Posts Tagged ‘discrimination’

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HINDRAF upset with treatment at open house

October 4th, 2008
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I covered the media reports on HINDRAF at Hari Raya open house earlier. We can see how Utusan being the culprit, tries to stir the emotions by its choice of words and misleading statements.Today, Hindraf’s coordinator Thanenthiran announced that its members won’t be attending the Raya open house in Kepala Batas due to ” negative reports about their presence at Abdullah’s open house at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) on Oct 1.” He said 3,000 Hindraf supporter were expected, but will be informed not to attend.

HINDRAF was dissappointed that its trip to the open house was distorted by politicians when in fact, it had received approval from PM’s Department:

Its national co-ordinator R.S. Thanenthiran said Hindraf had sent an official letter to Abdullah’s office on Sept 22, stating that it members wanted to greet the Prime Minister and personally ask him to release all Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees during his open house.

“The Prime Minister’s senior personal assistant Datuk Ahmad Yaakob accepted our letter and told us that everyone was welcome at Abdullah’s open house.

“We told Ahmad Yaakob that apart from relaying Hari Raya greetings to the Prime Minister, we also wanted to personally ask Abdullah to release all ISA detainees,” he told a press conference here on Friday.

Thanenthiran said Hindraf members went to the open house to “mohon maaf, zahir dan batin” (seek forgiveness) from the Abdullah, and not to be disrespectful by creating a ruckus, as alleged by certain quarters.

He said it was not true that Hindraf sympathisers had jumped queue, noting that they patiently waited for about two hours to meet Abdullah.

He also said no memorandum was presented to Abdullah. Instead he was given a greeting card, flowers and a soft toy.

“We have always reminded our sympathisers to be patient and law-abiding citizens.

“But, we are disappointed with certain quarters who have given the impression that we are violent and provocative,” he said.

He was also quoted in Malaysiakini saying:

“Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a time to forgive and forget. Anybody can go (to the open house) regardless of what shirt we wear. We were not at all unruly,” said Thanenthiran.

According to the same Malaysiakini report:

Upon arriving at the PM’s open house, the Hindraf activists, all clad in their uniform orange T-shirts, were held back from the public
queue and led to a different dining hall to deter them from meeting the premier.

However a small group led by K Shanthi, wife of Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy, later ‘escaped’ and entered the correct entrance via the VIP entrance and managed to meet the prime minister.

“It came as a surprise to me. Foreigners are allowed to meet the prime minister but Malaysian citizens are not,” Shanthi told Malaysiakini.

She said police had also ordered her to change her T-shirt or otherwise face arrest but she refused.

Shanti said they had attempted to meet with the premier many times at the Prime Minister’s Department but failed and the Hari Raya open house promised them the only opportunity to come face-to-face with the premier.

“I asked him (Abdullah Badawi) why weren’t we allowed to meet with him but he replied saying that everyone can meet him,” she
revealed.

Below is an email from its Coordination Team Member:

Dear Prime Minister sir, why you did that to us?

There was never once we came without informing.
Every our visit to meet you Mr. Prime Minister, has been informed either thru an open letter or a personal letter to you. Your senior officers are well informed of our planned visits, be it in Putra Jaya, Parliament or in the latest development in PWTC on your Hari Raya Open House.

Malaysia’s (probably the world’s) youngest human right activist VWaishnnavi ( 6years old) approached your senior officer in Putra Jaya on 22nd September 2008 and informed him in writing that she will be attending the Hari Raya Open House function planned to be held at PWTC with some 10,000 Hindraf supporters .In return Mr. Prime Minister sir, your secretary thanked the delegation and assured us that this would not have the objections of the PM and the PM would be glad to welcome visitors to his open house.

Adding on to this, your press statement dated 29th September 2008 published by unit Komunikasi Pejabat Perdana Menteri , PUTRAJAYA, extended an open invitation to ALL the rakyat of Malaysia to attend the Hari Raya Aidilfitri Open House that to be held in Dewan Tun Razak of the 4th floor at PWTC on the 1st Syawal 1429, between 12.30 and 4.30pm.

What else needed for a Malaysian citizen who upholds the principles of Rukun Negara to accept and attend your Hari Raya Open House function?

So we came Mr. Prime Minister . We came with hopes and love. We came as citizens of Malaysia to wish our Prime Minister “Selamat Hari Raya” and in return instead of ‘Ang Pows’ we want to request for freedom of our innocent Hindraf heroes from the unlawful Barbaric and draconian ISA detention . What could be wrong in that sir? Instead what happened to us?

Why did you humiliated us ?
Why did you stopped us at the entrance of the PWTC ?
Why did you embarrassed us in the eyes of our fellow Malaysian brothers??
Why did you treated us as criminals ???
Why did you performed body search as if we were there to harm you????

Why Mr. Prime Minister ??? Why?…Why??…Why..????

Was that because we are poor Indians?
Was that because we are weak Indians?
Was that because we in your opinion untouchables?? !!

Why Mr. Prime Minister ? Why? Why you did that to us ??

Was that you or was it those around you in the name of advisors did all this?

We were consistently provoked ever since we stepped into the PWTC premises. You yourself saw how the hand made Hari Raya card by a six years old kid was torn by your officials . Imagine the time and the effort of that poor girl to get the card done. Imagine how she would have dreamt to pass it to you on your Open House. That wasn’t a petition or a memo. A simple hand made Hari Raya Wishing card !!! And dozens of police officers stormed in an attempt to confiscate and tear it of.

What? Is this necessary at all for a wishing card?

Mr. Prime Minister sir , we all know those were meant to provoke us and in return expecting us to retaliate , but we will never get provoked because Hindraf believes in Ahimsa and that is exactly how we are going to be in rest of our struggle.
Even then the Main stream medias under your control has blamed and accused us for unruly behavior and as trouble makers and said Hindraf supporters never respected the Hari Raya . God knows the truth and you too should attempt to seek for one.

Only if we were treated like citizens and were let to see you as the rest , our presence most probably would have went unnoticed. Too bad your advisors had decided otherwise.

One may ask why we chose the Open House, our answer , Prime Minister has avoided all our calls to meet him else where . We have no other choice but to accept his invitation to his open house, look into his eyes and tell him what we have to. That’s all.

Finally when we shook your hands Mr. Prime Minister didn’t you actually felt Hindraf guys are after all not that bad as been described to you all these while?

Indeed that is the truth sir. Our Hindraf leaders are innocent. Release them from ISA.
Our demands are basic needs of a poor community , fulfill them. Hindraf is done then.

Wake up sir, realize the truth and execute your power as Prime Minister to all..
Otherwise Hindraf never decided to stop.

Hindraf wishes you “ Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri , maaf zahir batin.

Vaazhge Hindraf…!!!

Sambulingam Wisvalingam
Hindraf National Coordination Team
2nd October 2008.

Meanwhile, Samy Vellu is worried that HINDRAF’s action will derail his plans to get the leaders released. He claims that the group acted as if they did not want the ISA detainees to be released because those in the group have ulterior motives.

“The MIC has taken several actions (to secure their release) but what the sympathisers did would jeopardise them,” he said Friday.

He was quoted in NST as saying:

“Actually, there are leaders who will be pressured if the detainees are released. Their aspirations to be respected leaders will be buried.

“I want all Indians who are in Hindraf to stop listening to these leaders’ insults and slander and leave the group.

On whether he was calling for the sympathisers to stop their actions, Samy Vellu said:

“I don’t want to advise them on what they should do. They can continue to beat their drums but their drums will not make a difference,” he said, adding that the longer the detainees were being held, the more someone was gaining from it.

“They are afraid if the five come out, everything will be peaceful. They don’t want that to happen,” he added.

Samy Vellu said he had spoken on the matter to Prime Minister Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Najib and Home Minister Syed
Hamid Albar, and said he had had many discussions with the Government and was optimistic of securing their release.

“You can’t talk to anyone higher than the Prime Minister. If he says he will look into the matter and talk to the Home Minister, we must listen to him,” he said.

“If we don’t want to listen to the Prime Minister, there is no way we can get anything done,” he added.

Seriously, I can’t remember if anything Samy Vellu said in recent times became real, so I’m not sure if anyone will believe his latest statements.

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Deepavali and School Exam clash

October 3rd, 2008
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The yearly problem of Deepavali falling during/before/after school exams won’t go away anytime in the future. Deepavali always falls in the month of “Aipasi” (roughly between October 15 and November 15 each year). This is the time when schools conduct their exams, since year end school holidays will start somewhere in the 3rd or 4th week of November.

As such, we also hear grumblings and complaints from parents, teachers, and students every year when Deepavali comes near. Have there been any effort by anyone (like MIC or MHS) to check the schools examination window period at the beginning of the year and advise the ministry accordingly? Or is it always a knee-jerk affair?

This year’s political landscape upheaval means the political parties need to milk as much as publicity in order to stay relevant and fresh in the mind of the community. Actually, I feel that the year 2008 is when the community is starting to take the parties for a ride. I guess MIC have learnt (or still learning?) the lesson, but perhaps the Pakatan Rakyat trinity will need a jolt next year to remind them who’s the boss.

That’s why this year’s Deepavali – school exam clash was mentioned by no less than Samy Vellu. He said that MIC will request the Education Ministry to move the final exams by a week, so that it start a week after Deepavali. Initially, the exams are to start on October 28, a day after Deepavali.

The MIC will request the Education Ministry to move the final year school examinations scheduled to start on Oct 28 to at least a week later, said party president, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu. This was because it would affect students who would be celebrating Deepavali on Oct 27, he said.

“Conducting the examinations a day after the festival would cause hardship not only to the students but to their parents as well,” he added.

“I hope the Education Ministry will consider our request because the students may not be able to celebrate Deepavali as they will be under stress,” he said in a statement here today.

Samy Vellu said he would write to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein to consider the party’s request. He said many parents and students complained to him that the examination dates were too close to Deepavali.

It was reported that many schools, especially in the Klang Valley would hold final examinations a day after Deepavali. Samy Vellu said it was important for all to be aware of the sensitivities involved when making decisions.

Following the request by MIC, the Education Department replied that schools have been “advised” (Not “ordered”) to ensure that the year-end exams do not clash with Deepavali. Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said school authorities should take into consideration the feelings of Hindus before setting the exam dates.

“School heads should look into ways to avoid a clash of the exams and the (Deepavali) celebration. The best is to start the exams a week after Deepavali. “It is the schools’ internal matter and not a big issue. The respective school heads can move the year-end exams to at least a week after Deepavali.”

Obviously, it doesn’t clash, but just comes a day after the festival. So, if just shift by a day, it will still difficult for folks to balik kampung. I guess a week later will be good (more time to revise too!).

Now, few issues may arise from the state by Alimuddin. We may (MAY) hear complaints from teachers that later exam dates means the marking of exam papers will drag a week and this will clash with their personal plans or other school activities or even SPM exam invigilating Secondly, we will have some schools who choose to ignore the “advise”, especially those with small number of Indian students. Of course chinese schools and religious schools would not be affected by this advise, but what about the others.

Secondly this problem may also affect our local universities and other higher education institutions. So, who monitors that? Does this years, semester exams clash with Deepavali period?

Now, not many reported that another politician also made a similar call. I heard it on the radio when it was announced that Deputy Minister Murugiah also approached the Education Ministry on the clash of dates. He, on virtue of overseeing Public Complaints Bureau can easily act on the complaint made by a parent.

Alimuddin also said he had a call yesterday from Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator T. Murugiah on the same matter.

So, we now have two politicians fighting over our makkal’s hearts (and votes).

There’s two things to be learnt in this issue.

1. The lack of sensitivity of the school heads in arranging exams to start on a day after Deepavali. The muruku may not have been even digested and Ah Chong had to sit for exam. Give the guy a break man! Where’s your sense of semangat muhibah? Its OK if you don’t care about the Indians, but think about all those food being wasted because the rest of the non-Indians students have to cram over books instead of munching muruku and drenching their thosai with spicy chicken curry (damn! I’m getting into Deepavali mood now!). When else can you get the home cooked Indian food? Definitely not during Hari Raya or Chinese New Year. Its once a year opportunity, so don’t miss it.

2. The possibility that in the future, Deepavali may not even be a public holiday for us. Bearing in mind the population imbalance, this is a very real possibility in perhaps 30 years time. Its possible that some Malay, Islamic, Indonesian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Fillipino festival will substitute Deepavali.

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Ragu still dreaming of MyKad

September 30th, 2008
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Ragu who was asked to obtain letter from Perak Sultan, got his temporary identification document yesterday, after the Sultan summoned those involved to settle this problem. However, Ragu knows that having temporary ID is meaningless as he still like a bankrupt:

Ragu also wondered if his fate would change after he got his temporary ID.

He said that the solution to his problem would be getting his MyKad.

“Many years ago, I held a similar temporary ID but I struggled to get work because companies, factories and enterprises asked me to produce my MyKad.

“Will things really change now for me and my family? No, not even a little, I believe.

“What is the use of re-issuing a temporary ID? I can’t open a bank account, buy a prepaid mobile phone card, own a car or have anything to my name.

“My situation is worse than a bankrupt.”

He had tried 8 times before this, but unsuccessful. Ragu, who was abandoned by his parents when he was 4, only has an incomplete birth certificate issued in 1998 indicating that he was born in Bagan Serai, near Taiping, to one Rajamani. Because the certificate has no other details about his parents, the NRD only issued a temporary ID which was valid until 2004 when the Home Ministry decided to stop issuing them. His eight attempts to apply for a MyKad since 1998 failed because he cannot prove that he was born here.

Ragu hopes that his problem will end with him, and his children will grow up as citizens. Going by the current situation, his concerns are real enough, since if he can prove his citizenship, his children will be in limbo:

The words that came out of 33-year-old R. Ragu sounded like they were plucked out of Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech, I Have A Dream.
“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in this country as respected citizens.

“That they will be called Malaysians, and that they will not be made stateless like their father,” said Ragu at the National Registration Department (NRD), here, yesterday.

Speaking to the New Straits Times after obtaining his new temporary identification document, the father of three, who is expecting his fourth child soon, said he hoped his children would not suffer the same fate because of his stateless status.

His eldest daughter is now 9 and Ragu is worried that she would not be given a MyKad when she turns 12.
“If I, her father, had no MyKad and am not accepted as a citizen of this country, will the National Registration Department accept my eldest daughter as a citizen?

“Will my two younger daughters get to live as Malaysians? Will my unborn fourth suffer the same fate?”

“I hope the government will give me MyKad before my eldest daughter turns 12,” he said, adding that the temporary ID expires in September 2010.

The guy still had the time to thank all those who have helped him:

Despite his stateless predicament, Ragu is grateful that there were people who helped him.

“Although what I got was not what I had wished for, I am still very grateful to Sultan Azlan Shah, the New Straits Times, state exco member A. Sivanesan and Kuala Kangsar municipal councillor S. Thiagarajan who have helped me in their own way.

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Why are 20,000 Indians still without identification?

September 29th, 2008
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It’s good to read that MIC secretary-general, Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam admitting that there are still about 20,000 Indians throughout the country without birth certificates or MyKad. This is a smaller number than the 80,000 or 30,000 bandied about earlier. He says MIC was currently resolving several hundred cases involving Indians who were in the process of obtaining their identification documents.

“This situation arises mainly because a majority of them were born in villages often located in estates. Their deliveries were handled by midwives, many of whom have since passed away, making it difficult for us to get any record of their birth.

“In some cases, newborns were sometimes given up for adoption by their poor parents,” he said .

He said at present, the NRD would require an individual to show proof that he or she was born in Malaysia by producing a letter from the hospital or clinic where they were born. “This is where the problem lies. Many of those born in estates don’t have any documentation. This fault lies with the parents who should be more responsible in registering the births of their children.

“However, the MIC will work closely with the Home Ministry to assist as many Indians as we can to get them the relevant documents,” he said.

Dr Subramaniam was referring to a recent New Straits Times report which highlighted the plight of R. Ragu who was told by the National Registration Department (NRD) in Putrajaya to get a letter from Sultan Azlan Shah to enable him to obtain a permanent identification document.

Ragu only had a birth certificate bearing his father’s name and place of birth as proof of his citizenship.

“This is the kind of cases we are talking about. We do not want to see any child deprived of their right to a sound education due to the lack of proper birth papers and will continue doing our part to assist them in every way,” he added.

So, Dr S.Subra is saying that more cases are happening because the NRD had introduced an additional rule. Therein lies the problem. At cabinet meetings or ministerial talks in the last 2 to 3 years, surely this new rule of NRD would have been highlighted by the MIC representatives. Or weren’t they? Don’t tell me only now MIC know about this.

He easily blames the parents (who are of course partly to be blamed – together with estate management, MIC, Health Ministry, NRD, and NGOs). While parents are at fault, it is also alarming to realise that this problem had been there all this while. If in a year, MIC can help to solve 100 cases, in the past 30 years, that would be just 3000 cases. Let’s put it at 500 cases per year, meaning 15,000 cases solved in last 30 years. So, how many people were without IC before this?

The action to get people their documentation should go hand in hand with education and awareness campaign.Were the campaigns ineffective? Were such campaigns in place at all? For a party that boasts of the most number of Indians, (was it 500,000 members?) it seems to be an disaster that this problem was not solved or reduced dramatically. Whose fault is it – members, grassroot leaders, or the leaders themselves? How about the media? How many times did we ever hear any campaign to get your children registered or advertisement on the importance of identity documents? Can the readers recall? I can only remember THR’s ad that appeared in the last few months. Do we see any ads inserted in newspapers or TV airtimes? How about putting ad during movies in cinema that says “GET YOUR MYKAD TODAY!” or something like that?

Finally, action + awareness is meaningless without the infrastructure or system. What measures were taken to bring the government to the public instead of blaming the public? Did NRD provide mobile registration counters? Were there “turun padang” exercises to visit estates and other remote areas or were this places conveniently ignored? Are they Tamil speaking officers attached to the department offices to help this rural folks?

If some folks in Sabah can get instant MyKad as alleged by various quarters, why not these 20,000 people? Need to grease some palms or due to lack of economic and political value?

In short, years of inaction, improper strategy/planning, “tidak apa” attitude, and lack of willpower and persuasion (and perhaps respect) at the top level are coming back to bite us in the posterior.

Well done!

UPDATE: NRD’s director-general Datuk Mohd Abdul Halim Muhamad response is below:

The National Registration Department (NRD) will go on a nationwide search to register “stateless” persons, as well as look into the plight of odd-job worker R. Ragu.

“I will follow the order of the minister to go to certain areas in all the states to help the stateless people,” said NRD.

On Thursday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar told the department to check the situation of stateless people and give them identity cards.

When asked about Perak Sultan Azlan Shah’s call to NRD to issue a temporary identity card to Ragu, Abdul Halim said that he would follow the minister’s directive.

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Tamil School Teachers Union ask more places

September 29th, 2008
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I read with surprise the statement from MALAYA National Tamil School Teachers Union President P. Tharmalinggam which said that union is unhappy that only 100 temporary teachers out of 1,067 have been given the opportunity to pursue the teacher’s training course during the holidays.

Maybe he did not realise that 100 out 1067 is 9.37%, which is more than the Indian community population percentage. So, if going by race-based quota, how can he ask for more places? From where did the union get the courage? Not HINDRAF, I guess. Must be the MIC rebranding. 🙂

The rest of his statement:

He said there are more than 900 vacancies in Tamil schools and more temporary teachers were needed to overcome the shortage. He said more Tamil school teachers were needed every year as enrolment was increasing .

The union has been forwarding memoranda requesting the Edu­cation Ministry to increase its intake of temporary Tamil schoolteachers for the training during the holiday courses.

He said the standard of education in Tamil schools could be improved with the deployment of trained teachers.

“Most temporary teachers have been working for more than five years and they have the necessary experience, dedication and commitment to give quality education to the school children,” he said.

The report should highlight how many places are available in the first place before proceeding to the enrollment. Maybe the places are limited and there also requests from Chinese schools, religious schools, and national schools.

Actually, my cousin got a place and had finished her studies earlier this year. She’s waiting to be transferred to accompany her husband in another state.

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