His Excellency Mr.Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India,
South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, 9/6/2010 India- 110011.
By Fax No: 911123019545
Dear Sirs,
Re: Request to stop export of racial discrimination against ethnic minority Indians in Malaysia into Indian soil.
We refer to the above matter and to the news report in a local daily the Berita Harian on the 4th of June 2010 ( page 11- copy enclosed) about the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between University Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak (UniKL RCMP) and Vinayaka Missions University (VMU) Salem, India. Through this collaborative arrangement, hundreds of Malay Muslim only, fully sponsored Malaysian government students will complete their last two years of studies in VMU, Tamil Nadu. Such Malaysian government sponsorships completely exclude the poor but deserving fifth and sixth generation Malaysian born Indian students here in Malaysia. We consider this to be an offensive arrangement coming as it does in spite of the numerous representations we have made to both the Government of Malaysia as well as to the government of India on the issue of serious violation of Minority and Human Rights in Malaysia.
A similar arrangement also exists between Yayasan Melaka, Cisco Group of Companies and Manipal University in Manipal, India. Hundreds of Malay Muslim fully Government sponsored students are sent to India to do courses in Medicine.
We have also been told that in exchange for recognition of the degrees conferred by the M.S.Ramaiah Instititute of Health Sciences, Bengaluru, India, by the Government of Malaysia, M.S.Ramaiah Instititute of Health Sciences in turn is “compelled” to take in scores if not hundreds of Malay Muslim fully Malaysian government sponsored students into their Medical degree programs.
All of these relate to the policy of the Malaysian Government of channeling the entire national resource to the Malay Muslim sector of the population while totally denying citizens of ethnic Indian origin any access to these resources. Now in these arrangements between Malaysian Government linked companies and Indian Educational institutions the racially slanted policies of the Malaysian Government are being exported to the shores of India. With due respect, we have to say that what is happening through these colllaborations in the Education sector is nothing short of just that – racism being exported to India against People of Indian Origin in Malaysia. Surely the Government of India cannot support such a purpose.
We believe India does not condone racism of this kind or of any kind. Our humble request here is that India should insist that merit be the sole criterion for the selection of candidates for entrances into such collaborative arrangements with Indian educational Institutions as a pre-condition for approving such collaborations. This will keep such racist policies in check from reaching Indian shores.
It is not late to effect such a requirement for this MOU with Vinayaka Missions University. The same should be applied to the Manipal University and the M.S.Ramaiah Institute of Health Sciences. Evidence requirements need to be established to show that applications for such Medical seats have been processed on the basis of merit and not on race.
Profit cannot be the sole criteria in such international educational arrangements, though we accept it will be a primary factor. Historical, social and moral considerations should play an equally important role, in the establishment of such mutually beneficial relationships, lest it means Governments around the world only support profits of corporations at the expense of a general welfare of its peoples on both sides of the boundary.
We had earlier reported to the Government of India that only one overseas Government Public Services Department Scholarship was awarded to do Medicine and another one more medical seat in 2004 in the University of Malaya for the entire 2 million Indians in the country, vide our “Malaysian Indian Minority & Human rights violations annual report 2008 (in page vi). Remawathy, the sixth best student in Malaysia who had scored 13A1s in SPM (O Level) was denied a government Public Services Department (PSD) scholarship simply because she was of Indian origin.
The latest and prime example is the case of Indian origin M/s Deborah Anne d/o John Philip a high achieving and in fact a top Malaysian student scoring 13As’ (certificates enclosed herewith) who has been denied a government PSD scholarship, Government linked company scholarship or private sector scholarship or a place in the preferred Pre-University Matriculation Colleges or a place in the local Universities to do Pre-University courses leading up to a degree in Medicine. Ms Deborah Anne’s case is just the tip of the iceberg of the estimated 2,237 of other Malaysian Indian top and high achieving Indian students who have not and will not be given any form of Government scholarship or admitted into this VMU UniKL Yayasan Melaka, Cisco Group, RCMP program or the Matriculation Colleges or public Universities locally or overseas
We humbly request the Government of India to take a position on these racist policies of Malaysia not only because it affects People of Indian Origin, but also because it seriously violates Universal principles of Human Rights.
In addition to this we request the Government of India to consider our suggestions for the development of People of Indian Origin who had migrated several generations ago from India because of severe socio-economic compulsions and who now continue to require development but because of the history and the immediate circumstances as in Malaysia may be denied these opportunities:
I excerpt the suggestions from our request in the Malaysian Indian Minority & Human rights violations annual report 2009 presented at the Pravasi Bharathiya Divas Conference, New Delhi from 7th to 9th 2010 (in page 47 ) and a copy of which was served on your good office on 11/1/2010, we:-
4) “Stop all medical seats offered by the government of India to the government of Malaysia on a government to government basis with immediate effect and the same to be granted directly to the Malaysian Indian students and to be handled directly by the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia”.
5) To set up a special University and offer full scholarship to all Malaysian Indian students denied the opportunities to pursue higher education in Malaysia especially in the fields of Medicine, Information Technology, Aeronautical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Bio Technology.
In 2007, there were 847,485 students (New Straits Times 7/8/2008 page 16) studying at the 20 government public Universities nationwide at an annual government expenditure of RM 2.6 Billion and disbursing 12,000 government scholarships ie 10,500 scholarships in local Universities and 1,500 scholarships for overseas Universities. In fact Unesco’s statistics for the year 2009 placed Malaysia at number 11 out of 137 nations that had a huge budget for education. (NST 5/6/2010 at page 16). Our estimate is a mere 0.1% of this expenditure and/or University places will accrue to Indian Malaysian students.
Former Malay-sian Prime Minister Dr.Mahathir decided to restrict the number of students studying medicine in various universities in Russia after a visit in 2003. Most of the Malaysians there were from Indian families, many of whom had scraped the bottom of the barrel to put their children through a medical education.
There just were not enough places for them in Malaysian public universities because of the Governments discriminatory practices. India, Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Indonesia provided more affordable alternatives. But the Government decided to reduce opportunities in those alternatives to Indian students. Several of the Universities were derecognized by the Malaysian Government from 2006 onwards despite there being a shortage of doctors in Malaysia by 100% (NST, 28.05.08).
The Malaysian Government instituted a new scheme of “No Objections Certificates” to be issued by the Ministry of Education in the name of maintaining education standards before students can go abroad for studies (NST 9/3/09 page 16) This is to further hamper Indian students from pursuing their studies overseas funded entirely by themselves in the face of lack of opportunities locally, in the name of maintaining educational standards. At the same time The Government of Malaysia throws out such merit based consideration when it comes to the awards of Government bursaries and places in Public Universities to the Malay-Muslim sector of the population, as explained above.
The government is recruiting doctors from (mostly Muslim countries) overseas. But thousands of Malaysian Indian medical doctors who qualified from India, Indonesia, Ukraine, Russia, Romania have had their degrees derecognized to systematically curtail the number of Malaysian Indian doctors in Malaysia. On the contrary because of the lower standards of Medical schools in the local Universities, the European Union has with effect from 1990 derecognized even University Malaya’s the oldest Malaysian University Medical degree (NST 19/3/09 page 12) (see Malaysian Indian Minority & Human Rights Violations Annual Report 2009 at page 14 presented at Pravasi Bharathiya Divas International Conference Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi ).
Article 8 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution provides for Equality before the Law and Article 12 of the same provides for no discrimination in the admission of students into Public Educational Institutions which receives government financial assistance. (We understand this is the parallel of Articles 8 and 12 of the Indian constitution).
But in Malaysia, educational opportunities offered by the Government are entirely race and religion based and not needs based at all. For example 100% of the 200,000 places in Malaysia’s largest University, University Institute Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM) are entirely only for Malay Muslim students and even the poor Malaysian Indians however deserving are excluded completely from this University UiTM for the only reason that they are ethnic minority Indians. The irony is even 10% of students from foreign Islamic countries are taken into UiTM . (Utusan Malaysia 1/1/2009). This is also in the said Malaysian Indian Minority & Human rights violations annual report 2009 (in page 47).
The Government of Malaysia obviously does not abide by the Federal Constitution let alone the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention against Discrimination for Education initiated and adopted by the General Conference at the 11th session in Paris Dec 14, 1960.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts the principle of non-discrimination and proclaims that every person has the right to education. The Malaysian Government violates these Universal Principles with impunity. We request the Government of India to take cognizance of this serious violations and as a responsible and senior member of the world community, to take a positive position on this and to raise in the appropriate undertakings.
On 26/3/2010 we had released our “ Human Rights Violations Against the ethnic Minority Malaysian Indian. HRP briefing for foreign diplomatic missions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 26/3/2010)”. Invitations were sent out and a total of 13 foreign and diplomatic missions mostly from the West had attended. We regret to note here that no representative of the Indian High Commission was present.
Be that as it may we enclose herewith a copy of the said Human Rights Report 2009 dated 26/3/2010.
We hereby request your goodself to arrange an appointment with High Commissioner for India in Kuala Lumpur to discuss this and other matters raised in our 2008 and 2009 Annual Minorities and Human Rights Report. (copy enclosed herewith).
For further and better particulars of day to day acts of racism against the ethnic minority Malaysian born Indians kindly access our website www.humarightspartymalaysia.com.
Thank You.
Yours Faithfully,
_____________
P.Uthayakumar
Secretary General (pro tem)
cc: The Hon. Mr.Shri S.M.Krishna
Minister of External Affairs
Room no169, South Block,
By fax: 911123013254 New Delhi- 110011
Email: eam@mea.gov.in
The Hon. Mr. Sri Lal Krishna Advani
30 Prithvi Raj Road,
New Delhi-110003,
By fax: 01123017419 India.
Email: advanilk@sansad.nic.in
Madam Susma Swaraj
Opposition Leader,India
8, Safdarjung Lane,
New Delhi –110011
Email:sushmaswaraj@hotmail.com
Shri M.Karunanidhi
Chief Minister of Tamilnadu
Chief Minister’s office
By fax: 044-25671441
Secretariat, Chennai 600009
Email: cmcell@tn.gov.in
His Excellency Vijay Gokhale
High Commission of India
No2, Jalan Duta, Off Jalan Duta,
By fax: 03-20933507
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Email: highcomm@po.jaring.my
Mr.Vijay Jolly
International Cell Head,
Head BJP,
Khasra No. 322, Neb Sarai,
Near Ignou,
New Delhi- 68
Email: ewec@del3.vsnl.net.in
Mr.Rajesh Gogna
Advocate
8, Todermal Lane, Bengali Market,
Mandi House,
By fax: 011-23752935 New Delhi-110001
Email: mail@gogna.co.in
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