The developer that demolished the ancient Bujang Valley candi must bear the cost of rebuilding it, according to NGO Bujang Valley Study Circle chairman, Datuk V. Nadarajan. “The state government must ask the developer to pay for reconstruction because the company knowingly destroyed a candi. They can’t deny it. They broke the stones and threw them away.”
“The developer must be penalised so that others won’t destroy our national heritage throughout the country in future,” said the lawyer-writer Nadarajan, who exposed the demolition.
The 58-year old author of Lembah Bujang: The Wonder that was Ancient Kedah also offered to help in rebuilding the candi, reported The Star.
“I can help go through the plans and rebuild it. The developers should also contact Prof Dr Mokhtar Saidin from the USM Centre for Global Archaeological Research and Prof Nik Hassan Suhaimi, formerly of UKM,” he said, adding that rebuilding the candi would not cost much as it does not have an upper area.
“We can collect the stones, find new ones and reconstruct it.”
Meanwhile, he criticised the Sg Petani municipal council for approving the housing development despite knowing of the candi.
“They built the road to it. They know tourists go there. At the very least, they could have incorporated the candi into the development plan, built around it and maintained it. But they didn’t bother,” he said.
The 58-year old author of Lembah Bujang: The Wonder that was Ancient Kedah also offered to help in rebuilding the candi, reported The Star.
“I can help go through the plans and rebuild it. The developers should also contact Prof Dr Mokhtar Saidin from the USM Centre for Global Archaeological Research and Prof Nik Hassan Suhaimi, formerly of UKM,” he said, adding that rebuilding the candi would not cost much as it does not have an upper area.
“We can collect the stones, find new ones and reconstruct it.”
Meanwhile, he criticised the Sg Petani municipal council for approving the housing development despite knowing of the candi.
“They built the road to it. They know tourists go there. At the very least, they could have incorporated the candi into the development plan, built around it and maintained it. But they didn’t bother,” he said.
(propertyguru.com.my)