HINDRAF Hindu Rights Action Force
No. 135-3-A, Jalan Toman 7,
Kemayan Square,
70200 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
Malaysia. Tel : +606-7672995/6
Fax: +6-06-7672997
Email waytha@hotmail.com
Y.A.B.. DATO’ SERI ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Minister of Finance
Block Utama,
Bangunan Perdana Putra, Email: reduceredtape@pmo.gov.myPusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, Email: abdullah@kdn.gov.my62502 Putrajaya
Tel: 03 8888 8000
Fax: 03 8888 3444
10/09/2008
Y.A.B,
Re: 1)
Budget 2009 - no allocation for Indian poor, Tamil schools and to address
Hindraf’s 18 point demands.
2) Indians yet again excluded from the main stream development of Malaysia.
3) RM 51 Billion for Indians demand.
4) Prime Minister’s circular to all government departments not to exclude the
Indians from the main stream development.
Introduction
At about the same time last year we had submitted a memorandum to your goodselves in effect that the Indians have been excluded from the main stream development for 50 years. We hereby wish to record our protest that for the 51st year running the Indians have yet again been excluded from the main stream development.
(A) Allocation:In the midterm review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan an amount of RM 230 Billion had been allocated for the various development plans, programmes and agendas. But there was zero allocation for especially 70% of the Indians who are in the lower income category, poor or hardcore poor. For the 2009 Budget that was unveiled on 29/08/08 another grand allocation of RM 207.9 Billion but again the Indians had been left out completely. We take note that for the 147,700 orang asli in Malaysia, RM 160 Million had been allocated for their education alone. We further note that for the RM 3 Million or so natives of Sabah a specific allocation of RM 3 Billion and a further RM 56 Billion to increase food production in Sabah. A specific allocation of RM 3.3 Billion was allocated for the Sarawak Natives. For the poor Malays in the Peninsula Malaysia they are to directly benefit from the lion’s share of the RM 207.9 Billion 2009 Budget. But for the poor Indians there has yet again been zero allocations and at the same time being excluded from benefiting from the RM 207.9 Billion Malaysian mainstream development allocation. The ground reality from the feed back that we gather is that almost all the times the Indians knock at the door of a particular mainstream development plan or programme they are told that the same is only for the Malay Muslims and that the Indians are excluded. And when we question, the UMNO controlled Malaysian government and their cohorts warn us not to question their special privileges which is enshrined in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution. Each time UMNO does not have an answer for their racist and religious extremist doings they either raise the keris or claim the Article 153 privileges which in any event is only a very general Article on a certain percentage of reservation for the Malays (and that too not quantified) in the civil service, scholarships, licenses, educational institutions etc. There is nowhere in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution which stipulates that the Indians are to be excluded from the mainstream development of Malaysia. Article 153 of the Federal Constitution can not be used as a carta blanca for UMNO’s racism and religious extremism in Malaysia. The Indians are protected by Article 153(1) and (7) of the Federal Constitution which provides that Article 153 shall not be at the expense of the other communities (especially the Indians). But just because UMNO has the absolute political power and have full control of especially the police force, army, Attorney General, Courts and the civil service the Indians right to an honest and decent living in Malaysia is trampled with impunity. Might becomes right and the law of the jungle prevails in Malaysia.
(B) Education:A total of RM 31 Billion has been allocated for education but there has been zero allocation for Tamil schools. About 370 (75%) out of 523 Tamil schools in Malaysia not fully aided by the government and in dilapidated-conditions, infested by white ants, falling apart, catching fire because of the ancient wiring and electrical switch board and posing a danger to the said Tamil school children. In the Tamil school in Tampin Linggi, Port Dickson, the class room roof was simply blown away by strong wind, the class room caught fire and 40 pupils escaped death. (Tamil Nesan 18/06/08 at pg 5).
Out of this RM 1.6 Billion have been allocated for staff and new schools. But zero new Tamil schools has been built in the last 50 years. Tamil Nesan as late as 16/06/08 at page 15 that 1,400 Tamil School temporary teachers need training for the 150,000 Tamil School pupils in Malaysia. Of the 7,800 Tamil school teachers, fewer than 500 are trained to teach in English (NST 30/06/08 at page 24). There are 10,000 Indian families in Kg. Lindungan but the UMNO government has turned down the request for a Tamil school (NST 14/07/08 at page 13). The Seaport Tamil school in SS7, Petaling Jaya which is currently sitting on a 0.6 hectare land and overcrowded has been denied an additional 1.2 hectare land for expansion (NST 14/07/08at page 13). The biggest Tamil school in Malaysia, 104 year old Simpang Lima in Klang with 2,152 pupils and 97 teachers has been denied extra land space or for the school to be divided into two has been denied by the Deputy Education Minister. Also the request for additional teachers, assembly hall, fencing, computer room and part of the school building eaten up by white ants cannot be attended to, says the Deputy Education Minister (Tamil Nesan 14/07/08 page 6).. The Springhill Tamil School, Port Dickson was given a mere peanuts or breadcrumbs RM 25,000 to build three class rooms (Tamil Nesan 17/08/08 page 4). For the balance the Indians are expected to raise the money from the already poor Indian community. Why exclude these Tamil schools from mainstream development.
Article 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Right of the child provides for compulsory and free education for all children. Article 2 of the same convention provides for a child’s right to non discrimination. This convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in November 1989 and Malaysia signed and ratified this convention in 1995. But the ground reality is Tamil schools are excluded from the mainstream Malaysian development with impunity.
Tamil Nesan reported on 02/09/08 at page 18 that only 247 or mere 3.5% of the total 123,919 students who graduated from University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) were Indians. Our estimate is that about 99% of the deserving and qualified Indian students are denied places in public government universities and scholarships for local and foreign universities higher education. The 200,000 places at University UITM by 2010, currently there are 120,000 students [NST 13/08/08 pg 4], [NST 25/06/08 at page 13] are 100% excluded for Indian students. There are 21 Medical schools in Malaysia with some 1,500 students graduating each year [NST 23/03/08 page 20]. But 99% of the deserving and qualified Indian students are excluded from being given places in these Medical schools and also in all the public government universities. When they use their parents hard earned and life long savings, EPF savings or borrow to study at less expensive Universities in India, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Indonesia the Health Ministry Secretary General Datuk Dr Ismail Merican under UMNO’s instructions throws sand into their rice bowl by de-recognizing most of their medical degrees. Renuvathy the sixth best student in the country with 13 A1s’ did not get a PSD scholarship [NST focus 22/06/08 page 33]. Kamini with10 A1s’ in SPM and all As’ in UPSR and SRP was denied a place to do medicine by way of a government JPA scholarship [Tamil Nesan front page 14/05/08].
57 years old ex-army staff N. Siva Sankaran’s 22 year old son who scored 10 A1s’ in SPM was not only denied a JPA scholarship but was also rejected by University Tenaga Nasional and University Petronas [NST 22/05/08 page 22] and bearing in mind that there are 30,757 University places for the 2008/2009 academic session for post SPM students, 2,000 PSD scholarships for overseas studies worth RM 1.7 Billion @ RM 850,000 per student and 10,000 PSD scholarships for post SPM students to study at the local Universities and the new intake for Degree Programmes this year is 40,000 students [NST 22/06/08 Page 15]. Felda has succeeded in creating 10,000 professionals, doctors, engineers and accountants. But Felda has not created even one professional, doctor, engineer and accountant from among the Indian plantation workers who like the Felda children are also children of plantation workers. [Utusan 22/06/08 pg 3]. 4,970 students studying in the Pusat Pembelajaran Sains fully residential schools majoring in Pure Science, Maths, Additional Maths and English [Utusan 22/06/08 page 3]. Also 30,000 Diploma and another 30,000 in polytechnics, matriculation, Sabah community colleges etc. [Utusan 22/06/08 page 12]. But 99.9% of the deserving, needing and qualified Indians are being excluded. RM 53 Million per year is given out for higher education by Tenaga Nasional Berhad. RM 523 Million together with Yayasan Tenaga Nasional since 1993. Since 1993, 6,800 students have been given scholarships and loans by Yayasan Tenaga Nasional. Currently 2,182 students are being sponsored by Yayasan Tenaga Nasional who are studying in local and foreign Universities. [Utusan 25/06/08 page 16]. But almost all deserving Indians students especially the children of the thousands of Tenaga Nasional staff have been excluded from these upward mobility opportunities [Utusan 25/06/08 page 16]. Kolej Matrikulasi Perak, Gopeng has 2,000 students (but there are zero Indian students) [Utusan 15/07/08, page 25]. RM 3 Billion in study loans for 180,000 students in the private and public higher educational institutions but 99% of the deserving Indians are excluded. Government PTPTN study loans are not offered to hundreds of Indian students studying medicine in Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Indonesia and India [NST 30/07/08]. For Dentistry graduates from University of Malaya there were zero Indian graduates. There are also zero Indians in the Malay college Kuala Kangsar, Institute Aminuddin Baki, Kolej Tunku Kursiah, Sultan Abdul Hamid College. Our estimate is only 1% of the Maktab Rendah Sains Mara College places are given to Indians although the UMNO government claims 10% are allocated to non Malay Muslims. UMNO has allocated RM 615 Million for maintaining schools and residential schools to ensure that all schools are clean and safe. But to UMNO never mind the hundreds of white ants infested Tamil schools that are falling apart and endangering Tamil school pupils and teachers lives.
(C) Agriculture and Agro based Industries:RM 56 Billion has been allocated to increase food production in Sabah alone. RM 5.5 Billion allocation for food security for 2008 to 2010. RM 180 Million in cost of living allowance for fishermen, RM 120 Million incentives for fish landing, RM 475 Million for fertilizers for rice farmers, RM 33.8 Billion total payments for subsidies, RM 1.6 Billion for padi related subsidies.
The allocations of Billions are specifically designed to benefit the majority community. The scores of Agricultural projects facilitated and coordinated by Mardi, Fama, Risda, Felda, Felcra, Agropolitan and various other state and federal land schemes, the Vetinary Services Department, Agriculture Department specifically excludes 99% of the deserving, needy and poor Indians.
To start off with 99% of even the pre-existing plantation workers families from during the colonial era were excluded from thousands of hectares of major land ownership schemes like Felda, Felcra, Risda, MADA and KADA. Why? The Indians too like the then Malay Muslims were the landless poor. This policy of excluding the landless Indian poor is still continued under the Ninth Malaysia Plan and the 2009 Budget for example in the latest Felda like Agropolitan land ownership scheme in Gahai, Pahang and Pulau Banggi in Sabah and Air Ganda in Perak.
Similarly thousands of hectares of agriculture land for high end and high quality live stock farming like boer and Jamnapari goats, deer, cows, rabbits, ikan keli, talapia, patin etc. have been awarded to many rich Malay Muslims and other Malay Muslims but excluded to again 99% of the poor and landless Indians. In addition to land these livestock farmers are also given low interest loans from especially Bank Pertanian and full back up from the Vetinary Services Department to the exclusion of 99% of the deserving and needy Indians.
The UMNO controlled Malaysian Government is embarked on thousands of hectares and Billions of Ringgit Malaysia worth of high impact projects to increase the household income of the hardcore poor from below RM 400.00 to up to RM 5000.00 in a Felda scheme as acknowledged by Deputy Prime Minister and Felda boss Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak.
UMNO controlled Sime Darby about the biggest plantation company in Malaysia makes a profit of RM 5.2 Billion [NTV 7 news at 1.00 pm on 27/08/08]. But the Indian labourers in these plantations die as poppers not having given land ownership schemes like Felda, Felcra, Risda etc. To start off with these plantation workers have never been given a monthly salary until 2006 when their monthly salary was fixed at RM 425.00 or so to be just above the hardcore poor live of RM 400.00 per month. Neither were bonuses paid to these Indian workers or any form of incentive and bonus shares in this company offered to these Indian workers. UMNO’s intention is very plain and obvious to exclude these plantation Indians from the mainstream development of Malaysia if not to turn them (877,833) into the Wawasan Indian slaves in 2020
(D) Poverty Safety Net and Welfare Assistance:Every community in Malaysia except the Indians have a poverty safety net. The poor Malay Muslims have the traditional villages (Kampongs), the poor orang asli and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak have their ancestral land while the Chinese have their Chinese New Villages. To the poor Malays, Orang asli and the Natives of Sabah and Sarawak, the sky is the limit for them to open up agricultural land and to work on the same. But this option is not available to an Indian poor. Even if he tries opening up new agricultural land, he would at lighting speed be evicted and ejected from the land. Even in existing TOL, TNB Reserve, River Reserve and other state land they are occupying, they are evicted with a mere one A4 sheet of one weeks notice with no alternative land offered.
The 2009 Budget increases the state welfare assistance from RM 400.00 per month per household to RM 720.00 per month for the Peninsula. However in practice, the Welfare Department appear to have unofficial instructions from UMNO to exclude or minimize welfare help to about 90% of the Indians. To cite the latest example is the case of two brothers K. Arumugam (65) and K. Krishnan (62) who have been living in a ramshackle for over 10 years near Jalan Bukit Ubi Muslim cemetery, Kuantan [NST 3/09/08 page 21]. If not for Siva the Mill owner who owns the land, both these brothers would be on the streets. How did these two brothers escape the poverty safety net and welfare assistance for at least ten long years if not longer.
Answer- the UMNO controlled Welfare Services Department has unofficial instructions to exclude as many Indians as possible. Thousands of other Indians have similarly been excluded. To the contrary a poor Malay Muslim is some how taken care of. The latest example is the case “Ibu tunggal rayu bantuan” [Utusan 2/8/08] and “Penderitaan Che Su dapat perhatian”. Beberapa pegawai dan anggota Jabatan kebajikan Malaysia yang datang melawat meminta buku akaun dibuka untuk dimasukkan wang bantuan kebajikan Pusat Urus Zakat Pulau Penang juga hulurkan bantuan. This story was published with a full colour picture of the family and a big write up in Utusan 2/9/08 at page 27. But the earlier two elderly Indian brothers do not have an address to start off with!
(E) 40,000 Malaysian born Indian children denied Birth Certificates in Selangor
alone:
One of the demands in the 18 points demands made by Hindraf to Prime Minister Badawi dated 12/08/08 is for all Malaysian born children to be issued with Birth Certificates and Identity cards with Malaysian citizenship accordingly and not mere permanent residents. As was widely reported in the local media in 2007 and which has been brought to the attention of the Malaysian Prime Minister that 40,000 Indian children in the state of Selangor alone have been denied their birth certificates though they were born in Malaysia. We estimate about 150,000 Indian children in Peninsula Malaysia alone to have been denied birth certificates. We have been informed that there is a colony of one thousand over Indian plantation workers in Sabah who have similarly been denied birth certificates and identity cards. These stateless children can not enroll in primary schools to start off with and making them live at the mercy of others and with no freedom in Malaysia that has already been independent for 51 years.
Despite the fact that 40,000 Indian children born in Malaysia have been denied birth certificates in the State of Selangor alone the UMNO controlled Malaysian Government in it’s 2009 Budget did not make any allocations to resolve this very serious issue. To the contrary when UMNO is determined on any policy they go all out. For example UMNO directed it’s entire 3,526 front line Agriculture Department Staff to fully utilize an additional RM 3 Million allocation for food production under the Ninth Malaysia Plan [NST 27/08/08]. Similarly UMNO could have utilized some 3,526 officers and staff of the Home Ministry and the National Registration Department with an RM 51 Million allocation and resolve once and for all the issue of 150,000 Malaysian born Indians nationwide who have been denied birth certificates and identity cards. Thousands of these young boys and girls are denied into primary schools to start off with. Some Tamil schools headmasters take the risk and out of pity admit these children into Tamil schools. But then they are denied entry into any secondary schools as there are almost nil secondary school Indian Head Masters to take pity on these children. UMNO threw sand directly into their rice bowl by sending out a circular in 2007 to all Tamil schools not to admit these Indian children. In the Tamil Nesan on 14/06/08 reported that Ten Tamil School students were sacked from the Kapar Tamil School because they had no birth certificates. The Tamil Nesan also reported on 27/07/08 at page 4, of a 27 year old mentally challenged youth with no birth certificate was found crying as a child as his poor parents had abandoned him. The Tamil Nesan on 16/08/08 at page 16 reported that Mogana Sangari who scored 5As and 2Bs in UPSR still can’t get into secondary school. Despite a letter from the Education Minister from Putrajaya the state Education Department refuses to admit her. Had Mogana Sangari been a Malay Muslim she would have been taken into one of the elite residential school. Despite an Indian Deputy Minister’s interference, Mogana was still denied entry into a secondary school. This Indian “mandore” of UMNO does not even have the power to pick up the phone and instruct the State Education Department to take in this high achieving student. But this Indian Deputy Minister is supposed to be sharing power in the UMNO controlled Malaysian Government. Many of these technically “stateless” children are somehow pushed into the world of crime for their survival. They can not open a bank account, can not get a car driving license, can not buy a house, can not get a decent job, can not get a license to do business and have to live at the mercy of other people. Out of no or very little choice and almost no upward mobility opportunities. Some of the young girls are easily forced into prostitution and other vice activities. The young men end up becoming gangsters, robbers, hijackers and take up other high risk criminal activities as they do not have much to lose anyway. Others live a life of misery all through their lives and end up in the streets or some ramshackle hut next to Muslim cemetery in Kuantan for at least 10 years as happened to two Malaysian born brothers K. Arumugam (65) and K. Krishnan (62) who have only been issued with a Permanent Residence card. These two brothers may have suffered all their lives without a Birth Certificate and are going to die in misery in a few years time which are supposed to be their golden years. Perhaps UMNO intends it this way otherwise they would have put up an allocation of RM 51 Million and got this problem sorted out and solved once and for all within six months.
What is puzzling is since independence Two Million (mostly Malay Muslim) foreigners have been given citizenship [NST 15/04/08 Page 6]. Bur 150,000 local born Indians are being denied birth certificates and identity cards!
(F) URBAN and RURAL POOR:
UMNO has allocated RM 100 Million for the urban poor. RM 330 Million for low cost housing and RM 500 Million to include urban poor and to include those earning up to RM 1,500 so that borrowers will be able to get out of poverty within five years of getting the loan which is for a maximum of up to RM 50,000.00. Also RM 6.27 Billion for rural, urban, hardcore poor, disabled, single mothers, senior citizens and orang asli. AIM increased its members from 3,220 in 1990 to 190,900 as at June 2008. RM 2.6 Billion disbursed as micro credit loans to business, agriculture, manufacturing, livestock and services repair and renovation of houses and purchase of consumer durables to improve lives.
RM 100 Million in AIM’s Programme Micro Bandar, RM 893 Million in Tekun Micro loans to 147,546 enterprises since 1999 through 193 branches at 4% interest. As of July 2008 a financial enterprise of six banks and three DFI gives micro financing to micro enterprises and self employed with an average financing of RM 9,800.00 per person.
RM 220 million for 13,300 households to increase their income and skills training under Skim Pembangunan Kesejahteraan Rakyat. From 2006 to 2008, 3,500 new houses built and 2,000 houses repaired under Programme Bantuan Rumah for the hardcore poor. For 2009, RM 50 million to build 1,400 new houses and repair 1,000 houses. Since established in 1987, RM 2.5 billion given by AIM to 180,000 households. Since 2004 to 2008, 100,000 low cost houses have been built. For 2009, RM 330 million has been allocated to Jabatan Perumahan Negara to complete 4.400 units of Program Permohan Rakyat (PPR) for rentals 1,500 units PPR bersepadu and 660 PPR to be owned. Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd would build 33,000 low cost houses, RM 50 Million for skim Jaminan Kredit Perumahan (SJKP) (Guaranteed Housing Credit Scheme) for non fixed income earners from Bank Islam and Bank Simpanan Nasional for purchase of low and medium cost houses. Injected with a further RM 100 Million SKJP can give out loans to 40,000 borrowers worth RM 2Billion. RM 50 Million to repair dilapidated houses of the poor under Programme Amal Jarriah. Up to now 4,600 houses have been repaired with a cost of RM 24 Million. For 2008, 8,400 houses expected to be built and 30,000 houses expected to be repaired under this programme.
Here again 99% the poor Indians and Indians from the lower income group have been excluded from the Millions and Billions of allocation. Indians having their houses repaired under these various schemes are unheard of. 90% of the deserving and needy Indians have been denied low cost housing. We have evidence of 100% of applications for micro credit AIM loans have been rejected as per the latest news report in the New Straits Times dated 01/09/08 at page 16. It has been reported that AIM has not given loans to any of the 200 people it had recommended this year says Malaysian Indian Business Association President Mr. P. Sivakumar who confirmed so vide his nationwide micro financing survey. In direct contrast up to 2006 Tekun Nasional has given out 134,000 loans to about 80,000 bumiputera borrowers (Utusan Malaysia 24/08/08 page 5). Another latest example in this area was reported in Tamil Nesan on 24/08/08 at page 5 that homeless Indian family living in abandoned shop house with no water and electricity in Kluang including a pregnant lady and school going children. The welfare officer who visited them did not even help put them in a home. In fact the local Kluang MIC had to arrange to send the school going children to nearby Tamil school. The Welfare Department however promised a sum of RM 100.00 per month which is 1,500 times below the mark set by the government for the lower income group. That too if this RM 100.00 is approved by the Welfare Department. Edisi siasat screened on NTV 7 at 6.30pm on 23/08/08 showed the family of Nagammal (31) with seven children and has been working as a cleaner lady at Sime Darby building for the past 10 years.. Her husband is in jail for a poverty related crime. Knowing that she and her seven children have no or very little opportunities to benefit from the Millions and Billions in the UMNO controlled Malaysian Government development plans some of which are also outlined in the Ninth Malaysia Plan hereinabove Nagammal tried giving poison to her children and when she failed, she just killed herself. To Nagammal and about 70% of the Indians in Malaysia there is no or hardly any opportunities for upward mobility. This programme then highlights another two families in the hardcore poor group earning RM 300.00 and RM 600.00 per month respectively. One family is forced to stop from school and send their 17 year old son to work at a coconut water stall. Finance Minister Noor Mohamad Yaakob states that there are 18,000 school dropouts according to the midterm review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan we estimate that 70% of these 18,000 school dropouts are Indians. The Lukut Tamil school is shoved upstairs a shop house. Standard 5 school child Papathy says that her class-room is congested with no playing field, no school assembly. Also screened were the living conditions and the houses of the plantation workers which has hardly seen any change since British colonial days and that of other labourers lorry drivers and general workers. This programme ended up with the (100,00 over) Hindraf rally on the 25th day of November 2007 having championed these causes. And finally the four Hindraf Lawyers being arrested and sentenced to two years jail without trial in an open court of law. During the Permatang Pauh by elections, MIC President Samy Vellu who had served as a minister for 30 years inadvertently admitted that the Indians in Kampong Bagan Serai and Seberang, Kuari, Permatang Pasir are living in worst conditions than in Africa. In other parts Indians are living in pathetic conditions in slumps [TV 3 news at 8.00pm on 22/08/08]. Despite all these pre-existing poor and poverty riddled Indian community, there was no policy statement by the Prime Minister not to exclude the Indians from the mainstream development.
(G) Human Development Capital:The 2009 Budget allocates RM 47.7 Billion or 23% of the total Budget proposal to develop quality Human Development Capital, RM 2.4 Billion for Program Latihan dan Kemahiran. To achieve this RM 150 Million allocated to upgrade 13 polytechnics and 15 community colleges with an enrolment of 112,000 students. RM 200 Million allocated for Institute of Industrial Training and High Technology Training Centre. RM 360 Million for Institute Kemahiran Mara, Institute Kemahiran Tinggi Mara, Kolej Pelajaran Mara and Giat Mara. RM 70 Million to train 5,600 nurses in Nurses Training College by Ministry of Health. RM 30 Million to create Pusat latihan Jururawat in Wilayah Koridor Ekonomi Utara. Construction Industry Development Board will train 100,000 in the construction Industry, Technical, Ironworks, Management and Safety. RM 627 Million for polytechnics and community colleges.
Despite these Billions and Millions, a mere RM450,920 was spent on training 4,627 Indian students at RM95.00 per Indian student from 2006 to 2007 (Utusan Malaysia 27/06/08 Pg 7) Why should the Indians be pushed to the sidestream development by a mere allocation of RM95.00 per Indian student when there is a Budget allocation of RM47.7 Billion. Why can’t the Indian students be part of this RM47.7 Billion budget?
Another very glaring example is as was reported in Tamil Nesan on 12/08/08 at Pg 10 where Thayani Saravanan’s application to join a Government Nursing College was rejected. The Lunas MIC brought the matter to MIC President and after his intervention Thayani now gets the place. Thayani’s mother is a single parent and from the lower income group. Why should it take an Ex-Minister of 30 years standing to intervene for Thayani to secure a place for training when the overall training budget is for RM 47.7 Billion or 23% of the overall 2009 Budget?
ConclusionIt is plain and obvious from the above narration that the Indians have intentionally been excluded from the RM 207.93 Billion Budget and the mainstream development of Malaysia.. The example cited above where the Indians have been deliberately excluded from the mainstream development are merely the tip of the iceberg and are not isolated cases. Thousands of similar real examples happening on a day to day basis in Malaysia can be viewed in www.policewatchmalaysia.com and www.hindraf.org.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly said that in the mainstream development of Malaysia, no community should be left behind. But this over and over again, over the years seems merely a “political rhetoric” and merely in theory. In reality and at the ground level the sufferings and misery of the Indians are so punishing under UMNO controlled Malaysian Government’s racist and religious extremist policies in especially excluding the Indians from the mainstream development. Thus the Prime Minister’s wish for poverty to be eradicated by 2020 (NST 24/08/08 at Pg10) we suppose does not apply to the Indians.
We hereby demand that the 9th Malaysia Plan is reviewed not to exclude 99% of the Indians from the mainstream development of Malaysia and for UMNO to halt all its racist and religious extremist policies. We have heard enough of the policies were good but it was the implementation that went wrong excuse.
UMNO is now dealing with the 3rd and 4th generation Indians and no more our grandfathers and great grandfathers.
We hereby demand that the Prime Minister forthwith issues a circular to all the government authorities not to exclude 99% of the Indians from the mainstream development plans outlined in the Ninth Malaysia Plan and for all practices of racism and religious extremism to be stopped immediately.
We hereby demand the immediate formation of the Race Relations Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission to deal with all complains of racism, religious extremism and the exclusion of 99% of the Indians from the mainstream development of Malaysia. On a wholesome basis and not on a piecemeal basis as currently assigned to a political party.
We want a permanent and genuine solution to the long standing misery of the Indians.
Thank You.
Yours faithfully,
……………………………
P.Waytha Moorthy
(Chairman)
..
