Budget 2009 - Letter from WMP to PM ( Indians excluded from mainstream)

HINDRAF
135-3 Jalan Toman 7
Kemayan Square 70200
Seremban



Media Statement 10/09/2008


Re: Budget 2009: Indians excluded from mainstream development of
Malaysia yet again even after 51 years of Merdeka (Independence).
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced a RM 207.9 Billion Budget in Parliament on 29/08/08 [NST 30/08/08 at page 1 to 6]. The poorest people deserving the most assistance has been acknowledged by UMNO as the Orang Asli, the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, the poor Malays especially in the east coast and the Indians. In the 2009 Budget, RM 160 Million has been specifically allocated for the small 10,000 or so Orang asli community. An allocation of RM 56 Billion (for food production) and RM 3 Billion and RM 3.3 Billion has specifically been allocated for the Sabah and Sarawak natives respectively. The poor Malays in the Peninsula Malaysia will directly benefit from the RM 207.9 Billion without any problem. But the 70% of the poor Indians in Malaysia has been allocated zero allocation by the UMNO controlled Malaysian Government yet again even after 51 years of independence (Merdeka). This is despite Hindraf’s 18 point demands to Prime Minister Badawi dated 12/08/07. Even RM 50 Million allocated for Penang and Malacca Heritage Buildings.

Prime Minister Abdullah had repeatedly after the 25th November 2007 100,000 over People Power Makkal Sakthi rally and the subsequent detention of the four Hindraf lawyers under the draconian ISA without trial in an open Court of Law, the 8th March 2008 General Election and the last on 23/08/08 at the height of the Permatang Pauh by elections promised to look into the plight of especially the poor Indian community who have been deliberately excluded from the mainstream development of Malaysia for 51 years since Merdeka. UMNO and Prime Minister Abdullah from the announcement of the 2009 Budget appears to be still looking into the plight pf especially the Indian poor for the year 2009 and many many more happy UMNO years to come. The Indians would be excluded from RM 5.5 Billion food security allocation. Similarly 99% of the Tamil schools would be excluded from the RM 31 Billion for education. Similarly also the RM 100 Million for urban poor, RM 330 Million for low cost housing, RM 500 Million Amanah Ikhtier Malaysia, the Indians would be excluded.

Prime Minister Abdullah and UMNO repeatedly over and over again there has been zero allocation in the 2009 Budget to help alleviate at least the following critical Indian issues:

1) 40,000 Malaysian born Indian children have deliberately been denied even
their birth certificates.
2) All 523 Tamil schools have not been converted to fully aided government
schools but all the Malay Muslim Sekolah Agama Rakyat have no problems at
all whatsoever.

3) The suicide rate among the Indians is 800% above that of Malays arising out of
poverty related problems and being deliberately excluded from the mainstream
development of Malaysia.

4) Most 99% of the deserving Indians are denied the opportunities to pursue
Government University, Higher Education, Technical, Vocational, Fully
Residential Mara Colleges, Smart Schools and Science and Arts, Secondary
Schools, denied loans to studying private and over Higher education
Institutions.

5) Denied licences and Business opportunities to 99% of the needy Indians
whereas 99% of the needy Malay Muslims do not have a problem.

6) All others as outlined in Hindraf’s 18 point demands to Prime Minister Abdullah
dated 12/08/07.

We hereby once again call upon Prime Minister Abdullah and UMNO to stop all race and religion based development programmes especially from the 2009 Budget onwards. With the view to end 51 years of race and religious based politics and all forms of racial and religious extremist based development plans, policies and programmes in Malaysia.

We also demand that an Independent Race and Religious Relations Commission and an Equal Opportunities Commission with unlimited funding and to have 50% of its Commissioners seconded by the United Nations to attend to and address of all instances of especially the Indians being excluded from the mainstream development. This is the only way forward to ensure justice, fair play, the Rule of Law and Equality for all especially the Malaysian Indian poor and so that the RM 207.9 Billion allocation under the 2009 Budget also reaches them. We reject any piecemeal “peanuts, chicken feet and dog bones” to showcase to the world that the Indians are cared. For UMNO is now dealing with the third and fourth generation Indians and no more our great grandfathers who came from India. Malaysia is our country as much as it is UMNOs’.

Thank You,

Yours faithfully,


…………………………..
P.Waytha Moorthy
[Chairman- Currently in London]