Hindu Dharma Blog

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S Subramaniam has announced that the Malaysia government will begin considering new applications for priests, musicians and other artisans from India. The applications from Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras were stopped to reduce the number of Indian priests in Malaysia, but owing the large demand for Hindu priests in the country the government will be considering new applications.

In the first part of the exercise, about 150 Hindu temples and gurdwaras will be submitting applications. The Minister however reiterated the government’s goal to produce more local Hindu priests. The move follows calls for the easing of the entry requirements for Indian priests by the Malaysia Hindu Council (MHC), of which Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram is a founding member.

from Bernama

Government To Consider New Applications To Engage Priests From India

PETALING JAYA, July 17, 2008 – The government will consider new applications from Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras to engage priests, musicians and artisans from India starting next month, MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam said Thursday.

Subramaniam, who is Human Resources Minister, said, however, that the visas and permits for these people would only be valid for a maximum period of three years, and based on a set of strict guidelines.

“The decision was made after I had a meeting with Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar on the issue concerning the approval and renewal of visas and permits for priests, musicians and artisans from India for Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras,” he told reporters after opening a forum on the development of industrial jurisprudence near here.

The forum was organized by the Malaysian Association of Human Resource Consultants.

Subramaniam said that about 150 Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras throughout the country would be involved in the exercise in the first stage, and the government would study the needs of other temples and gurdwaras from time to time.

Commenting on the need to increase the number of local priests, he said more and more Malaysians would be trained to reduce the dependency of Hindu temples and gurdwaras on foreign workers.

Malaysia Hindu Council(MHC) chief Datuk R Nadarajah has urged the government to ease entry requirements for Hindu priests from India to work in Malaysian temples. He cited the shortage of priests in many Hindu temples across the country as the reason more priests from India needed to be recruited. Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram is a founding member of MHC.

from Malaysia Nanban
Ease entry for foreign priests, Govt urged

MALAYSIA Hindu Council chief Datuk R. Nadarajah has called on the Government to ease entry of foreign priests into the country, reported Malaysia Nanban.

Nadarajah, who is Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam chairman, said they had invited priests and musicians from India to conduct training courses to train locals but the response has been poor.

He said the younger generation was not interested in becoming priests as it involved the learning of many scriptures and the need to follow a strict discipline.

Furthermore, the income was not encouraging.

He said many temples in the country were having problems conducting daily prayers and rituals, solemnization of marriages and other religious prayers as they do not have trained priests.

He urged the Home Ministry to look into the problems faced by the temples and make it easier for the recruitment of priests from India.