Christ statue demolition put on hold

MELAKA: Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron has intervened in the demolition of a replica of a statue of Christ the Redeemer in the Portuguese Settlement in the state.

However, this reprieve is temporary, said Malacca Historic City Council (MBMB) member Joseph Sta Maria on Nov 6.

“We have to thank the CM for not ordering the structure to be demolished (straight away). The clock was ticking and we had no other avenue,” said Sta Maria.

He said the construction of the statue was done without proper approvals.

“I admit that it’s also partially our fault for not getting approval before going ahead with the construction at the settlement,” Sta Maria said.

MBMB had ordered that the statue be torn down by Nov 6.

According to Sta Maria, Portuguese community leaders had constructed the statue, based on the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, for this year’s Christmas celebration.

He said community leaders wanted the statue to reflect the settlement’s identity as a beacon of Catholicism for the last 500 years.

“Our intention was only to reflect the identity of the majority Catholic adherents in the settlement,” he said.

Sta Maria said a plan was submitted to MBMB in September and it has yet to be approved. However, the construction took off early in order to get the statue ready by Christmas.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online