On DAP supremo Kit Siang/Pakatan Rakyat's proposed 14 point plan unveiled at Johor Baru yesterday:(1) Though being granted birth certificates, identity cards and citizenship as in Point No 1(to an estimated 450,000 Indian poor) is their innate right and the very fundamental basic right of any Malaysian, we welcome the same in the spirit of a saying by Confucius that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".
(2) As for point No 2, on housing for displaced plantation workers, the same is very general and specifically without a time frame.
In any event this point is almost similar to the present Umno/BN's political rhetoric, unlike for example granting 80,000 PRIMA homes in the Klang Valley (Utusan Malaysia March 11, 2013 page 2) (to 99 percent Malay Muslims).
The five Pakatan states in the last five years have implemented zero percent in the estate workers housing scheme.
(3) We welcome the plan to ensure that all Tamil schools become fully funded and on par with Sekolah Kebangsaan.
But again this plan has already been unveiled by the Umno/BN political rhetoric i.e. minus the permanent land titles for all 523 Tamil schools and all in one go as a permanent solution.
This has never been implemented for all the 97, 28, 48 and 128 Tamil schools in Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Perak respectively.
(4) Point No 4 on skills training for Indian youths, the same segregates Indian youths from the 250,000 places in the 508 Giat Mara Colleges nationwide which takes in only 100 percent Malay Muslims.
Also to a lesser extent in all the community colleges, vocational and technical schools. Also in the 200,000 UITM places, 170,000 MRSM places and 14,000 IKM and KKTM places.
(5) Point No 5: We welcome raising the minimum wage to RM1,100.00 per month.
But Indian poor displaced plantation workers are still segregated from the 1,021,346 Felda, Felcra & Risda's 10 acre land ownership schemes.
Even a kacang putih or scrap metal licence or even a garbage collection contract has not been granted to any Indian poor in the five Pakatan states in the last five years to give effect to the RM5,000 average household income in Malaysia that was revealed by Prime Minister Najib Razak last month.
(6) Point No 6: Increasing the Indians in GLCs, local councils and public services is preached but never put into practice in the five Pakatan ruled states including Perak when it was under Pakatan for 11 months.
For a start our survey reveals that not even one office boy has ever been taken in the last five years in the Pakatan states. What more a CEO of any of the said states, or scores of GLCs or mayor of any local councils or city hall, district officer etc.
(7) Point No 7: No time limit has been set for alienating land for all Hindu temples and burial grounds.
For the record, 90 percent or 282 acres out of the 316 acres of land for non Muslim places of worship in Selangor were alienated to Chinese temples and only 6 percent to Hindu temples when it is 99 percent of Hindu temples that have been demolished arising out of being denied land titles!
Pakatan needs based? Multi-racial? And why should only Hindu temples be relocated out of especially prime land when no masjids, suraus, Chinese temples or churches are required to be relocated.
Yes, we welcome the relocating of Hindu temples like the PJS Kumaravel, JKR Klang and Muneswarar Port Klang Hindu temples in Selangor away from next to sewerage ponds (unheard of in any other part of the world) which have yet to be relocated in the five long years Pakatan has been ruling Selangor.
(8) Point No 8: Microcredit and financial schemes, businesses, [with no financial allocation and plans in the likes of Umno/BN RM2.46 billion Tekun loans increased from RM50,000.00 to RM100,000.00 and Mara loans double from RM500,000 to RM1 million each (for 99 percent) 241,350 Malays (Utusan March 4, 2013 at page 9) Mara, UDA, Teraju, 150,000 new trainee Malay entrepreneurs, seven thousand low rental Mara commercial lots (Utusan March 1, 2013 at page 10) etc, is akin to Umno/BN's current political propaganda].
(9) Point No 9: We welcome the IPCMC which Hindraf's predecessor Police Watch had been in the frontline that led to the formation of the Police Royal Commission in 2004.
(10) Point No 10: No government budget allocation or serious PNB ASN Mara-like blue chip-like schemes to increase the Indian equity.
(11) Point No 11: Instead of establishing a commission to address Indian social problems, only a clear policy statement in the Pakatan Rakyat Manifesto to end all forms of institutionalised racist government policies will deliver to the Indian poor.
(12) Point No 12: The policies to economically enable single mothers including house ownership schemes is again what Umno/BN is preaching but only 1% or so showpieces delivered.
The same again does not stipulate a budgetary allocation like for members of the armed forces in the Pakatan Rakyat manifesto.
(13) Point No 13: No mention of Maktab places Rendah Sains Mara, MCKK, Tengku Kursiah College and scores of science and secondary schools that segregate Indians.
(14) Point No 14: To get rid of discrimination is a very general term. It must specifically state that the Pakatan federal government policy/Pakatan Manifesto must give effect to Article 8 (equality) and Article 12 (non discrimination) of the federal constitution to eliminate all forms of institutionalised racial discrimination both in the government, GLCs, and also in the private sector as is being practiced in Singapore.
Conclusion
A policy statement in the Pakatan Rakyat Manifesto that in the first 100 days of Pakatan Rakyat coming to power, the United Nations Convention on the elimination of of all forms of racial discrimination and the formation of a royal commission to end all forms of institutional racial discrimination both by the government and in the private sectors that victimise especially the Indian poor, an anti-racial discrimination act with an anti racial discrimination commission with full investigation and prosecution powers along the lines of the RDA etc in the United Kingdom, non-racist policies as in Singapore and the implementation of the Hindraf 18 point demands, are the only way forward for the Indian poor.
DAP/Pakatan cannot be serious with this 14-point plan.
Otherwise this DAP/Pakatan Rakyat 14-point plan remains political rhetoric, if not a 13th general elections ploy and gimmick.
P UTHAYAKUMAR is de facto leader of Hindraf.
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