Are Indians all Pariahs?

In 1998, we hosted the Commonwealth games in Malaysia. That was a very big event. For that purpose, the Bukit Jalil Stadium was built. It was built on land acquired from what was formerly known as the 'Bukit Jalil Rubber Estate'.

Now that we have a grandiose stadium called the Bukit Jalil Stadium, the Tamil School of Bukit Jalil Estate is housed in the former smoke house of that rubber estate!! I read this in an article in the press at around the time the Commonwealth games were due to be held; so this is no hearsay!

We built that stadium, but we couldn't afford to build that Tamil School a proper school? Just how much would it have cost to acquire part of the Estate land and build a school for those pupils? The many Tamil schools in the country are in this category because the government has been most reluctant to acquire estate land and build proper schools for these pupils, even after 51 years of Independance. And some still with blind loyalty to the MIC in the Barisan National government hoping that in the next 5 years they will begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

HINDRAF is trying to change all this, by taking 'the road less travelled'.

I have, in my years of Government service, seen this blatant discrimination for myself! When the Sekolah Kebangsaan in a small town receives new desks and chairs for the pupils, the old desks and chairs are given to the nearest Tamil School!

In Temerloh, a new 3 storey school building was constructed for the Sekolah Kebangsaan, and the old building that was vacated was given to the Tamil School, that was squatting on Railway land in Mentakab, Pahang!

The MIC and Samy have been rejected as "Irrelevant" by the COMMUNITY. The proof was in the March 8th Verdict!

Wither a place in the Malaysian Sun for the poorer Indians who have been displaced by Indonesian labour in the Estates in this Country?

Do you know that UiTM has an enrolment of about 105,000 students whereas our premier university, University of Malaya, has only a total enrolment of only 23,000 students? Furthermore, UiTM has more 1000 PhD holders in their Academic staff. Today, I saw on TV that UiTM has been offering an equine (horses related) course for some years now, complete with a paddock, stables and 15 horses!

There are plans to increase the total enrolment UiTM to 200,000 students within the next few years ... and yet they organised a huge protest when the MB of Selangor Tan Sri Khalid suggested that 10% of the students admitted to UiTM be non-Bumiputeras!!

So where do you think the Indians fit into this Malaysian Equation? To be offered approprite opportunities to acquire skills for Social Mobilty, to enhance their economic status? Or are they destined to remain 'pariahs' in their own Country? Destined to be fodder for the Police Detention Centers?

Nathan