GEORGE TOWN: After six years of acrimony, this year’s Thaipusam festival in Penang on Jan 25 was supposed to be a unified one, with both the golden and silver chariot travelling together in a single procession. But it may not happen after all.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister ll Dr P. Ramasamy (
pic) claimed the NSC s decision was irresponsible and smacks of double standards with total disregard for views from the state. Penang was the first to announce the cancellation of the Thaipusam festival and chariot procession followed by Selangor and other states, even before the decision was made by the NSC. But all of a sudden, with less than a week to go for Thaipusam, the NSC has made an about turn on the chariot procession matter, said Ramasamy in his Facebook post on Sunday (Jan 24).
He said the NSC has made an exception for the chariot procession from the Sri Maha Mariamman Dhevasthanam in Jalan Tun HS Lee to the Batu Caves temple on Jan 27, with only 10 devotees allowed to follow the procession.