Indian groups fed up with Pakatan gov'ts- Malaysiakini

My expression : MIC & HINDRAF - Kenapa tidak? - Bahagian II

Several Indian civil movements are fed up with the indifferent attitude of Pakatan Rakyat governments.

MCPX

Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), Penang Makkal Sakti Welfare Association (Pemaswa) and newly formed Hindu Action Network (Han) want the new Pakatan governments to form state Indian councils led by the menteri besar or chief minister.

The suggested councils will plan and implement beneficial programmes for the Indian community, with short, medium and long term goals.

According to Hindraf national coordinator TS Thanenthiran, the Pakatan governments have failed to fulfill their promises.

He said during the elections, Pakatan used the Hindraf tagline Makkal Sakti but since winning they have not unveiled any policy to benefit the community.

"Pakatan Rakyat ruling parties, be it DAP in Penang, PAS in Kedah and Perak and PKR in Selangor, seemed to have made empty electoral promises to the Indians," he added.

He stressed Hindraf would continue to fight along the movement’s 18-point memorandum submitted to the federal government last year.

Temple demolitions, non-existence of kindergartens in Tamil schools, private and public sector marginalisation and high suicide rates, are some of the issues the memorandum covers.

'Reps betrayed the community'

Meanwhile, Pemaswa president G Asoghan claimed that Indian leaders in the Pakatan government have "betrayed the Indian community’s trust in them" to deliver the goods.

"Until today, the state governments, particularly Indian leaders, are resting on their laurels," he said.

He claimed that more from MIC, PPP and IPF have benefited from the DAP government in Penang than genuine Hindraf supporters.

Han coordinator G Mugunthan (left) criticised Penang’s elected Indian assemblypersons of protecting their chronic self-interests when they rejected a previous DAP proposal for a state council.

Though DAP members were keen for a one-stop council, the DAP Indian assemblypersons rejected it as "it will put undue pressure on them to deliver."

"Now they are freely doing anything according to their whims and fancies," he said, adding that the appointment of an Indian as Penang deputy chief minister has been more "a curse than a blessing" to the community.

"It has only helped some chronic characters from BN."

Hindraf, Han and Pemaswa plan to organise a joint dialogue session with all relevant Pakatan Rakyat heads of state governments over the issue.

Letter to MB on Tamil Schools and Temples

Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato’ Abd Khalid Bin Ibrahim
Menteri Besar Selangor

Pejabat Menteri Besar Selangor Tingkat 21,
Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Tel: 03-55141119/55447013
40503 Shah Alam Fax: 03-551 90032
e-mail:khalid@selangor.gov.my

21/07/08

YAB

Re: (1) Land for SRJK (T) Seaport, Petaling Jaya and Simpang Lima, Klang
Tamil Schools.

(2) Land for a Tamil School in Lindungan with 10,000 Indian families.

(3) Land for all Tamil Schools, Hindu Temples, Hindu Crematoriums and

Burial Sites further to Section 76(AA) of the National Land Code.

With reference to the aforesaid matter, we hereby formally apply to the Menteri Besar of Selangor for state freehold land for the SRJK (T) seaport SS7, Petaling Jaya and the Simpang Lima Tamil School, Klang.

The Tamil Nesan and New Straight Times 14/07/08 at page 13 reported that the Parent Teachers Association of this SS7 Seaport Tamil School Mr. Purshothaman at a public meeting with MIC President had asked the present 0.6 hectare land to be increased to 1.2 hectares, Samy Vellu replied “Why don’t you see Pakatan Rakyat?” for the extra land. You people don’t understand how it works (i.e. under UMNO it does not work) Tamil School.

In the same news report the Kg. Lindungan area which has 10,000 Indian families also in need of a Tamil School. The Tamil Nesan in its front page report on 14/07/08 reported that the Simpang Lima Klang Tamil School which is the biggest Tamil School in Malaysia with an enrollment of 2,152 students and 97 teachers are having a shortage of land space and classrooms. They had asked the Deputy Education Minister who had visited the school for land for this school to be expanded.

We hereby apply that land be alienated to those Tamil Schools and the intended Tamil School in Kg. Lindungan according to Section 76 (AA) of the National Land Code where the State can alienate freehold land for a public purposes or when there are special circumstances (NST 01/06/08 pg 14).

To the Menteri Besars of Selangor, Perak, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan further to our letters to Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, YB Lim Kit Siang and Dato Seri Hadi Awang dated 21st April 2008 we hereby appeal that state government land be alienated further to Section 76 (AA) of the National Land Code to all Tamil schools, Hindu Temples, Hindu Crematoriums and Burial Sites in these five States. With this state land these Tamil schools will automatically become fully aided government schools and will not be looking like cow sheds any more. The Hindu Temples which are also the heritage of this country will stop being demolished. The Hindu Crematoriums and Burial Sites will no longer demolish and/or relocated at the smallest excuse of development.

This our appeal is not excessive as almost immediately after taking over power in Selangor, and Perak 130 hectares and RM 100 millions approved for the pig farm project and 60,000 TOL occupants of New villages in Perak were given freehold titles (Utusan 05/04/08 pg 14). After all this Indian appeal is, for public and not private or commercial purposes as above.

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

P. Waytha Moorthy

Hindraf: Why so few Indian councillors in Perak? - Malaysiakini

My Expression on news below:MIC & HINDRAF - Rela Demi Masyarakat India???

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) Perak branch is unhappy with the PAS-led Pakatan Rakyat Perak government over what it describes as “continuous marginalisation of Indians

ala Barisan Nasional.”

In its memorandum delivered to Menteri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin’s office in Ipoh today, they criticised the state government for shirking on its 60 councillors in 15 local authorities promise.

A 15-member Hindraf delegation led by its coordinator A Vathe Murthi met Nizar’s special assistant in charge of Indian affairs M Nadaraja.

Their ire is directed at the reduced 48 Indian councillor appointments from a possible 338 which Vathe lambasted as “not proportionate to represent the interests of the already marginalised Perak Indian population.”

The Perak government did promise Hindraf and other state Indian groups 60 councillors.

300,000 Indians

The previous BN government had 41 Indian councillors across the state.

According to the Statistics Department, Perak houses some 300,000 Indians, or 13 percent of the state’s population, the country's second biggest after Selangor with 600,000.

He wants Nizar to revert back to the originally promised number.

Additional to that, Perak Hindraf is asking for affirmative policies to provide vast opportunities in all fields in both public and private sectors to marginalised Indians.

"It’s pointless to merely talk on correcting the wrongs done by the previous BN state government when one failed to prove it’s a government with a difference.

Nizar according to Perak Hindraf has to act firmly and fairly and meet its demands to prevent the movement resorting to other means to voice out their disapproval.

Vathe believes Pakatan Rakyat leaders should not forget the massive contribution of Makkal Sakti, one of Hindraf’s monikers.

The councillors

A total 338 councillors were appointed by Perak on Monday.

Among them were 134 Chinese, 124 Malays, five representatives from special groups, such as Orang Asli and disabled people, and 27 from NGOs.

Besides Ipoh City Hall the other municipalities are Kuala Kangsar, Taiping, Manjung and Teluk Intan Hilir Perak, and the district councils of Grik, Kerian, Kinta Barat, Kinta Selatan, Lenggong, Pengkalan Hulu, Perak Tengah, Selama, Tanjung Malim and Tapah.

The other controversy present is the appointment of Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran as councillor in the city he represents in Parliament.

He is likely to be made deputy mayor, a move heavily criticised in Perak as driven by “greed and lust for power and control.”

“Kulasegaran should have given the post to another political worker,” lamented a politician from Pakatan Rakyat.

A certain number of Pakatan members are miffed by the large number of non-political appointments. They were made councillors at the expense of political members who toiled for Pakatan’s electoral success.

Among the non-political appointments were 18 engineers, 16 architects, 13 doctors, 11 lawyers, two professors, 12 honorary doctorates, 16 ex-teachers, 16 corporate managers, nine housing developers, 16 contractors, 65 businessmen, eight consultants, two supervisors, one former court president, eight datuks, one datuk laksamana and 18 NGO leaders.

Only 12 political workers were appointed, with the majority of political appointments going to political leaders.

The grassroots have rued that their political leaders have inherited ‘BN’s nepotism and cronyism’ in appointing their relatives and friends as councillors, while neglecting and ignoring them.

My Expression on the news above:MIC & HINDRAF - Rela Demi Masyarakat India???

MIC wooing Hindraf, says Samy

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC says that it has been wooing the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) in secret discussions but the group has rejected this claim outright.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the party had been holding discussions with Hindraf youth leaders in Kedah, Perak and Selangor, which he said went well.

He said the Hindraf leaders realised that the MIC was also fighting to upgrade the living standards of the Indian community.

“Whatever happened in the past, especially in the March polls, is history. We must work together for the betterment of the community,” he said, claiming that some of the Hindraf leaders also regretted supporting the Opposition.

In an immediate response, Hindraf national event co-ordinator Kannan Ramasamy pooh-poohed Samy Velu’s claims, saying none of the group’s 10 coordinators had met MIC leaders.

“Hindraf does not have a membership roll. It is led by P. Waythamoorthy who is assisted by 10 co-ordinators and as far as I know, none of us had met anyone from the MIC,” he said when contacted.

He stressed that Hindraf never regretted convincing the Indians to vote for the Opposition in the March general election, as the move had brought much improvement for the community in some parts of the country.

“We have noted that a lot of improvement has taken place for Indians in the five states led by the Pakatan Rakyat coalition since the election,” said Kannan.

Hindraf national coordinator R.S. Thanenthiran agreed with Kannan, saying the best thing that happened from supporting the opposition was the awareness created on the plight of Indians.

MIC leader lashes out at ‘political addicts’ in party

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu lashed out at certain leaders who he said had started campaigning 10 months ahead of the party polls, likening them to “political addicts.”

Comparing himself to them, the former Works Minister who lost his long-held Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in the general election said he had been working tirelessly to regain the Indian community’s support since.

“We lost the election, we lost the support of the Indian community. I sit in the office and work for 10 to 12 hours (daily) trying to bring the community back to us but there are people in the party who only think of positions.

“These people don’t care about the Indian community,” he told reporters after opening the Koperasi Pekerja Jaya annual general meeting yesterday.

Samy Vellu clarified that he had never endorsed anyone for any position at the party polls scheduled next June, when elections for the deputy president, three vice-president’s and 23 central working committee posts will be held.

The MIC presidential elections will be held earlier in March, with Samy Vellu expected to defend his post.

Samy Vellu described it as “bad practice” to campaign for positions without working for the party.

“We should not encourage. I have said before, if anyone thinks they have the support of delegates, they can contest ... nobody is stopping them from contesting.”

“Even if somebody wants to contest for the presidency ... let them contest. It is up to the delegates to decide,” he added.

Samy Vellu , Datuk S. Gopalakrishnan and Tan Sri G. Pasamanickam retained their positions as Koperasi Pekerja Jaya directors while Datuk M. Davendran edged Datuk M. Muthupalaniappan to clinch the fourth directorship.

MIC, Hindraf in secret talks ... NOT!

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC says that it has been wooing the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) in secret discussions, but the group has rejected this claim outright.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the party had been holding discussions with Hindraf youth leaders in Kedah, Perak and Selangor, which he said went well. He said the meetings went well as the Hindraf leaders realised that the MIC was also fighting to upgrade the living standards of the Indian community.

"Whatever happened in the past, especially in the March polls, is history. We must work together for the betterment of the community," he said, claiming that some of the Hindraf leaders also regretted their decision to support the opposition.

Hindraf national event co-ordinator Kannan Ramasamy, when contacted, said he was baffled by Samy Velu’s claims as none of the movement’s 10 coordinators had met any MIC leaders.

“Hindraf does not have a membership roll. It is led by P. Waythamoorthy who is assisted by 10 coordinators and as far as I know, none of us had met anyone from the MIC,” added Kannan.

He said Hindraf has never regretted convincing the Indians to vote for the opposition in the 12th general election as the move had brought much improvement for the community in some parts of the country.

“We have noted that a lot of improvement has taken place for Indians in the five states led by the Pakatan Rakyat coalition since the election,” he said.

Hindraf national coordinator R.S Thanenthiran concurred and added the best thing that happened from supporting the opposition was the awareness created that Indians mattered in the country.

“For the first time ever, it has been made known to the minority Indians that they had the power to bring changes through the ballot box,” he added.

Both Thanenthiran and Kannan advised Samy Vellu to back off and concentrate on rebuilding the MIC.

MIED's study loans

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC-owned Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED) is once again offering study loans to Malaysians enrolled in or applying to study in local or foreign institutions.

Although preference will be given to those enrolled at the Kolej Tafe in Seremban or the AIMST University in Kedah, students from other institutions can also apply so long as they have proof of rejection of their loan applications from their respective institutions, or for courses which are not available at Tafe or AIMST.

Applicants pursuing diploma programmes must have a minimum of four credits, including English and Mathematics for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia while those pursuing degree programmes should have a minimum of three Principle D in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia or its equivalent. Overseas loans are limited to students studying medicine in Asia.

The MIED loan application forms are available online at its website www.mied.com.my. Completed forms must reach the MIED office by Aug 15.