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The above was highlighted by a reader in a internet forum. Statue of Lord Vinayagar was placed near non vegetarian food. Not sure who took the picture, but surely the newspaper should have vetted such insensitive photos. So, is this a big deal for the Hindus? Or is it a small matter?

The article and image is at:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/10/8/central/2178265&sec=central

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Common sense dictates that there should have been a valid reason for the previous Selangor government to impose a height limit for gopurams in the state (Gopuram is the tower that is on top of the temple. It is usually adorned with intricate designs, images and statues of Gods and so on). So, perhaps Khir Toyo or MIC fellas can explain to us the reason. Was it due to safety, aviation ruling, town planning acts, building acts, political decision, or based on whims and fancies?

Even the current government did not provide any reason for lifting of the limit.

The Selangor government had decided to lift the earlier 7.3m limit for the construction of gopurams (entrance towers) for temples set by the previous government, Makkal Osai reported.

State Executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar said that the current government had recently given approval for the construction of a temple gopuram for more than 12.8m.

He added that the previous state government had approved 929 sq metres of land, next to a sewerage reclamation pond, for the building of a temple and did not allow any extension or renovation.

One thing for sure is that more money will be spent to build elaborate and grand gopurams!!!

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I’m not privy to the full proposal by the MIC as mentioned by its Information Chief, Saravanan. But I wonder, how do those non-Hindu students be accommodated while Hinduism is thought in the classes, in the name of Tamil language? We complain when our young children are “taught” to “baca doa” or youths forced listen to Islam-glorifying speeches either in school or universities, so obviously its unfair to force others to listen to Hinduism.

One option is to provide religious classes during the Agama Islam period. Only those parents who do not want to the children to be taught religion should send their kids for Moral Classes (perhaps the parents are atheist, or have no faith in the teachers, or are unsure of their religion…whatever). This is a potential logistic nightmare as thousands of religious teachers will be needed to teach Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Bahaism, Sikhism and so on. Coupled with lack of classroom, it will be a doomed effort.

Political wise, this will be deemed as undermining Islam as religious classes are taught in school just like Islam. So, those folks at UMNO and its frontmen will start to protest. Another headache.

So, I’m not sure how MIC came up with this proposal:

The MIC yesterday urged the Education Ministry to consider the party’s proposal to incorporate religious aspects into the Tamil language curriculum at the primary school level.

In making the proposal, MIC information chief Datuk M. Saravanan expressed disappointment over the current Tamil language curriculum.

“Learning the Tamil language is unlike studying the other languages as religion should be a main component of the curriculum.

“Therefore, I urge the Education Ministry to make the necessary changes to the Tamil language curriculum so that young Indians can be taught religious values from an early age,” he said after opening the annual general meeting of the Tamil Teachers Union of Malaya.

Saravanan, who is Federal Territories Deputy Minister, said that one of the reasons why Tamil schools were being politicised was the absence of short- and long-term plans for the schools.

The second thing which alarms me is the statement that “one of the reasons why Tamil schools were being politicised was the absence of short- and long-term plans for the schools”. Now, is this like throwing mud into one’s own face? The champion of the community, the guardian of Tamil schools, is telling us that THERE IS ABSENCE of plans??? What the $%^$&*@$%@^$&%&#%@%%. Yeah, I’m pissed off. 62 years and this is the nonsense we get. Another great job. Why don’t these people do us all a favor and go to the top most floor of a highrise and jump off?

I hope to God that Saravanan was misinformed, misquoted, misled, or mis-whatever.

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