Power demands MIC return land given to Tamil school and not to cheat Indian community

A Tamil rights NGO today handed over a memo to the MIC demanding that the party return three acres of land belonging to a Tamil primary school in Bandar Utama, Selangor.

“The People’s Welfare and Rights Coalition (Power) wants MIC to immediately return the three acres of land to SJKT Effingham for the future of our children,” read the memo addressed to MIC president G Palanivel.

The group also wants to hold a dialogue with MIC’s leadership to find a solution to the matter and has offered to compensate MIC for any premium paid for the land.

It took Power chairperson Gobi Krishnan and his delegation of five about five minutes to explain the contents of the memo and hand it over to Palanivel’s aide at the MIC’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Batu MP Chua Tian Chiang, popularly known as Tian Chua (left), was present to observe the proceedings, while Petaling Jaya Selatan MIC chief and Selangor senator V Subramaniam said he was there as a witness.

At least 20 policemen as well as about 10 MIC members waited outside while the memo was handed over to the aide at the building’s lobby.

Speaking to reporters later, Gobi said the group would march to parliament if the MIC did not take action, adding that the matter had also been taken up with the Selangor government.

“It is very sad that we say we are the defenders of Tamil schools; we are the defenders of Tamil children, yet this happens,” he said.

He added that the group intends to raise about RM750,000 for the land premium through donations.

In 1996, the developer of Bandar Utama had allocated six acres of land to SJKT Effingham, but upon handing the land over to the then BN-led state government in 2005, it was split into plots of three acres each between MIC and the school.

In 2008, upon queries the then MIC secretary-general S Subramaniam denied any wrongdoing over the matter.