Hold inquiry on UTM slides insulting Hindus, Sikhs

Hindraf Chair P Waythamoorthy says the skewed teaching at a government university was deliberately meant to denigrate the beliefs of Hindu and Sikh students.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hindraf Makkal Sakthi wants the Education Minister to hold an inquiry on a slide presentation at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) which deliberately insulted Hindus and Sikhs.

The Education Minister should immediately suspend the relevant lecturers involved in creating “disharmony” among the student population in UTM, demanded Hindraf Chair P Waythamoorthy in a statement. “Such irresponsible and unconscionable behaviour should not be allowed.”

“Any inaction would go to show the government’s tacit support to promote hate and bigotry in educational institutions.”

The offending slides, said the Hindraf chief, claimed that Islam was introduced courtesy to Hindus in India, and taught them the importance of personal hygiene and a healthy lifestyle. The slides alleged,
he added, that personal hygiene was against the beliefs of Hindus.

“The slides preached that assuming and maintaining dirt and an unhygienic lifestyle was part of slaving oneself to achieve nirvana (state of eternal bliss).”

Having insulted and misled the students, fumed Waytha, UTM does not have the decency and courtesy to apologise to Hindus and Sikhs. Instead, he lamented, Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan has been trotting out lame excuses on the university’s behalf.

The Hindraf statement stressed that the human rights movement was furious with the UTM module for humiliating members of the Hindu and Sikh faiths.

The skewed teaching at a government university, driven by an inferiority complex, was deliberately meant to denigrate the beliefs of Hindu and Sikh students,” charged Waytha. “This is typical of lecturers, in public universities, who have been trained under the racist and religious supremacist Biro Tata Negara (BTN), a body fully funded by the government.”

The mini Napoleons within the bureaucracy are disintegrating the community through the BTN content which reeks of racism and bigotry, continued the Hindraf Chief who was briefly in the Federal Cabinet and the Senate after the 2013 General Election.

The Ministry of Higher Education introduced Tamadun Islam dan Tamadun Asia (TITAS) – Islamic and Asian Civilization – in 1999 in government-run universities.

Apparently, the objective of the syllabus was to inculcate an appreciation of philosophy, values and history, and broaden knowledge, according to the Malaysian way, to create national harmony, unity and integration within the context of a multicultural nation.

There’s a basic module, published by Universiti Malaya in 1999 under the direction of the Ministry of Higher Education, to be used as the reference book with additional supporting materials.

Unfortunate some Muslims are 'loose cannons', MCA raps UTM modules

The controversial Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Titas) modules which contained erroneous claims about Hindus and Sikhs have incurred the wrath of an MCA leader.

Ti Lian Ker said such episodes are not only demeaning to other faiths, but also cast Muslims in a negative light.

“It is rather unfortunate that Muslims, on the one hand, demand high reverence for their religion but at the same time some are loose cannons when it comes to understanding and respecting the religious practices of others,” he added in a media statement.

The MCA central committee leader was commenting on the slides used by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for the subject.

The vice-chancellor had agreed to fix the errors expeditiously, but this did not silence demands for action to be taken against those responsible.

Ti, who heads the MCA religious harmony bureau, pointed out that Islam taught its followers to respect, honour and never insult another religion.

“But the said lecturer or head of department had failed to be a better Muslim... It is a weakness of the human ego to belittle the practice of other religions.

“It is even worse if there is a direct reference of one's own religion as superior or above another's,” he said.

Therefore, Ti wanted the authorities to take immediate action on this issue to serve as an example and reminder to others on the need to be more sensitive in future.

“The recent trend of one-upmanship of one religion over another is a sign of inadequacy or immaturity of such individuals.

“What they are doing is in fact giving their religion a bad name and ought to be reprimanded,” he said.

The UTM modules stated that Islam taught Hindus manners and cleanliness, as some of them believed dirt on the body is part of a ritual to attain nirvana.

Another Titas slide circulated online said the founder of Sikhism borrowed elements from Islam, but had poor understanding of the religion.

Sikhs want author of erroneous UTM module sacked

The Malaysian National Sikhs Movement (Geraksikh) today urged Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to sack the person responsible for the "erroneous" slides used to teach students about Sikhism and Hinduism.

Urging for a public apology, Geraksikh also lodged a police report at the Ipoh police headquarters over "factual errors" on Sikhism, published in UTM's module.

A slide bearing UTM's logo circulating online showed that students were taught that Sikhism's founder had borrowed elements from Islam, but he had a shallow understanding of the religion.

"The Malaysian Sikhs are upset with the move by UTM seen trying to change the history or dilute the facts on the foundation of Sikhism, especially to students in this country.

"This is utterly wrong," Geraksikh secretary-general Amarjit Singh Gill said in a statement.

He said any future modules on religion should be vetted by historical experts, including those who practise the religion in question, he said.

UTM yesterday promised Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan it would rectify the slides.

The slides were for the Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Titas) subject, compulsory for all undergraduates in public universities.

Earlier, Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram also lodged a report against UTM over its teaching module.

UTM conducting probe on erroneous slides on Hinduism, Sikhism

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is currently conducting an investigation into the matter of erroneous claims on Hinduism and Sikhism being taught to their students, said the university's vice-chancellor.

"We are currently conducting a thorough investigation on this incident, and due action will be taken... We are truly sorry for what has happened," UTM vice-chancellor Wahid Omar said in a posting on the university's Facebook account.

UTM yesterday said it would fix its Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Titas) modules which state that Islam taught Hindus manners and cleanliness, as some of them believed dirt on the body is part of a ritual to attain nirvana.

Another UTM Titas slide circulated online also said the founder of Sikhism borrowed elements from Islam, but had poor understanding of the religion.

Wahid said that the language used in the slides did not reflect the true content of the subject matter in question and that the slides were not the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) slides endorsed by the Higher Education Ministry for the Titas subject.

"What was written on the slides does not reflect the true content and has been presented out of the full context," he said.

As a "direct result" of this incident and to prevent such recurrence, he said that UTM would ensure that their lecturers only use slides for Titas which have been endorsed by the Higher Education Ministry, as well as engage experts on Asian civilisation to provide input when needed.

"At the same time, we will continuously remind our academics to be more vigilant in future and be more aware of the language and presentation of content on their teaching slides and modules so as not to touch on sensitivities of others," he said.

He added that this was an isolated incident and did not reflect the true values of UTM.

Wahid said the university promoted understanding in celebrating diversity and it has testimony of the vibrant and dynamic activities on its campus.

UTM has its code of ethics as a guide to all academic staff, which stresses on the need to uphold true values and nobility of character in order to instil the right mindset and principles among staff and students.

The code also encourages respect for one another and inculcate understanding among diverse cultures, creeds and religions, he said.

"The university subscribes to these important values and every member of the university community should adhere to and strive to achieve this," he said.

UTM has been receiving brickbats from the Hindu and Sikh community since the slides bearing UTM's logo went viral on social media.

Several police reports have also been lodged on this matter, with MIC treasurer-general S Vell Paari calling for this matter to be investigated under the Sedition Act.

Penang’s heritage site under threat due to inflated prices

GEORGE TOWN: Price manipulations, market monopoly and evictions of generations-old tenants are threatening the city’s world heritage site, claimed NGOs here.

Heritage properties estimated at RM400,000 to RM600,000 had suddenly changed hands for up to RM1.2mil, and these inflated prices have stirred foreigners, especially Singaporeans, into a buying frenzy of George Town’s pre-war shophouses.

The NGOs feel the soaring prices are eroding liveability, and are urging the public to alert Unesco and put George Town in the World Heritage in Danger list.

Penang Heritage Trust adviser Khoo Salma suspected that property speculators could have caused the prices to overheat through public auctions.

“We noticed pre-war houses being auctioned off at RM1.2mil when we thought it would go under the hammer for less than half that price.

“My friends made bids for such properties and were surprised when other parties made seven-figure offers that they couldn’t match.

“Before we knew what was happening, the prices of pre-war houses even outside the heritage zone had shot up,” she said in an interview yesterday.

Meanwhile, the heir of 12 pre-war shophouses in the heritage buffer zone told The Star that he had unsuccessfully tried selling them to the generations-old tenants for RM300,000 each before it went to the Malaysian subsidiary of a public-listed Singapore company for a total of RM11mil.

“I inherited the old shophouses from my ancestors and asked the tenants who have rented them for decades to buy them in 2010.”

When the tenants did not take up the offer, he said someone took them off his hands for RM400,000 each and this new owner later sold it to Singaporeans for about RM910,000 each.

“It’s amazing that Singaporeans are willing to pay that price.

“I had offered the previous tenants only RM300,000 because if they took bank loans, their instalments would be about the same as the RM1,300 rent they were paying.

“Now the 12 shophouses are refurbished and being rented for about RM7,000 each,” he said.

The saddest end of the tale seems to come from the old tenants.

Penang Gerakan’s Padang Kota coordinator H’ng Khoon Leng said he discovered a number of homeless people in the old city who were evicted tenants.

“They lived here all their lives.

“When evicted at their old age, they take to living in the streets of their childhood homes,” he said.

When H’ng tried to help them find new homes, he found resistance because these old people prefer to remain in the old city.

Rayani hopes to fly again

KUALA LUMPUR: Rayani Air will appeal to Malaysia’s airline authorities for a “second chance” after their Air Service Licence (ASL) and Air Operator’s Certificate were revoked.

Its owner Ravi Alagendrran said they were in talks with a new investor to revive the airline.

Ravi’s plea comes after the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) revoked the airline’s licence and certificate, effective yesterday.

Mavcom said it found Rayani Air had breached the conditions of its licence and that it also lacked the financial and managerial capacity to continue operating as an airline.

“The revocations came at the peak of our negotiations with investors for the acquisition of equity in Rayani Air, after realising that the present owners and their management are no longer fit to revive the airline,” Ravi said in a state­­­ment yesterday.

He said the “qualified and strong management team” of its new investors would revive and manage the airline “much better than us”.

Mavcom said the airline lost its licence after it breached its conditions.

“As a consequence, Rayani Air can no longer operate as a commercial airline with effect from today,” it said.

On May 25, Mavcom issued a show-cause letter to Rayani Air that submitted its representation in writing on the last day of the stipulated time.

“After reviewing Rayani Air’s written representation, Mavcom decided to revoke its ASL, as Rayani Air did not provide a satisfactory response to the show cause letter dated May 25, 2016,” it said.

The commission also said Rayani Air was still responsible for refunding its customers.

“Customers who have purchased tickets with Rayani Air but were not able go on their journey may lodge a complaint with the company and seek a refund.

“In the event consumers are not able to obtain their refunds, consumers can file a civil suit for those refunds,” it said.

The Star reported that Rayani Air’s air operator’s certificate (AOC) was suspended for three months on April 11 after the airline temporarily halted operations following a strike by its pilots.

It was reported that Rayani Air’s operations were suspended for allegedly breaching the Civil Aviation Regulations 1966.

Man held for allegedly abusing son

GEORGE TOWN: A man was arrested for allegedly abusing his five-year-old son with a cane and clothes hanger at their house in Relau here.

The 39-year-old suspect was picked up yesterday after his 33-year­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­-old wife lodged a police report.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the victim was admitted to the Penang General Hospital’s paediatric ward on Saturday with multiple bruises on his back and legs.

“The doctor found traces of abuse and advised the mother to lodge a police report. The boy was caned on Friday for being naughty,” ACP Mior Faridalathrash said, adding that a cane and a broken hanger were seized by the police.

He said the suspect was remanded for three days pending investigations and the case has been classified as intentionally causing hurt under Section 324 of the Penal Code.

Foundation donates RM30,000 to school

The Penang Nattukottai Chettiar Foundation donated RM30,000 to the Ramakrishna Tamil school to upgrade its 21st Century Classroom, Makkal Osai reported.

SJK (T) Ramakrishna, which operates on the grounds of the Ramakrishna Ashram in Penang, recently made the country proud with several victories in international science tournaments.

In order to ensure the school continues to excel in such competitions, the foundation has decided to upgrade the school’s 21st Century Classroom to help students explore their interest in science and robotics.

Headmistress K. Puvaneswari said the foundation’s help was timely as ensuring the classrooms were up to date would incur a cost.

Last year, three students from the school beat 300 others from around the world in a youth science creation competition in Beijing, China.

Karpal’s driver freed of reckless endangerment charges

KAMPAR: C. Selvam, the late Karpal Singh’s driver, has been acquitted and discharged by a magistrate’s court here of reckless endangerment resulting in the death of the former DAP chairman two years ago.

In finding Selvam not guilty, magistrate Mohamad Ibrahim Mohamad Ghulam said the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against the Indian national.

A total of 21 prosecution witnesses had testified during the course of the trial.

On July 9, 2014, Selvam claimed trial to a charge of reckless endangerment resulting in the death of Karpal and his aide – Indian national Michael Cornelius – when their vehicle collided with a lorry.

Selvam was said to have committed the offence while driving a vehicle with the registration number KS9898 at KM306.1 of the northbound lane of the North-South Expressway at about 12.40am on April 17 that year.

The offence under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act carries a maximum two-year jail and up to RM20,000 fine upon conviction.

When met outside the courtroom, 20-year-old Selvam told reporters he was extremely relieved that his problems were now over.

“I feel good. I’m very happy to be going home to see my family,” he said, breaking down in tears.

“I want to go home as soon as I can,” he added, before thanking his lawyer Baljit Singh, who had taken up the case pro bono, and Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan who had posted his bail and sheltered him over the past two years.

Selvam, however, kept mum when asked if he had any words for Karpal’s family.

Police report lodged against UTM on 'dirty Hindu' module

Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram has lodged a police report against Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) over its teaching module, which included erroneous claims about Hinduism and Sikhism.

The report was made by the chairperson of the association's Sungai Petani branch, according to Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (Mipas) secretary-general S Barathidasan.

Barathidasan said more police reports would be lodged against the university soon over the "demeaning" modules, which allegedly labelled Hindus as a “dirty” community that regards physical uncleanliness as part of their religious practice.

“Since when did UTM authorities become experts in Hinduism?” he asked.

“UTM should conduct a more thorough research (on Hinduism), and collaborate with Hindu religious organisations, NGOs and expert academicians who specialise in the Hinduism field.

“UTM should make sure its facts are correct and accurate by checking with them (Hindu organisations and academicians) before releasing any university learning modules,” he added.

He said the university should immediately remove the learning modules and issue an apology to all Hindu Malaysians.
Yesterday, Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan said UTM's vice-chancellor had admitted there were mistakes and the module would be "corrected expeditiously".

MIC: Probe UTM under sedition law for erroneous 'dirty' Hindus claims

MIC treasurer-general S Vell Paari has called for the police to investigate the matter of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) teaching module under the Sedition Act.

"Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar has often warned that those who trample upon the religious and racial sensitivities would not be tolerated.

"This is a blatant example of how the sensitivities of Hindus and Sikhs have been trampled upon.

"What makes it worse is that the perpetrators are those responsible for shaping the future generations of Malaysians," he said in a statement today.

Vell Paari said that the vice-chancellor of UTM should not describe their module as having "mistakes" as they were utterly disrespectful, arrogant and bigoted.

He also questioned whether the module was vetted by the academic staff of the university before being used for teaching or was that another oversight.

It is disheartening, he said, that non-Muslims are often at the receiving end of such ugly episodes, and saddening that their children are shown such disrespect in an education institution.

"When there are perceived insults to Islam, there is an uproar and police investigations, even threats of racial violence.

"But when it involves the non-Muslims, it is simply dismissed as mistakes or oversights," Vell Paari (photo) lamented.

Issue an apology and explain

UTM landed in hot water after screenshots of module slides bearing UTM's logo went viral on social media.

The slides showed that UTM students were taught that Hindus preferred to be "dirty", and that the presence of Islam taught former Hindu followers "manners in life".

It stated that "some Hindu followers believe dirt on the body is a form of ritual which could lead to the attainment of nirvana".

Another slide claimed that Sikhism is a combination of Hindu and Islam, but its founder had a shallow understanding of Islam.

The vice-chancellor had later admitted there were mistakes and the module would be "corrected expeditiously".

Vell Paari said he would also be urging MIC president S Subramaniam to raise this UTM issue during the next cabinet meeting, as well as with Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh.

However, he still wants the vice-chancellor to issue an apology and explain how the module received the green light in the first place.

Those responsible for the module should be sacked, he added.

"I find this disgusting, and if the issue is swept under the carpet, with a mere 'admission' and promise to 'rectify the mistakes', then the future of our nation appears bleak," he said.