– Senator Dr.S.Ramakrishnan.

Each time the prime minister is hard pressed by some scandal or allegation by Pakatan Rakyat, some offers are promised for the Indian community. Last week, Najib announced that G. Palanivel is now the lead minister. Palanivel, the MIC president, is already the ministerfor for the socio-economic development of the Indian community in the Prime Minister’s Office. What difference it makes now, wondered Senator S. Ramakrishnan.

At the same occasion in Puchong SRJK(T) Kinrara, Najib called all Tamil educationists to come out with a blueprint on how to take Tamil schools forward. “This clearly shows the government does not have any policy framework to improve the Tamil schools or for that matter Indian community after 54 years of rule. Yet, the prime minister wants the Indians to have “nambikai” (faith) in him”, Senator Rama observed in a statment today.

“UMNO has already robbed the future of one generation of Indian students who did not have proper facilities and support from government. Thanks to the other component parties of BN.

“The BN government allowed Tamil schools to continue thus far because of Indian votes. They know that Tamil school is close to the heart of every Tamil and closing down Tamil schools will be political suicide.

“But they wanted Tamil schools to die on their own without them closing it down. Fortunately, the Indian community supported the Tamil schools till today”, Rama said.    

Billions spent without a blue print!    

Prime Minister also announced that government had allocated RM340 million for physical and infrastructure development for Tamil schools across the nation. He also said that in terms of management and administration, the government had invested about RM2 billion for Tamil schools since 2009, Rama pointed out.

“If these monies had been spent on Tamil schools, they would be better off than the National type schools. I wish the lead minister or the prime minister gives a breakdown of the billions spent”, Rama expressed hope.

Expressing surprise, Rama asked, “All these monies were spent without a proper blue print!”

“We hear from MIC ministers and the PM that millions and now billions are being spent on the 523 Tamil schools, and yet there are still 322 schools on private land and get minimal support. I am puzzled how they spent so much money and yet the physical and structural conditions of the 322 schools are in such dilapidated state”, Rama said.  

The passing rate of in UPSR examination in Tamil schools is 50-53%. Which is low compared with the National and the Chinese schools. Many studies had been made and reports presented but the government had never bothered to follow through them, Rama observed.

Many UMNO leaders have said that they don’t need Indian votes. They were winning big. But, now that the Chinese voters want a political change and Malay voters too have realized that with all the bumiputra policies, Malays are still poor and vulnerable to economic changes, the educated Malays who form a large section of Malay society are thinking beyond the UMNO political propaganda, Rama pointed out.

“Indian society should learn to remain politically relevant. We cannot afford to be on the wrong side of political changes. Indian Malaysians should not depend on the prime minister to offer goodies now and then. We need government policy change that treats us as citizens of this country and as such entitles us to equal treatment”, Senator Ramakrishnan stressed.

“Non-Malays were disqualified in the offer of scholarships, job opportunities, government contracts and GLCs. Malaysian policies are worse than apartheid.

“UMNO comes out with policies that  deliberately disqualify the non-Malays in securing contracts or anything from government. That racist, nefarious and hypocritical is UMNO. Yet they have no qualms in accepting sin tax from gambling and alcohol that are paid by non-Malays”, Rama pointed out.

Submit blue print to both PR and BN

In order enable the students of the Tamil schools to reach greater hights, he said, “It is time now for a new blue print and development plan for Tamil schools to be submitted to both PR and BN. Tamil schools need to be transformed into a center where students also learn soft and social skills, positive attitude and become thinkers.”

“Tamil school students must be successful in secondary school and beyond. Students should not end with Tamil education but make Tamil a global language for others to learn it. The negative influence of MIC must be wiped out and removed from Tamil schools. A new blue print in the changing political and economic environment is urgently needed. It’s now or never”, Senator S. Ramakrishnan insisted.