly to keep the passes active.” He proposed that the government delegate the responsibility of conducting the induction course to Hindu Sangam. Mohan said his organisation had, on various occasions through the years, brought these problems to the attention of Indian ministers. “To date,” he added, “there has been no solution.”

Source: Freemalaysiatoday.com