Archive for the ‘Indian’ category

Indian population dwindling

June 12th, 2008
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Make babies, not war 🙂 Hmm…you have to get married first of course!

Its not easy to raise kids nowadays. We hear stories of our parents or grandparents raising 6 or 10 children those days, but now, raising 2 children itself is a challenge due to high cost of living.

Coupled with entry of women into workforce and higher literacy rate for women, the marrying age is getting higher and higher. Marriage at age of 16 or 20 is history. Now, marriage ideas start blooming at late 20s or even early 30s. The, there’s wedding cost to think of. I doubt that a relatively simple Indian wedding can be done within 20K budget per bride/groom.

Other communities also face this problem, especially the Chinese. Some chinese guilds are offering incentives for couples to get married.

The Malays are still doing well, due to government support, larger population, polygamy, and also support for single mothers.

I don’t suppose MIC can start some of incentive, can they? 🙂


THE Indian population is on the decline and action must be taken to stop this, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said, in a Tamil Nesan front-page report.

He said the current Indian population stood at 7.8% and this was expected to fall to 7% in five years.

Samy Vellu was speaking to reporters after opening Pahang MIC’s 62nd annual delegates conference in a hotel in Genting Highlands yesterday.

He said currently, the Government gave allocations based on the population of the Indian community.

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PPP plans fund for tamil schools

June 12th, 2008
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About three weeks back, Murugiah talked on creating a foundation called Tamil Schools Foundation. Now he talks about setting up a fund. What I don’t understand is why need to meet Prime Minister and Education Minister if money for the fund is to be sourced from donations from public and corporate figures.

Secondly, along with proposing such funds, PPP should also focus on getting schools to be fully-aided and try not to burden the community by asking for more money.

Not only independent committee, but a transparent-based set-up – from collection to disbursement. Nowadays, nothing seemed to be independent.

BTW, will Samy allow this or continue with his “sole champion of the community” mantra?


IPOH: The People’s Progressive Party is proposing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein that a fund for Tamil schools be set up. It suggests seeking donations from corporate figures and the Indian community.Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Senator T. Murugiah, who is the PPP National Youth chief, said the fund would help schools in poor condition and lacking facilities. “The fund will finance the construction of facilities in such schools, which are suffering a drop in enrolment. The lack of facilities is one reason parents refuse to send their children there.”

Murugiah said the fund would be managed by an independent committee with similar committees formed at the state level to disburse aid.
“There is no political motive for setting up the fund. Our goal is to make Tamil schools conducive for teaching and learning, whether or not the schools are located in opposition-held states.”

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MIC team to study KL Plan 2020

June 12th, 2008
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One of those instances where MIC announces something beyond the usual stuff. Hope something good comes out of the study. The “needs of the Indian community” refers to places of worship, crematorium and Tamil schools, I guess.

Its also good to notice that MIC wants to focus on poor people and students especially on housing matters. I would also suggest that efficient transportation, Internet facilities, waste management, crime prevention, and environmental issues to be addressed as well.


KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC has set up a special committee comprising architects, lawyers and professionals to study City Hall’s draft plan for 2020.President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said it would make recommendations to City Hall to ensure that the needs of the Indian community were addressed.

Speaking at the opening of the Federal Territory MIC delegates’ conference here yesterday, Samy Vellu said City Hall should ensure that housing developers allocated land for places of worship, including temples. “There should also be proper infrastructure facilities to conduct rituals for the deceased in their residential areas, especially for those who live in flats,” he said.

He said City Hall should also provide hostels for students from rural areas who study in secondary schools or colleges in the city.

Samy Vellu also urged City Hall to allocate flats for the lower middle-class, rather than only to those below the poverty level.

He added that the MIC was fortunate that it had Federal Territories deputy minister Datuk M. Saravanan to ensure their requests to City Hall were addressed.

Samy Vellu said even though many squatters now enjoyed modern and comfortable housing, there were still others who lived as squatters.  “We want an undertaking that adequate housing facilities be provided in areas nearer to work as well as schools when the people migrate to the city,” he said.

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dead detainee inquest postponed…8 times!

June 10th, 2008
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 Wow! this would be some sort of record I guess!

8th postponement of inquest into detainee’s death
KUALA LUMPUR: The inquest into the death of Ulaganathan Muniandy was postponed for the eighth time yesterday, raising the concern of Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).
Counsel James Khong, who is holding a watching brief for the family, urged the magistrate to speed up the inquest as it had been four years since Ulaganathan died in police custody.Yesterday, the deputy public prosecutor and all the witnesses did not show up, Khong said in a statement issued through Suaram.

He said the previous hearing on Feb 29 was postponed for the same reason, while the first five hearings were not held following applications for postponement by the DPP.

Ulaganathan was detained under the Emergency Ordinance on May 12, 2003, at the Kajang police station, where he died on July 21.
The Kajang Hospital concluded that his cause of death “cannot be determined”, although his family suspected foul play.

The next inquest hearing is scheduled for July 22.

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Begging successful

June 7th, 2008
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Initially, it was well reported only 34 students got the PSD’s 2000 overseas scholarship, with 194 having appealed. Later, the figure increased to 72 Indians students, with 187 appeals. Now the figures are upped to 161 and Datuk S.Subra has the gall to say that is more than last year! He totally misses the point that the students had to appeal and MIC leaders had to BEG for it! Isn’t that humiliating enough? Or is this some sandiwara to show MIC relevance? I seriously hope not since the makkal are past this kind of drama already. They are smart enough to make use of politicians and party. Come election time, makkal will teach them a lesson again.

Hopefully those who appealed really deserves it on merit instead of qualifying under some sort of quota for MIC. That will make us look like handout seekers and quota-dependent like the the privileged community.

Anyway, one good thing is that all 9As and above students will get scholarship to study in one way or another.


KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Services Department (PSD) has offered scholarships to 161 Indian students with excellent results in the 2007 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) to pursue their studies overseas, Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said here. He said only 120 Indian students were offered scholarships last year.

In a statement, Dr Subramaniam said he met PSD director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam yesterday over appeals by Indian students unsuccessful in getting scholarships. On May 21, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu met Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan to appeal on behalf of 187 Indian students who were unsuccessful in their scholarship applications.

Dr Subramaniam said the PSD had also stated that all SPM students who obtained 9As and above last year would be offered scholarships to study basic science courses in local public universities and four university campuses recognised by the JPA – Monash, Nottingham, Curtin University of Technology and Swinburne.  He said the scholarships would also be given automatically to students who had obtained places in Ivy League universities and other similar universities overseas.  He urged all SPM students who had got 9As and above to go to the JPA website to find out whether they had obtained scholarships to study in local universities.

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