Firstly I think that we need to understand and comprehend what racism really mean because even being a Malaysian is racist as we can only see Indonesia as a provider of maids when polled showed that they should not even have a day off. I don’t even want to get into the Bangladeshis, and the Africans who are marauding in Malaysia.
I suspect that your brain, in such a case, has failed to incorporate the data that refutes a prejudicial negative, and would of course cross into bigotry. With all this you still fall for all the scams for your individual need. However when your own Malaysian Indians are concerned, the prejudicial negative thought is a stereotype which is generally negative without basis because that is what Malaysian Indians are, always the troublemaker. Then bigotry sets in to categorize it based on the ethnicity based categorization. Unfortunately nobody takes the trouble to understand why this is, what it is, or what contributed to this, or bother to see how truthful it is for a cause only that humanity matters as oppose to the scams that is carried out by non Malaysians as well as the Malaysian politicians.
Such rhetoric, such passion, yet all most in Malaysia can think of is HINDRAF is racist because everything is blind sided against humanity to survive for your individual need or the posturing you intend to create that you are just and fair based on the artificial society that we live in “Kerana Semua Boleh”.
Let’s say it is racist because it raises Indian issues, can I blame them when all these are prevalent issues;
Thousands of Malaysian born Indians has been reduced into slaves especially in the remote rubber and palm oil plantations (NST 15th Sept. 2008. Page 12). Having recently celebrated 51 years of independence, slavery still exist in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan, often these slaves go with one meal of watered down rice a day. It is unbearable to see images of children with nothing but skin and bones. They are beaten up with rubber hose and sticks and sent to a “prison” in Bahau as punishment for not working hard enough. Women and children are used as sex slaves. One enslaved mother said “my son was beaten so badly that he almost died. Some slaves have even died of hunger, exhaustion and sickness. Children born here grow up not knowing anything else except working as slaves”. Children toil from dawn to dusk for more than 12 hours a day. They do not get to go to school like other children. (NST 15th Sept.2008 at page 12 and 13).
After 51 years of independence the state has capped the monthly salary of Indian plantation workers at RM 325.00 (approx. USD 85.00) per month. (Opposition Leader Round Table Meeting paper dated 12th April 2006) Thousands of Indians in the Blue Valley tea plantations in Cameron Highlands are paid a salary of a mere RM13.00 (USD 3.50) per day. They do not get annual leave, bonus and when they fall sick they cannot even afford to go to the Ipoh General Hospital for treatment (Tamil Nesan 11th Oct 2008 page 4)
Indians form 60% of urban squatters and 41% of beggars (The Economist 22nd Feb 2003).
About 70% of the Indians are in the poor and hardcore poor category but also receive the least attention by even the NGOs, Civil Society and Opposition parties, as they were “merely Indians”.
In the Kampong Medan “Ethnic Cleansing” racial attacks against the Indians for two weeks in a row on 8th March 2001, Malaysian Indians there were specifically targeted in what is believed to be an UMNO sponsored “secret political operation”. Five Indians were massacred and grievous bodily harm was inflicted on totally innocent Indians before the very watchful eyes of the Malay Muslim Police force (Refer to Appendix 2). Despite scores of police reports including Police Report Petaling Jaya No. 4301/01, there were zero serious investigations and criminal prosecutions for these murderers and the grievous bodily harm. The Attorney General and the Chief Justice had refused to order an inquest into the five mysterious killings. The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) refused to hold a public inquiry and when a civil suit was filed to compel SUHAKAM to do so the Malaysian High Court struck out the Kampong Medan victim’s suit without even the UMNO controlled Malaysian.
Government having to file their statement of defence to the very serious allegations of state sponsored murders and violence. The government refused to order a Royal Commission Of Inquiry or present a White Paper in Parliament as promised (Malaysian Bar Resolution, AGM minutes , 22nd March 2003)
In the RM 207.9 billion (approx. USD 54 billion) 2009 Budget and the RM 230 billion (approx. USD 60 billion) allocation under the Mid Term Review of the 9th Malaysia Plan in 2008 there has been zero allocation for especially the poor and under privileged Indians (NST 29th Aug 2008 page 1 & Utusan Malaysia 27th June 2008 page1 respectively).
About 54% of Malaysian Indians work as plantation workers or urban under paid labourers (Asia week 26th Jan 2002).
Three Indian hardcore poor families in one urban squatter colony in Penang do not have the money to even buy milk for their infants who were fed with sweetened milk or rock sugar water, stopped sending their children to primary school, their houses are without toilets and electricity, a lady with a mentally ill husband earns RM300.00 (USD 77.00) per month washing clothes, toilets and doing household chores. They dread thinking of the worst when the sole bread winner falls ill (NST 23rd Oct. 2008 page 15). Unlike in India these Indians in Malaysia get no or very little family support as they are usually in no better position. One Indian young mother could not be cremated until three days after her death because of poverty.
An estimated 150,000 Malaysian born Indian children have been denied their birth certificates and identity cards even with the consequences that they are denied and excluded from even primary school education let alone university education , skills training , job opportunities and even from exercising their democratic rights to vote in general elections (Ref. NST Editorial 23rd Oct page 22 which quotes a 50,000 figure) Without birth certificates these children are not even allowed to enroll into primary schools. They cannot get skills training, not allowed place in local universities, a good job, cannot open a bank account, cannot get a driving license and can be arrested at any time for being an illegal immigrant.
The government’s official statistics states that 63,441 (Malaysian born 3rd 4th and 5th generation) Indians have been denied citizenship and are only given red identity cards (Permanent Resident status) (NST 19th Nov 2008, page 12). To the contrary two million foreigners (Muslims largely from neighbouring countries) have been granted citizenship since independence in 1957 (NST 15th Apr.2008 page 6). 50,000 mostly Indians have been denied Birth Certificates and Identity Cards (Citizenship) (NST Editorial 23rd. Oct. 2008 page 22)
Unprecedentedly an Indian lady , M. Rajeswary filed a civil suit against the Home Minister for RM6 million ringgit because she did not have a identity card with her at that time and was wrongly arrested, detained made to plead guilty that she is a foreigner and sent to prison where she delivered a baby girl. (NST 11th Nov 2008 page 22).Our fear is thousands of other third, fourth and fifth generation Indians may be languishing in prison like Rajeswary with no redress of justice as they were denied even their innate right to be issued their birth certificate in the first place.
48 year old Madam Veerama has no birth certificate and identity card despite having been born in Malacca. She has four children and three grand children. Her 12 year old son Velan’s birth certificate written as non citizen and so he has been denied an identity card (citizenship).Her husband is a Malaysian citizen and this alone should qualify all her children to become Malaysian citizens according to the Federal Constitution but UMNO does not work according to the constitution and the law (Tamil Nesan 9th Nov 2008, page 3) (Note how this Stateless problem moves from one generation to another generation)
Just before 8th March 2008 General Elections the Chief Minister of the State of Selangor publicly acknowledged that in the State of Selangor alone there are 30,000 Indian children without birth certificates. HINDRAF estimate 150,000 Indian people including children are without birth certificates nationwide and remain stateless.
In every one week one Hindu temple is maliciously and ruthlessly demolished in Malaysia (Tamil Nesan 30th Oct 2008, page 3). In the Selangor State Legislative Assembly it was officially revealed by Executive Council Member Dr. Xavier Jayakumar that between 2004 and 2007, 96 Hindu temples were demolished in Selangor (at an average of one Hindu temple in every 10 days – Tamil Nesan 30th Oct 2008, page 3). Based on this figures we estimate that one Hindu temple is being demolished in every week nationwide in Malaysia.
In one day, alone 6 ethnic Indians were shot dead by the police for being “suspects”. In every week 1.3 person is shot dead by police (The Star, 11th May 2007). In the recent past 90% of the Malaysians victims shot dead by the police are the Indians. A few years ago even a nine month pregnant Indian lady by the name of Selvamalar was shot dead by the police within the confines of her very own home for being a suspected kidnapper. (Not forgetting Prabhakaran, Kugan, Kulim 6 & A. Gnanapragasam.
80% of the cases of being beaten up by the police in lock ups, police harassment, death in police lock ups, inmates of police and prison jails (mostly due to poverty related crimes) are the Indians where they form only about 8% of the Malaysian population (Police Watch Memorandum to the Police Royal Commission dated 4th March 2003). In every two weeks one youth dies in police prison custody and 80% of these victims are Indian youths.
About 70% of 371 out of the 523 Indian (Tamil) schools have been denied fully government funded status. They are all in dilapidated cowshed like pre war buildings. These schools are also denied the full teaching and learning facilities made available to Malay Muslim schools. About 1400 (20% – Tamil Nesan 16th June 2008 page 15) of the 7800 Tamil school teachers are temporary and untrained teachers (NST 13th June 2008 page 24), to teach the 150,000 Tamil school pupils (Tamil Nesan 16th. June.2008 page 15).
To the contrary 15,000 Diploma qualified and trained (almost all Malay Muslims) primary school teachers are given the opportunity to go to the next level primary school Graduate Teachers Programme to ensure that at least 50% of the 140,000 (almost all Malay Muslims) primary school teachers have a degree in education to be awarded by 2010 in the five years degree Programme consisting of 4 years school holiday courses and the fifth year on a full time basis at all the various Teacher Training Universities (NST, 23rd July 2008, page 18)
To the contrary 350 teachers from the PERMATA kindergartens (with an allocation of RM20 million and headed by the Prime Minister Najib Razak’s wife) was sent for training at Sultan Idris Teacher Training University under a “special” arrangement to qualify with a Diploma (NST 14th Oct 2008, page
And to the direct contrast the Tamil schools in Mukim Pundut was not allowed to establish their own kindergarten even in a vacant school building (Tamil Nesan, 3rd July 2008).
719 Tamil school high achieving students scored 7As (Tamil Nesan Headlines 14th Nov. 2008) but they are excluded from any of the fully residential (Government run) MARA Junior Science Colleges and the scores of elite schools which are reserved exclusively for the Malay Muslim Students.
Pandamaran, Selangor with 3000 Indian families were denied a local Tamil school, the students have to travel miles away to the nearest Watson Tamil School (Tamil Nesan 21st Aug. 2008, page 4). The Triang, Pahang, parents want a local Tamil school as there are local Chinese and Malay Muslim schools but not a Tamil school. The parents held a peaceful assembly at the office of the local State Assembly man Leong Ng Ng, demanding for a local Tamil school (Tamil Nesan 30 Aug 2008, page 11). And then in the Kampong Lindungan area which has 10,000 Indian families, they have also been denied a local Tamil school (NST 14th July 2008, page 13).
The official allocation per pupil for a Tamil school is RM10.55 but for a Malay Muslim school pupil it is RM33.30 per pupil (and millions and billions more) as per the Ninth Malaysia Plan (Sembaruthi Magazine, Aug 2008, page 47).
4 % of Malaysian children between the ages of 6 to 12 are not in school, according to UNICEF (NST 20th Nov 2008, Page 14). Ten Tamil school pupils from Kapar Tamil School were sacked from school because they did not have birth certificates (Tamil Nesan 14th June 2008). Pursuant to a new circular from the Education Minister, previously only the Tamil schools headmasters who are Indians would take pity and accept these “Stateless” children into their schools. The UMNO Malay Muslim headmasters will not accept them. But now even the Primary Tamil schools are out of bounds with effect from 2008 onwards, let alone secondary schools, skills training colleges and university education. The UMNO controlled Malaysian Government has the heart to even do this to children!!!
Tamil schools are so badly equipped that a group of Motorola Indian general workers had to organize a fund raising dinner, raised RM 30,000 to set up a basic library in the Glenmarie, Highcom and Highlands Tamil Schools (Tamil Nesan 14th July , page 6 ). Four computers were donated to four Tamil schools in Seremban and Teluk Kemang , Tamil Nesan (30th Dec 2008 page 16) but the government had allocated RM 9.7 billion (approx. USD 3 billion) for educational development under the Ninth Malaysia Plan!! (NST 19th Nov 2008, page 10)
Education in any part of the world is the responsibility of the government. What more than Article 12 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution stipulates that there shall be no discrimination in providing education out of the funds of a public authority and the Article 8 provides for equality before the law and there shall be no discrimination.
About 99% of the deserving Indian students have been denied places in public universities and government PSD scholarships (Tamil Nesan, 15th, July 2008, page 3 and 7th July 2008 front page respectively). In 2007 there was a total of 847,485 local public university places (NST 7th Aug 2008, page 16). In the University Technology MARA (UITM ) there were 120,000 places but exclusively only for the Malay Muslims (NST 13th Aug 2008 ). This totals up to 967,485 university places in Malaysia for the year 2007 but only 2,750 Indian students taken in 2007 out of which 254 are doing technology courses in the local public universities (Tamil Nesan 15th July 2008, page 3). Assuming even these 2,750 students is just for one academic year, it works out to a mere 1% of the total Public University intake. A total of RM 1.7 billion PSD scholarship was awarded to overseas university students but only 34 Indian students out of 2000 students (1.7%) were awarded these overseas scholarships (NST 16th May 2008, page 6) and 161 (1.61%) Indian students were awarded PSD scholarships in 2007 (to study at local universities out of the 10,000 scholarships – Tamil Nesan 7th July 2008 front page). But at least 375 SPM high achieving students scored 8 A1s (Tamil Nesan 12th July 2008, page 5) but did not get a scholarship. Remawathy the 6th best student in the country with 13 A1s was denied a PSD scholarship (NST Focus 22nd July 2008, page 33).
“100,000 foreign students targeted for local public universities (IPTA) by 2010 and so the hostels have to be upgraded”, says Deputy Higher Education Minister Idris Harun (Utusan Malaysia, 4th Nov.2008, page 15). However there are no targets for the local poor Indian students to gain entry into public universities.
Four more matriculation colleges will be completed by 2010 bringing the number of available places with full hostel facilities to 40,000 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. There are now 9 matriculation colleges with a total intake of 28,000 students annually. The then Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak openly announced that this has increased the number of Malay Muslims in institution of higher learning. Najib said 10% of the places are for non Malay Muslims (Utusan Malaysia, 2nd Nov 2008, page 4). But we are yet to hear of a single Indian student from these matriculation colleges. At best 0.1% of the places may be given to the Indians.
In 2003, only one medical seat was allocated at University of Malaya for the 2 million Indian population in Malaysia. Simultaneously scores degrees of foreign medical colleges with almost all Malaysian Indian students in Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Indonesia and India were derecognized by the government of Malaysia with the view to reduce the number of Malaysian Indian doctors in Malaysia. (PRIM Memorandum to Education Minister dated 25th July 2003). This is despite the fact that there is a 100% shortage of doctors in Malaysia (NST, 28th May 2008, page 6).
About 99.9% of the deserving Malaysian Indians have been denied government land schemes in FELDA, FELCRA, RISDA, Agropolitan projects etc. which was meant for all the poor, landless and under privileged Malaysian including the Indians. There are 112,635 FELDA settlers in 317 schemes (Utusan Malaysia 21st Nov 2008, Page 24) covering some 2,000,000 acres as at 2007 (Utusan Malaysia, 9th July 2008, Page 10). FELDA settlers today earn about RM5000 (Approx USD 1,300.00) per month. Some FELDA homes matches that of the estate manager’s grand abode with 4 rooms and all with attached bathrooms, hot water and tiled floors. They are also given RM60, 000 to renovate their houses and RM 10,000 to buy new furniture (NST 23rd Jul 2007, Page 12).
FELCRA has 83,000 settlers holding between 1.62 to 4.05 hectares each. Each planter is given a dividend of RM 4,778.70 per hector for rubber and RM 4207.72 per hectares for palm oil from the RM588.15 million announced by the Rural Development Minister Mohd.Taib (Utusan Malaysia 18th June 2008, Page 1).
RISDA has developed 64 hectares of rubber small holdings through replanting schemes. Since 1988, RM 400 million dividends have been paid to some 35,000 small holders (Utusan Malaysia, 30th June 2008, Page).
The Agropolitan projects with the latest being in Gahai, Kuala Lipis, and Pahang with 500 acres for 50 lots of houses. The facilities here include Rural Information Centre (Internet Centre), Multi Purpose Hall, Mosque, Shop Lots, Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneur Units, playing field, kindergarten, piped water, electricity and roads. Each planter is also given about 7 acres per person and a housing lot of 3000 square feet with individual titles (Utusan Malaysia, 5th August 2008, Page 24)
But all these privileges are excluded to the Indians even though they had been the pioneer planters brought into then Malaya by the British about 150 years ago. At best a 0.1% of these privileges have been given to the hardworking poor Indians.
Malaysian Indian civil servants have been reduced from about 50% in the late 1960s to a mere 1% in 2008 (Mahathir’s book The Malay Dilemma page 78 and NST 13th June 2008 ,Page 14). In 2007 only four (1%) of the 400 positions in the Inland Revenue Department were given to the Indians (NST 13th June 2008, Page 14). 24,491 Indians applied for civil service jobs from January and 18,533 last year (NST 16th Nov 2008, Page 8 ).
Penang Deputy Chief Minister 2 who was former Malaysian National University (UKM) lecturer accused UMNO of engineering the dominance of Malays in the civil service over the last 50 years. Application forms of non Malays were torn up (NST 14th Jan 2008, Page 24).
To the contrary the very first Navy Chief of the nation was Rear Admiral K.Thanabalasingam but after 51 years of independence an Indian has never got to the top10 navy jobs. What more the navy chief’s job!! UMNO will never ever allow this to happen. Put aside the navy chief’s job, Indians have even been rejected for an Assistant nurse’s job as what happened to Thayani Saravanan whose application was rejected. From a poor family and with a single parent mother this job means a lot to her. Only after the intervention of MIC president an ex minister of 29 years standing to see to it that a young Indian girl gets her little wish to become a small town assistant nurse’s job (Tamil Nesan, 12th Aug 2008, Page10). But this is how UMNO works in Malaysia.
About 99.9% of the deserving Malaysian Indian Students are excluded from the 6000 place in fully residential schools, 5100 elite MARA Junior Science Colleges and scores of other elite schools which are reserved for the Malay Muslims (Utusan Malaysia 19th Nov 2008 Page 10).
Thousands of poor Indian squatter houses have been demolished without proper alternative housing unlike for the poor Malay Muslims. (NST 30th Oct 2008 Page 21).
99% of the deserving Malaysian Indians have been denied business licenses, permits, government contracts and projects, business opportunities, government sponsored business loans, MARA, Rural Development, Entrepreneur Ministry, AGRO Bank, SME Bank etc loans, business opportunities and franchise businesses and training opportunities, corporate, conglomerate, big businesses, banking and even private sector jobs.
Preferred government guaranteed returns, blue chip shares in the government corporation PNB worth RM80 billion (approximately USD 21 Billion) and benefitting at least 9 million Malay Muslims, 86.12% of whom are in the lower income group (Utusan Malaysia 4th May 2008 Page 21) as the government’s effort to redistribute wealth (NST 21st Apr 2008 page 2). However these PNB share scheme is excluded to 100% of the poor and under privileged Indians.
In all 100% of the scores of public interest litigation civil suits we have filed at the Malaysian High Courts in the aforesaid Kampong Medan “Ethnic Cleansing” of the Indians, death in police custody, death by police shooting, Hindu temple demolishment, Indian squatters, assault and beating up by the police cases etc, justice was denied to the victims (Kuala Lumpur High Court Suite No.1-44-20-2008 refers).
Thousands of Police Reports have been lodged by the Indians in respect of all the aforesaid atrocities in Malaysia but literally zero action has been taken against the police and the UMNO authorities. The government of Malaysia has no inhibitions and continues with impunity.
Over the last 51 years, millions of Malaysian Indian have lived and died in misery. Thousands have ended up committing suicide largely because of inequality, unequal opportunities and no or very little upwards mobility opportunities and poverty or poverty related. In one day alone 6 Indians have committed suicide (NST 14th April 2008, Page 13). The suicide rate among the Indians in Malaysia is the highest at about 600% higher than in the Malay Muslim community (NST 14, Sept.2008 Page 21).
After reading this, if you would actually do it and cared for another Malaysian on the basis of humanity, then look me up, and don’t tell me the others ie Malay, Chinese, and the lain – lain face the same problem. Whose fault is it, if it is such a concern then why is nobody fighting for it or for them when politically and economically, the Malay and the Chinese are in control and for the indigenous population in East Malaysia controls over 50 parliamentary seats? Whose fault is it and who is the racist or would I say a material racist for your own individual agenda?
In simpleton term, HINDRAF is not for the armchair critics but for the poor and down trodden on the basis of humanity, whether you like it or not as it could have been their basis for survival and necessity justly and fairly for the sidelined community. When the HINDRAF tide swung in the opposition’s direction, everything is hunky dory, when it questions the opposition it is racist and so forth. People, we need to grow up and see the truth not just blasting away as though it is for truth, fairness and justice that we seek for the society in whole in contradiction to our self indulgence in pointing fingers at everything else for our own inaction in the pretext it is a futile attempt for the goodwill of the community.
Gosh!!! Don’t we really have such a long way to see anything in the basis of humanity, what is fair and just to create the so called One nation One people for your individual perception is so shallow for the humanity and governance as we are always skin deep to address our community issue as oppose to our own personal issues. Viva Malaysia!!!
My dear people, you are the change that you seek only for the community if you are fair and just in your assessment not typical mind set that had been imbibed into you. People like MGG PILLAI, RPK, HINDRAF, MKINI, stood their ground for the betterment of our society collectively. Learn and adapt rather than thinking you are the master as everyone else dictate over for your false perception based on your own individual need.
I suspect that your brain, in such a case, has failed to incorporate the data that refutes a prejudicial negative, and would of course cross into bigotry. With all this you still fall for all the scams for your individual need. However when your own Malaysian Indians are concerned, the prejudicial negative thought is a stereotype which is generally negative without basis because that is what Malaysian Indians are, always the troublemaker. Then bigotry sets in to categorize it based on the ethnicity based categorization. Unfortunately nobody takes the trouble to understand why this is, what it is, or what contributed to this, or bother to see how truthful it is for a cause only that humanity matters as oppose to the scams that is carried out by non Malaysians as well as the Malaysian politicians.
Such rhetoric, such passion, yet all most in Malaysia can think of is HINDRAF is racist because everything is blind sided against humanity to survive for your individual need or the posturing you intend to create that you are just and fair based on the artificial society that we live in “Kerana Semua Boleh”.
Let’s say it is racist because it raises Indian issues, can I blame them when all these are prevalent issues;
Thousands of Malaysian born Indians has been reduced into slaves especially in the remote rubber and palm oil plantations (NST 15th Sept. 2008. Page 12). Having recently celebrated 51 years of independence, slavery still exist in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan, often these slaves go with one meal of watered down rice a day. It is unbearable to see images of children with nothing but skin and bones. They are beaten up with rubber hose and sticks and sent to a “prison” in Bahau as punishment for not working hard enough. Women and children are used as sex slaves. One enslaved mother said “my son was beaten so badly that he almost died. Some slaves have even died of hunger, exhaustion and sickness. Children born here grow up not knowing anything else except working as slaves”. Children toil from dawn to dusk for more than 12 hours a day. They do not get to go to school like other children. (NST 15th Sept.2008 at page 12 and 13).
After 51 years of independence the state has capped the monthly salary of Indian plantation workers at RM 325.00 (approx. USD 85.00) per month. (Opposition Leader Round Table Meeting paper dated 12th April 2006) Thousands of Indians in the Blue Valley tea plantations in Cameron Highlands are paid a salary of a mere RM13.00 (USD 3.50) per day. They do not get annual leave, bonus and when they fall sick they cannot even afford to go to the Ipoh General Hospital for treatment (Tamil Nesan 11th Oct 2008 page 4)
Indians form 60% of urban squatters and 41% of beggars (The Economist 22nd Feb 2003).
About 70% of the Indians are in the poor and hardcore poor category but also receive the least attention by even the NGOs, Civil Society and Opposition parties, as they were “merely Indians”.
In the Kampong Medan “Ethnic Cleansing” racial attacks against the Indians for two weeks in a row on 8th March 2001, Malaysian Indians there were specifically targeted in what is believed to be an UMNO sponsored “secret political operation”. Five Indians were massacred and grievous bodily harm was inflicted on totally innocent Indians before the very watchful eyes of the Malay Muslim Police force (Refer to Appendix 2). Despite scores of police reports including Police Report Petaling Jaya No. 4301/01, there were zero serious investigations and criminal prosecutions for these murderers and the grievous bodily harm. The Attorney General and the Chief Justice had refused to order an inquest into the five mysterious killings. The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) refused to hold a public inquiry and when a civil suit was filed to compel SUHAKAM to do so the Malaysian High Court struck out the Kampong Medan victim’s suit without even the UMNO controlled Malaysian.
Government having to file their statement of defence to the very serious allegations of state sponsored murders and violence. The government refused to order a Royal Commission Of Inquiry or present a White Paper in Parliament as promised (Malaysian Bar Resolution, AGM minutes , 22nd March 2003)
In the RM 207.9 billion (approx. USD 54 billion) 2009 Budget and the RM 230 billion (approx. USD 60 billion) allocation under the Mid Term Review of the 9th Malaysia Plan in 2008 there has been zero allocation for especially the poor and under privileged Indians (NST 29th Aug 2008 page 1 & Utusan Malaysia 27th June 2008 page1 respectively).
About 54% of Malaysian Indians work as plantation workers or urban under paid labourers (Asia week 26th Jan 2002).
Three Indian hardcore poor families in one urban squatter colony in Penang do not have the money to even buy milk for their infants who were fed with sweetened milk or rock sugar water, stopped sending their children to primary school, their houses are without toilets and electricity, a lady with a mentally ill husband earns RM300.00 (USD 77.00) per month washing clothes, toilets and doing household chores. They dread thinking of the worst when the sole bread winner falls ill (NST 23rd Oct. 2008 page 15). Unlike in India these Indians in Malaysia get no or very little family support as they are usually in no better position. One Indian young mother could not be cremated until three days after her death because of poverty.
An estimated 150,000 Malaysian born Indian children have been denied their birth certificates and identity cards even with the consequences that they are denied and excluded from even primary school education let alone university education , skills training , job opportunities and even from exercising their democratic rights to vote in general elections (Ref. NST Editorial 23rd Oct page 22 which quotes a 50,000 figure) Without birth certificates these children are not even allowed to enroll into primary schools. They cannot get skills training, not allowed place in local universities, a good job, cannot open a bank account, cannot get a driving license and can be arrested at any time for being an illegal immigrant.
The government’s official statistics states that 63,441 (Malaysian born 3rd 4th and 5th generation) Indians have been denied citizenship and are only given red identity cards (Permanent Resident status) (NST 19th Nov 2008, page 12). To the contrary two million foreigners (Muslims largely from neighbouring countries) have been granted citizenship since independence in 1957 (NST 15th Apr.2008 page 6). 50,000 mostly Indians have been denied Birth Certificates and Identity Cards (Citizenship) (NST Editorial 23rd. Oct. 2008 page 22)
Unprecedentedly an Indian lady , M. Rajeswary filed a civil suit against the Home Minister for RM6 million ringgit because she did not have a identity card with her at that time and was wrongly arrested, detained made to plead guilty that she is a foreigner and sent to prison where she delivered a baby girl. (NST 11th Nov 2008 page 22).Our fear is thousands of other third, fourth and fifth generation Indians may be languishing in prison like Rajeswary with no redress of justice as they were denied even their innate right to be issued their birth certificate in the first place.
48 year old Madam Veerama has no birth certificate and identity card despite having been born in Malacca. She has four children and three grand children. Her 12 year old son Velan’s birth certificate written as non citizen and so he has been denied an identity card (citizenship).Her husband is a Malaysian citizen and this alone should qualify all her children to become Malaysian citizens according to the Federal Constitution but UMNO does not work according to the constitution and the law (Tamil Nesan 9th Nov 2008, page 3) (Note how this Stateless problem moves from one generation to another generation)
Just before 8th March 2008 General Elections the Chief Minister of the State of Selangor publicly acknowledged that in the State of Selangor alone there are 30,000 Indian children without birth certificates. HINDRAF estimate 150,000 Indian people including children are without birth certificates nationwide and remain stateless.
In every one week one Hindu temple is maliciously and ruthlessly demolished in Malaysia (Tamil Nesan 30th Oct 2008, page 3). In the Selangor State Legislative Assembly it was officially revealed by Executive Council Member Dr. Xavier Jayakumar that between 2004 and 2007, 96 Hindu temples were demolished in Selangor (at an average of one Hindu temple in every 10 days – Tamil Nesan 30th Oct 2008, page 3). Based on this figures we estimate that one Hindu temple is being demolished in every week nationwide in Malaysia.
In one day, alone 6 ethnic Indians were shot dead by the police for being “suspects”. In every week 1.3 person is shot dead by police (The Star, 11th May 2007). In the recent past 90% of the Malaysians victims shot dead by the police are the Indians. A few years ago even a nine month pregnant Indian lady by the name of Selvamalar was shot dead by the police within the confines of her very own home for being a suspected kidnapper. (Not forgetting Prabhakaran, Kugan, Kulim 6 & A. Gnanapragasam.
80% of the cases of being beaten up by the police in lock ups, police harassment, death in police lock ups, inmates of police and prison jails (mostly due to poverty related crimes) are the Indians where they form only about 8% of the Malaysian population (Police Watch Memorandum to the Police Royal Commission dated 4th March 2003). In every two weeks one youth dies in police prison custody and 80% of these victims are Indian youths.
About 70% of 371 out of the 523 Indian (Tamil) schools have been denied fully government funded status. They are all in dilapidated cowshed like pre war buildings. These schools are also denied the full teaching and learning facilities made available to Malay Muslim schools. About 1400 (20% – Tamil Nesan 16th June 2008 page 15) of the 7800 Tamil school teachers are temporary and untrained teachers (NST 13th June 2008 page 24), to teach the 150,000 Tamil school pupils (Tamil Nesan 16th. June.2008 page 15).
To the contrary 15,000 Diploma qualified and trained (almost all Malay Muslims) primary school teachers are given the opportunity to go to the next level primary school Graduate Teachers Programme to ensure that at least 50% of the 140,000 (almost all Malay Muslims) primary school teachers have a degree in education to be awarded by 2010 in the five years degree Programme consisting of 4 years school holiday courses and the fifth year on a full time basis at all the various Teacher Training Universities (NST, 23rd July 2008, page 18)
To the contrary 350 teachers from the PERMATA kindergartens (with an allocation of RM20 million and headed by the Prime Minister Najib Razak’s wife) was sent for training at Sultan Idris Teacher Training University under a “special” arrangement to qualify with a Diploma (NST 14th Oct 2008, page
And to the direct contrast the Tamil schools in Mukim Pundut was not allowed to establish their own kindergarten even in a vacant school building (Tamil Nesan, 3rd July 2008).
719 Tamil school high achieving students scored 7As (Tamil Nesan Headlines 14th Nov. 2008) but they are excluded from any of the fully residential (Government run) MARA Junior Science Colleges and the scores of elite schools which are reserved exclusively for the Malay Muslim Students.
Pandamaran, Selangor with 3000 Indian families were denied a local Tamil school, the students have to travel miles away to the nearest Watson Tamil School (Tamil Nesan 21st Aug. 2008, page 4). The Triang, Pahang, parents want a local Tamil school as there are local Chinese and Malay Muslim schools but not a Tamil school. The parents held a peaceful assembly at the office of the local State Assembly man Leong Ng Ng, demanding for a local Tamil school (Tamil Nesan 30 Aug 2008, page 11). And then in the Kampong Lindungan area which has 10,000 Indian families, they have also been denied a local Tamil school (NST 14th July 2008, page 13).
The official allocation per pupil for a Tamil school is RM10.55 but for a Malay Muslim school pupil it is RM33.30 per pupil (and millions and billions more) as per the Ninth Malaysia Plan (Sembaruthi Magazine, Aug 2008, page 47).
4 % of Malaysian children between the ages of 6 to 12 are not in school, according to UNICEF (NST 20th Nov 2008, Page 14). Ten Tamil school pupils from Kapar Tamil School were sacked from school because they did not have birth certificates (Tamil Nesan 14th June 2008). Pursuant to a new circular from the Education Minister, previously only the Tamil schools headmasters who are Indians would take pity and accept these “Stateless” children into their schools. The UMNO Malay Muslim headmasters will not accept them. But now even the Primary Tamil schools are out of bounds with effect from 2008 onwards, let alone secondary schools, skills training colleges and university education. The UMNO controlled Malaysian Government has the heart to even do this to children!!!
Tamil schools are so badly equipped that a group of Motorola Indian general workers had to organize a fund raising dinner, raised RM 30,000 to set up a basic library in the Glenmarie, Highcom and Highlands Tamil Schools (Tamil Nesan 14th July , page 6 ). Four computers were donated to four Tamil schools in Seremban and Teluk Kemang , Tamil Nesan (30th Dec 2008 page 16) but the government had allocated RM 9.7 billion (approx. USD 3 billion) for educational development under the Ninth Malaysia Plan!! (NST 19th Nov 2008, page 10)
Education in any part of the world is the responsibility of the government. What more than Article 12 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution stipulates that there shall be no discrimination in providing education out of the funds of a public authority and the Article 8 provides for equality before the law and there shall be no discrimination.
About 99% of the deserving Indian students have been denied places in public universities and government PSD scholarships (Tamil Nesan, 15th, July 2008, page 3 and 7th July 2008 front page respectively). In 2007 there was a total of 847,485 local public university places (NST 7th Aug 2008, page 16). In the University Technology MARA (UITM ) there were 120,000 places but exclusively only for the Malay Muslims (NST 13th Aug 2008 ). This totals up to 967,485 university places in Malaysia for the year 2007 but only 2,750 Indian students taken in 2007 out of which 254 are doing technology courses in the local public universities (Tamil Nesan 15th July 2008, page 3). Assuming even these 2,750 students is just for one academic year, it works out to a mere 1% of the total Public University intake. A total of RM 1.7 billion PSD scholarship was awarded to overseas university students but only 34 Indian students out of 2000 students (1.7%) were awarded these overseas scholarships (NST 16th May 2008, page 6) and 161 (1.61%) Indian students were awarded PSD scholarships in 2007 (to study at local universities out of the 10,000 scholarships – Tamil Nesan 7th July 2008 front page). But at least 375 SPM high achieving students scored 8 A1s (Tamil Nesan 12th July 2008, page 5) but did not get a scholarship. Remawathy the 6th best student in the country with 13 A1s was denied a PSD scholarship (NST Focus 22nd July 2008, page 33).
“100,000 foreign students targeted for local public universities (IPTA) by 2010 and so the hostels have to be upgraded”, says Deputy Higher Education Minister Idris Harun (Utusan Malaysia, 4th Nov.2008, page 15). However there are no targets for the local poor Indian students to gain entry into public universities.
Four more matriculation colleges will be completed by 2010 bringing the number of available places with full hostel facilities to 40,000 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. There are now 9 matriculation colleges with a total intake of 28,000 students annually. The then Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak openly announced that this has increased the number of Malay Muslims in institution of higher learning. Najib said 10% of the places are for non Malay Muslims (Utusan Malaysia, 2nd Nov 2008, page 4). But we are yet to hear of a single Indian student from these matriculation colleges. At best 0.1% of the places may be given to the Indians.
In 2003, only one medical seat was allocated at University of Malaya for the 2 million Indian population in Malaysia. Simultaneously scores degrees of foreign medical colleges with almost all Malaysian Indian students in Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Indonesia and India were derecognized by the government of Malaysia with the view to reduce the number of Malaysian Indian doctors in Malaysia. (PRIM Memorandum to Education Minister dated 25th July 2003). This is despite the fact that there is a 100% shortage of doctors in Malaysia (NST, 28th May 2008, page 6).
About 99.9% of the deserving Malaysian Indians have been denied government land schemes in FELDA, FELCRA, RISDA, Agropolitan projects etc. which was meant for all the poor, landless and under privileged Malaysian including the Indians. There are 112,635 FELDA settlers in 317 schemes (Utusan Malaysia 21st Nov 2008, Page 24) covering some 2,000,000 acres as at 2007 (Utusan Malaysia, 9th July 2008, Page 10). FELDA settlers today earn about RM5000 (Approx USD 1,300.00) per month. Some FELDA homes matches that of the estate manager’s grand abode with 4 rooms and all with attached bathrooms, hot water and tiled floors. They are also given RM60, 000 to renovate their houses and RM 10,000 to buy new furniture (NST 23rd Jul 2007, Page 12).
FELCRA has 83,000 settlers holding between 1.62 to 4.05 hectares each. Each planter is given a dividend of RM 4,778.70 per hector for rubber and RM 4207.72 per hectares for palm oil from the RM588.15 million announced by the Rural Development Minister Mohd.Taib (Utusan Malaysia 18th June 2008, Page 1).
RISDA has developed 64 hectares of rubber small holdings through replanting schemes. Since 1988, RM 400 million dividends have been paid to some 35,000 small holders (Utusan Malaysia, 30th June 2008, Page).
The Agropolitan projects with the latest being in Gahai, Kuala Lipis, and Pahang with 500 acres for 50 lots of houses. The facilities here include Rural Information Centre (Internet Centre), Multi Purpose Hall, Mosque, Shop Lots, Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneur Units, playing field, kindergarten, piped water, electricity and roads. Each planter is also given about 7 acres per person and a housing lot of 3000 square feet with individual titles (Utusan Malaysia, 5th August 2008, Page 24)
But all these privileges are excluded to the Indians even though they had been the pioneer planters brought into then Malaya by the British about 150 years ago. At best a 0.1% of these privileges have been given to the hardworking poor Indians.
Malaysian Indian civil servants have been reduced from about 50% in the late 1960s to a mere 1% in 2008 (Mahathir’s book The Malay Dilemma page 78 and NST 13th June 2008 ,Page 14). In 2007 only four (1%) of the 400 positions in the Inland Revenue Department were given to the Indians (NST 13th June 2008, Page 14). 24,491 Indians applied for civil service jobs from January and 18,533 last year (NST 16th Nov 2008, Page 8 ).
Penang Deputy Chief Minister 2 who was former Malaysian National University (UKM) lecturer accused UMNO of engineering the dominance of Malays in the civil service over the last 50 years. Application forms of non Malays were torn up (NST 14th Jan 2008, Page 24).
To the contrary the very first Navy Chief of the nation was Rear Admiral K.Thanabalasingam but after 51 years of independence an Indian has never got to the top10 navy jobs. What more the navy chief’s job!! UMNO will never ever allow this to happen. Put aside the navy chief’s job, Indians have even been rejected for an Assistant nurse’s job as what happened to Thayani Saravanan whose application was rejected. From a poor family and with a single parent mother this job means a lot to her. Only after the intervention of MIC president an ex minister of 29 years standing to see to it that a young Indian girl gets her little wish to become a small town assistant nurse’s job (Tamil Nesan, 12th Aug 2008, Page10). But this is how UMNO works in Malaysia.
About 99.9% of the deserving Malaysian Indian Students are excluded from the 6000 place in fully residential schools, 5100 elite MARA Junior Science Colleges and scores of other elite schools which are reserved for the Malay Muslims (Utusan Malaysia 19th Nov 2008 Page 10).
Thousands of poor Indian squatter houses have been demolished without proper alternative housing unlike for the poor Malay Muslims. (NST 30th Oct 2008 Page 21).
99% of the deserving Malaysian Indians have been denied business licenses, permits, government contracts and projects, business opportunities, government sponsored business loans, MARA, Rural Development, Entrepreneur Ministry, AGRO Bank, SME Bank etc loans, business opportunities and franchise businesses and training opportunities, corporate, conglomerate, big businesses, banking and even private sector jobs.
Preferred government guaranteed returns, blue chip shares in the government corporation PNB worth RM80 billion (approximately USD 21 Billion) and benefitting at least 9 million Malay Muslims, 86.12% of whom are in the lower income group (Utusan Malaysia 4th May 2008 Page 21) as the government’s effort to redistribute wealth (NST 21st Apr 2008 page 2). However these PNB share scheme is excluded to 100% of the poor and under privileged Indians.
In all 100% of the scores of public interest litigation civil suits we have filed at the Malaysian High Courts in the aforesaid Kampong Medan “Ethnic Cleansing” of the Indians, death in police custody, death by police shooting, Hindu temple demolishment, Indian squatters, assault and beating up by the police cases etc, justice was denied to the victims (Kuala Lumpur High Court Suite No.1-44-20-2008 refers).
Thousands of Police Reports have been lodged by the Indians in respect of all the aforesaid atrocities in Malaysia but literally zero action has been taken against the police and the UMNO authorities. The government of Malaysia has no inhibitions and continues with impunity.
Over the last 51 years, millions of Malaysian Indian have lived and died in misery. Thousands have ended up committing suicide largely because of inequality, unequal opportunities and no or very little upwards mobility opportunities and poverty or poverty related. In one day alone 6 Indians have committed suicide (NST 14th April 2008, Page 13). The suicide rate among the Indians in Malaysia is the highest at about 600% higher than in the Malay Muslim community (NST 14, Sept.2008 Page 21).
After reading this, if you would actually do it and cared for another Malaysian on the basis of humanity, then look me up, and don’t tell me the others ie Malay, Chinese, and the lain – lain face the same problem. Whose fault is it, if it is such a concern then why is nobody fighting for it or for them when politically and economically, the Malay and the Chinese are in control and for the indigenous population in East Malaysia controls over 50 parliamentary seats? Whose fault is it and who is the racist or would I say a material racist for your own individual agenda?
In simpleton term, HINDRAF is not for the armchair critics but for the poor and down trodden on the basis of humanity, whether you like it or not as it could have been their basis for survival and necessity justly and fairly for the sidelined community. When the HINDRAF tide swung in the opposition’s direction, everything is hunky dory, when it questions the opposition it is racist and so forth. People, we need to grow up and see the truth not just blasting away as though it is for truth, fairness and justice that we seek for the society in whole in contradiction to our self indulgence in pointing fingers at everything else for our own inaction in the pretext it is a futile attempt for the goodwill of the community.
Gosh!!! Don’t we really have such a long way to see anything in the basis of humanity, what is fair and just to create the so called One nation One people for your individual perception is so shallow for the humanity and governance as we are always skin deep to address our community issue as oppose to our own personal issues. Viva Malaysia!!!
My dear people, you are the change that you seek only for the community if you are fair and just in your assessment not typical mind set that had been imbibed into you. People like MGG PILLAI, RPK, HINDRAF, MKINI, stood their ground for the betterment of our society collectively. Learn and adapt rather than thinking you are the master as everyone else dictate over for your false perception based on your own individual need.
09/07/09
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