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Deepavali the Festival of Lights to be dimmer?

July 29th, 2008
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HINDRAF has called upon its supporters to celebrate Deepavali in a quite form – more to meditation and prayers, instead of joyous party mode. This is to show sign of respect and kinship with the 5 detained HINDRAF leaders.

I guess that means no open houses and spending money on food for neighbors, friends, colleagues etc. Well, usually no problem for me since my Deepavali is always a quiet affair, but this time planning for open house cum house warming function. Will see how it goes. I doubt all those Indian businesses in little Indias will be happy to hear about this 🙂

Would the community follow this suggestion, or go about their daily business during Deepavali?

Malaysiakini also picked up this news. Below is the press statement from Waytha (received via email):

26 TH JULY 2008
HINDRAF is calling upon all its supporters to celebrate Deepavali this year in quiet penance, meditation and prayers with their family and friends without the usual festive celebration in a symbolic silent protest in favour of our 5 HINDRAF brothers who are unjustly detained for championing equal rights, equal opportunity and freedom of speech and religion.

Deepavali, itself although has many versions, it is primarily celebrated when the good triumphs over the evil. The most popular version is when Narakasura, the evil and unjust ruler of Pradyoshapuram was killed by Krishna’s wife – Satyabhama.
The death of Narakasura was rejoiced by the celebration of Deepavali that signifies advent of joy, happiness and spiritual enhancement. It is celebrated as festival of lights as light depict good over darkness depicted as evil.

For the Malaysian Indian society, the darkness still prevails as basic human rights such as equal rights, equal opportunity and freedom of speech and religion is still lacking for them. HINDRAF had brought forward many issues on these aspects but it has always been side tracked and ignored for political issues and self serving agenda. HINDRAF believes that the Malaysian Indians are still in darkness in a country that we call our own although all efforts have been made to make this Government understand.

In Malaysia, the celebration of Deepavali by the Malaysian Indian does not signify the actual significance of its occasion as Malaysian Indians are still in darkness as far as their freedom and rights are forever compromised.
HINDRAF urges it’s supporters to seek the inner light, a self-luminous light of “self” that resides in their heart and soul in observing Deepavali in quite penance, meditation and prayers that will eventually shed the light of “Freedom” for our society and make this Government realise how their draconian ISA laws is opposed by the entire community.

HINDRAF has always been apolitical and will always be so as our intention is solely to defend and protect the well being of Malaysian Indians who are continuously being subjected to systematic marginalization and discrimination in a country that they call it their own. We have never asked for more than what is rightfully deserved as a Malaysian citizen respecting human rights and its truthness.

Waytha Moorthy
Hindraf- Chairman
Currently in London

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Bonded Workers

July 28th, 2008
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From time to time we read about estate workers being treated like bonded workers or forced labourers. Sometimes terms like slaves are used. I remember about a case in Melaka few years back. And recently, the case in Segamat of all place (constituent of the Human Resources Minister!).

The term bonded worker means employers or contractors who threaten and cheat their employees into working for practically pittance. The family members are also forced to work, usually to settle some “debt”. Lack of education and being illiterate is one of the reasons why this problem still occurs.

Obviously, plantation owner who close two eyes are also part of the problem. And one have to ask, why the authorities don’t know about this problem. Perhaps more Tamil speaking officers should be attached to enforcement and inspection teams who go to the grounds.

Now the ministry is launching a massive crackdown on such employers:

Its Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the ministry’s Manpower Department had also lodged police reports against those who treated their workers as bonded labourers.

“If there is still no action taken by the respective police stations where the estates are located, we will go right up to Bukit Aman (police headquarters),” he said in a statement yesterday.

Dr Subramaniam said the ministry was aware of the matter and had identified the contractors involved. “We will get the police to take action against them,” he said.

Dr Subramaniam said the ministry would ensure that the issue of bonded labourers would be resolved.

He also instructed all estate owners and management to immediately report to the police and the ministry if they come across contractors who ill-treated their workers. “This is a very serious matter and I want all parties to take note and report the matter immediately to the authorities. I will personally look into the cases,” he said.

The ill-treatment of estate workers came to light when a group of workers and their families from an estate in Segamat, Johor reported to the ministry and the police that their contractor had been abusing them, including forcing members of their family members to work.

Following the revelation, Dr Subramaniam visited the estate and ordered officials from the ministry to lodge a police report and instructed the Manpower Department to launch a crackdown on all estates to ensure that the workers were well taken care off. He also ordered all contractors to register with the Manpower Department beginning next month.

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Samy disagrees on community support for Tamil schools

July 26th, 2008
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MIBA president Sivakumar started the provocation by saying that:

If not for private donors and wealthy businessmen from the community, Sivakumar argues, half of the 523 Tamil schools in the country would have been closed down a long time ago. He cites a recent example where a hall for a Yahya Awal in Johor Baru, costing RM700,000, was built with public donations.

This made Samy Vellu quite unhappy obviously.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has challenged the claim that half the Tamil schools in the country would have closed down without the support of wealthy Indians.
He was reacting to Malaysian Indian Businessmen Association president P. Sivakumar’s claim that if not for private donations and wealthy businessmen, half of the 523 schools would have closed down a long time ago.

“The subject of Tamil schools is very dear to me because I was a Tamil school student. Since I became a minister in 1979, I started studying the position of Tamil schools. In 1981, I came out with the first programmes for educational empowerment of the Indian community. I asked JKR (Public Works Department) and my officers to study schools that needed attention.”

“I then approached then prime minister (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) in 1984 for RM5.5 million from the Prime Minster’s Fund. At that time there was scarce funds for partially-aided schools. He approved RM6 million and we built nine Tamil schools with the money.”

Later, Samy Vellu said, he approached then finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin for funds and received RM4.5 million to build more schools. He said MIC was committed to continuously seek funds from the prime minister, education and finance ministers to keep on building Tamil schools to provide a better standard of education for Indian children.

“Recently, we secured a RM30 million grant and we have allocated RM11.3 million for building 10 schools in Selangor and 15 in the rest of the country, also costing RM11.3 million. Tenders are now being called. We have also obtained RM2 million for repairs of Tamil schools in Selangor this year while the government is building a RM1.2 million Tamil school in Kampung Lindungan on a 0.6ha site. The Education Ministry is also building 15 fully-aided Tamil schools costing RM11.5 million.”

From now until the end of next year, RM43.5 million has been committed for the upgrading and construction of Tamil schools, he said.

“For me, MIC is the guardian of Tamil schools and we have set up the MIED (Maju Institute of Educational Development), Yayasan Strategik Sosial to improve the lot of Indian children.”

He pointed out that it was through MIC initiatives that on July 1, the Cabinet Committee on Development of the Indian Community chaired by the deputy prime minister had agreed in principle that all Tamil schools should be converted to fully-aided schools.

I calculated RM98.7 million based on the numbers mentioned by Samy Vellu. Since 1984 till 2009 (26 years). That’s about RM3.796 million per year. Number of Tamil schools is 523.

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Deepavali Stall application

July 26th, 2008
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Deepavali stall will be available along KL Sentral Monorail station for RM30/day including canopy and electricity. Rental is for 30 days before Deepavali (OCT 26 2008).

Deadline is Monday, 28 July 2008.

Contact:

Mr Dineshwaran (National Entrepreneur Bureau, Putera MIC) at 012-2333 434

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Birth Certificate Registration Programme

July 26th, 2008
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The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry announced on July 21st about starting a Birth Certificate Registration Programme, but it seems that the program have been running for some time.

Unlike previous efforts which started with few events and then faded away, we hope this programme is able to persevere.

The NST report highlighted a case which was bought to the programme:

When she was born in a hospital in Klang, T. Gomarthy was issued a birth certificate which registered her as a boy. The mistake only came to light 12 years later when she went to the Shah Alam National Registration Department to apply for her identity card.

That marked the beginning of her problems. The NRD officer required the presence of her mother to rectify the mistake.

But Gomarthy’s mother had left the family when she was 11 and could not be contacted.

She spent the next six years pleading her case with the NRD without success.

Help eventually came from the “Birth Certificate Registration Programme” organised by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.

With the assistance of one of the co-organisers of the Yayasan Strategik Sosial (YSS), Gomarthy, now 18, obtained a new birth certificate last week and applied for her IC.

“Because of this problem, I had to stop schooling in Form Three. If only it was settled years ago.”

YSS assistant director V. Vanita Ramany criticised the NRD for the delay in correcting the mistake in Gomarthy’s birth certificate.

“Why did they ask her to bring her mother who went missing years ago when her biological father was with her?”

Vanita said about 200 stateless people attended the programme held in Setapak, of which 87 were those without birth certificates, while the rest held red identity cards or had no identification papers.

A similar programme would be carried out in Raub, Pahang next month.

She said a child born in an unregistered marriage might not get a birth certificate as some NRD officers would register a child in the absence of the parents’ marriage certificate while others would not.

She cited a case where seven brothers and sisters, aged 4 months to 10 years, did not have birth certificates because their parents did not register their marriage as it was the woman’s second marriage.

Then there are married women without birth certificates.

In such cases, even if their children were to get their birth certificates, they would remain non-citizens, Vanita said.

She called for the appointment of more Tamil-speaking officers at NRD offices to help Indians who only spoke their mother tongue.

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