'DPM laying foundation stone mere theatrics'

The Human Rights Party (HRP) is not impressed with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's act of laying down the foundation stone for a Tamil school in Batu Kawan recently, and has decribed it as mere “theatrics”.

The party's advisor, N Ganesan, said that prior to the 11th general election in 2004, Barisan Nasional politicians of various shades had come to the school and done a song and dance about a new school building. 

In 2008, “erstwhile” former works minister and former MIC president S Samy Vellu had done something similar just before to the 12th general election, he added.

“Now, it goes a notch up in the hierarchy it seems, for the 13th general election. The deputy premier is here with his bag of goodies. What a bloody shame!” he exclaimed.

“Muhyiddin and his ilk are in denial, they cannot see the reality for what it is, or may I say they do not want to see reality for what it is,” he added.

Ganesan (right) urged that the school, SJK(T) Ladang Batu Kawan, be built now, before the polls, and not in 2013 as the DPM had announced. 

He said the Indians in the country desire true and fundamental changes in government policies affecting their lives, and the community was tired of such “selfishly conceived dramas”. 

He stressed that the Indians in the country see all of these acts as no more than “cheap theatrics” just to garner their votes. 

“If Muhyiddin thinks his waving of the ringgit note is going to work to get him the Indian votes, he and his party Umno are in real, real trouble,” said Ganesan.

On Sept 17, Muhyiddin laid the foundation stone for a new building for the Batu Kawan school, which is currently housed in a few containers along with the estate clerk's house, after its earlier colonial barn-shed building was burnt down some 10 years ago. 

During the one-day working visit to various spots in Penang, Muhyiddin, who is Umno deputy chief, dished out millions for various educational and development programmes.

There are a total of 523 Tamil schools in the country with a student population of 102,000 in 2011, about half the population of all primary school-going Indian children. 

Three hundred and seventy one of these schools are partially-aided schools. Essentially these are schools are carry-overs from the colonial days - structures that are no more than sheds.

'Equal allocations and equal developmental emphasis'

Ganesan said that in education, the Indians really seek a revamp and strengthening of the entire primary school system affecting Indian children as an urgent measure. 

They want all these schools to be part of the national educational system, with equal allocations and equal developmental emphasis, he added.

“In keeping with the rising political consciousness worldwide, the Indian community now demands equality in the allocation of national resources, they seek equality in opportunities in all aspects of life,” he said.

“In denying equality to the Indian minority, Umno denies dignity and denies meaning to the Indians in the country,” he added.

“By default they also deny dignity to the Malays in the country whom they purport to represent, by virtue of governing by norms so out of tune with the times, and based so crassly on narrow self-interests,” he stressed.