St Joseph Catholic Church, Batu Gajah

seems like a victim of circumstances.

It used to be free from Quit Rent, being a place of worship, until someone rezoned the land and areas round it as commercial, without the church applying for it! Since then it has been subject to quit rent of Rm1,000 per acre and with its 10 acres, it means Rm10,000 per annum!

When I heard about the problem in 2004, the arrears have already accumulated to Rm80,000. I was told MCA candidate then, Ong Ka Chuan, promised to do something about the matter but since he was defeated in that Parliamentary election by Fong Po Kuan, the problem remained till now. At a guess, by now, the arrears should be Rm120,000.

According to a parishioner, a compromise was suggested that the church pays for three years ie. Rm30,000, to resolve the matter. Apparently, the church committee was of the opinion, ‘why should we since it was not our fault that it was zoned as commercial without our own initiative?’

Why am I involved since I am not a parishioner? Other than being a busybody, my daughters attended their kindergarten before. I was one of four pall-bearers (brothers-in-law of the deceased) at the church funeral of my sister-in-law who was buried at the cemetery behind the church. Every year I accompanied my wife in cleaning the tombstone, laying flowers and lighting candles on Christian All Souls’ Day as well as Cheng Beng.

Majlis Daerah Kinta Barat needs the money? If you have seen the new council building on a hill, costing some Rm8 million, it does not seem so. Anyway, the new building has been described as ‘too far for those without transport’ and ‘too flashy’and generally people questioned ‘why didn’t the council build on the old site or at the site earmarked for a 9-storey building next to the old market, right in the centre of town?’ The latter site was an embarrassment as it was launched by the Sultan many ears ago and it is still used as a temporary car park.

This picture (artist's impression) is from the council's official website. It should have been updated by a picture of the actual building since it has been officially opened by our Sultan.