HIndraf Makkal Shakti: Aug 12, 2010

Thursday, August 12, 2010

'Racism in learning', Hindraf wants India's help

By G Vinod - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: The Hindu Rights Action Force, now known as Hindraf Makkal Sakthi, wants the Indian government to provide an educational lifeline for Malaysian Indian students.

Hindraf, which has constantly accused the Umno-led government of racism, believes that deserving Indian students here are being left in the lurch because of a discriminatory policy.

The movement, which was banned by the government, wants the Indian government to provide them with scholarships instead.

In view of this, Hindraf will submit a memorandum to the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur regarding the matter.

“We want the Indian government to know that our children are denied Public Service Department scholarships and matriculation courses due to a race-based policy,” its national information coordinator S Jayathas told FMT.

“We want Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to provide full scholarships to bright Malaysian Indian children and provide places for them to study in India,” he added.

Jayathas said the memorandum will be submitted on Sunday, in conjuction with India's independence day, and the commission has been notified of this.

The gathering would take place at 2pm and more than 100 people are expected to attend.

Last Sunday, Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar accused Umno of perpetuating genocide on the Indian community here.

In a hard hitting speech at the movement's national convention, he claimed that the Malay party was attempting to destroy the community's herigate.

“They destroy our temples, cemeteries and schools. They deny scholarships for our children. If this is not ethnic cleansing, what else am I to call it?” he asked.

In November 2007, Uthayakumar and four others led a mammoth protest in Kuala Lumpur, which saw tens of thousands of Malaysian Indians taking to the streets.

The Hindraf rally was credited as being the political awakening of the community, which paved the way for the Indians to vote for the opposition in the 2008 general election.

Shortly after the protest, the five Hindraf leaders were detained under the Internal Security Act and were released in 2009.

“Ethnic cleansing” of Dinding Indian Association land

For 80 years, the Dindings Indian Association in Sitiawan, Perak, has been the steward of a two-hectare plot of land originally purchased with the contributions of rubber tappers.

Last week, the federal government issued notice that it will acquire the land to build a school – the formal hearing of acquisition is to be held on Aug 25 at the Manjung Land Office.

The Perak DAP has now pitched in with an accusation that there is an ulterior motive behind the move.
State deputy chi NONE

ef M Kulasegaran said the site, located in the heart of town, is worth at least RM20 million now, and that it is the pride of the Indian Malaysian community which makes up 15 percent of the local population.

“Is it true as speculated that part of the prime land will be given to cronies of the people in power for commercial development?” he asked.

He said the plot was bought “with the blood, sweat and tears of the first generation of Indian settlers” who had cleared the jungle for rubber planting.

“Indian rubber-tappers from the 35 estates in Sitiawan had contributed two Straits Settlement dollars each per month for 18 months to purchase this piece of land,” he said.

“The idea of purchasing the land at the time was to build a school for the children of rubber tappers to study English in the afternoon, after attending Tamil school in the morning.”

Part of the site is now occupied the SK Simpang Empat (formerly the Simpang Empat English School), the school field and the VR Menon science laboratory built in 1964.

“There is no logical reason or justification for the government to acquire this piece of land. We are adamant that it should at all times remain in the hands of the Indian community,” Kulasegaran said.

He said that a large number of people will gather at the Manjung Land Office on Aug 25 to object to the proposal.

Questions that arise

Kulasegaran, who is also Ipoh Barat MP, called on the Perak and federal governments to organise a roundtable conference to discuss the proposed acquisition and arrive at a win-win solution.

It is understood that both governments had carried out a feasability study a year ago, in preparation to acquire the site.
Kulas

egaran said the Perak government’s Indian Affairs adviser S Veerasingam (left) had reportedly said that “a settlement will be reached” after discussion with Mentri Besar Zamry Abd Kadir, who is currently abroad.

He demanded answers from Veerasingam on these questions:

1. Was he aware of the feasibility study? Was the Perak government consulted before the decision on acquisition was made?
2. Why was there no prior consultation with the local Indian community?
3. Why did he say a settlement would be reached after the notice of acquisition was issued?
4. What are the details of the settlement formula?
Kulasegaran, who was born in Sitiawan, said the Indian community is angered because the move is “most insensitive, unfair and unjustifiable”.

The community also cannot understand the need for this plot when there is vacant land in many other areas where a new school can be built, he added.

Children denied father’s name on birth certificates. UMNO’s religious extremism against Banggarama’s family.

(See newsreport in newKerala.com dated 25/11/10. See below Birth Certificate of banggarama born to Hindu parents.)

In the birth certificates of her son Kanaraj and daughter Hisyanthini the racist and religious extremist and supremacist UMNO civil servants even have refused to record the name of the children’s natural father Sockalingam a/l Suppiah as the father in the father’s column see father’s and his children’s Birth Certificates below. But in the children’s Birth Certificates practicing Hindu Banggaramma’s name has now been changed to a muslim name which she never knew about.

This is the simplest case of the big bully UMNO bullying this and thousands of other such poor and politically powerless Indian Hindus.

By this UMNO bullying, the Article 11 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of religion is meaningless and non-existent. UMNO is causing day to day mysery to thousands of these poor Indian Hindus’ lives.

Many families are even contemplating suicide because of the inequitable and blatantly dissertating the Federal Constitution by this 53 year old UMNO regime.

UMNO will not change. We have to change UMNO in the 2012/2013 general elections.

P. Uthayakumar