Christians in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya are facing a grave problem—a shortage of burial land.
“Cremation is an unavoidable option,” said John de Souza, a Catholic
consultant of NV Care, a bereavement company, ucanews.com reports.
Government-owned cemeteries shared by non-Muslims in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya have almost reached their maximum capacity.
There are about 800,000 Catholics in Malaysia, with Christians making
up about nine percent of the total population of 27 million.
“But if they insist on burial, then I will take them to Malacca, for
example,” de Souza adds. Malacca is a two-and-a-half hour drive south of
Kuala Lumpur.
Catholics are outraged and wonder why the Catholic Church cannot acquire enough land.
“We are citizens of this country. It is the government’s duty to make
sure there are enough burial land for us,” said a Catholic priest.
The shortage is also blamed on families.
“They erect large tombstones
taking up a lot of space when a simple cross would do like in countries
abroad,” the priest added.
The problem is also compounded by Catholic Church zoning. Catholics
living in Petaling Jaya cannot be buried in the nearest city of Shah
Alam, also in Selangor.
The Shah Alam Christian Cemetery, an
inter-denominational graveyard, is reserved exclusively for the burial
of Christian and Catholic residents of Shah Alam.
“The cemetery belongs to the Shah Alam Municipal Council and the Shah
Alam Christian Fellowship (SACF) helps them to manage the cemetery,”
said Teresa Lai of the Divine Mercy Church, the only Catholic church in
Shah Alam.
Well-off Catholics bury their dead in private cemeteries instead,
such as the Subang Lutheran Garden Cemetery in Selangor, owned by the
Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore.
Open to Catholics and
Christians, a burial plot there costs around US$1500 while a columbrium
niche costs US$400.
Cremation used to be associated with other religions but now more
Catholics are left without a choice.
“We have to come to terms with this
because, what other choice is there unless you want to be buried far
from home?” De Souza remarked.
SIC: CTH/ASIA