Funding for non-Muslim places of worship

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Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Alissala Thian

NON-Muslim places of worship in Penang will now be entitled to special funding by the state government to improve their infrastructure, with the maximum allocation under this fund for each applicant is RM20,000.

This was revealed by exco member for Town & Country Planning and Housing Jagdeep Singh Deo at a press conference on Sept 22.

Jagdeep also elaborated on the application mechanism, the criteria to be met by the religious organisation as well as the existing balance of the funds ready to be disbursed to successful applicants.

“For the time being, the funds for non-Muslim houses of worship (RIBI) is placed under the management of the two local councils, namely the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP). The accumulated amount as of March 31 this year is RM1,391,957 for MBPP while MPSP has RM4,231,032.50,” he said.

“The RIBI coordination committee is tasked with coordinating and assessing the applications received by the local councils while the state financial department monitors the account in which these funds are kept. MBPP and MPSP will act as the technical agency and provide the technical feedback on the feasibility of the proposed new infrastructure,” he added.

The funds for RIBI which the state government is now disbursing are collected from developers in lieu of places of worship which they are required to provide under council laws.

“The rates that developers are required to contribute if they are unable to come up with specific plots of land for RIBI purposes depend on the zones and area map value that is determined by the local council. Each application for exemption to allocate RIBI land must be referred to the One Stop Centre (OSC) of the local council,” added Jagdeep.

Criteria which must be fulfilled by an applicant:-

  1. A formal application letter to the RIBI coordinating committee.
  2. Feedback from the assemblymember or Member of Parliament of the applicant’s area
  3. Certificate of Registration of the religious organization issued by ROS.
  4. List of committee members of the religious organization
  5. Letter of Consent from the landowner and committee members
  6. Details of application including the status of the land ownership
  7. The specifications of the renovation to the existing infrastructure
  8. Feedback from local councils, Land and District office and the Office of Lands and Mines Penang.
  9. Three (3) quotations for the proposed renovation or work to be done.
  10. Any criteria which would be considered from time to time.

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