UTM to fix erroneous claims on 'dirty' Hindus

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia will amend a teaching module which includes erroneous claims about Hinduism and Sikhism, said Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanthan.

He said the vice-chancellor admitted there were mistakes and the module would be "corrected expeditiously".

"I also asked him to please ensure that such errors are not repeated as they can cause confusion and hurt in some segments of students besides not being factual.

"He has totally agreed to my suggestion," Kamalanthan said in a statement on his Facebook page.

This comes after screenshots of the 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.

While it is not stated on the slide, it is believed that this is part of the Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Islamic and Asian Civilisation) module compulsory for all undergraduates at public universities.

If Najib can deliver, why need MIC?

Why is the MIC still on the political scene? It has miserably failed Indians in the decades following independence and there is no guarantee that the party is in position to deliver goods for the Indian community.

By P Ramasamy

Najib Tun Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, has learnt one thing while in office; that he cannot trust or depend on the MIC to deliver goods to the Malaysian Indians.

He might have been besieged by the controversy surrounding the 1MDB issue and the “unaccountable” money that went into his private accounts, but still he knows who can be trusted in the Barisan Nasional.

The MIC might be around for a long time, but the leadership of the party is in a complete disarray. It has lost its direction and the purpose of its existence.

The recent actions of Najib convey the idea that he does not trust the MIC leaders. This is the reason why, under him, funds meant for the Indian community are not given directly to the MIC or its leaders. Rather in the last few years or so, funds are allocated directly to the Indian NGOs through the Prime Minister’s department.

He knows very well that the MIC, given the intense infighting within, is unable to deliver goods to the Indian community. Whatever funds allocated to the Indian community via the MIC have not reached the target group – the poor and neglected Indians.

Yesterday, Najib, in his campaign speech in Kuala Kangsar, announced special allocations for the Indian community there.

He allocated: RM100,000 for the upgrading the upgrading of the wall of the SJKT Ghandi Memorial; granted 0.6 hectares of land for a playing field; RM750,000 to the local Indian Association for a new building; RM115,000 to repair the fences and pave the road to a crematorium; and urged the Perak state government to resolve the housing problem of 20 Indian families in Bukit Merchu.

Following this, he asked the Indian community to support the BN candidate for Kuala Kangsar in the coming by-elections.

If this is the attitude of senior Umno leaders towards the MIC, then what is the purpose of the MIC? The party has miserably failed Malaysian Indians in the decades following independence and there is no guarantee that the party is in a position to deliver goods for the Indian community.

Shouldn’t the MIC quit the political scene?

P Ramasamy is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang.