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Syamala appeal for education loan

September 22nd, 2011
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Let’s look at this particular case. The student has shown effort and perseverance to pursue studies in her field of interest. Unfortunately, she’s studying in an university which is not on MMC’s approved list, so can’t get any scholarship or loan from JPA.  She has to pass an exam once back before able to practice. The reason given for choosing the university is due to cheap cost, but so far she has spent RM310,000 on her studies. Now she needs another RM40,000 to finish her studies.

Its easy to say that she should have planned her finances, but being a 7 years program, I’m not sure if the plans are able to withstand changes on global level. Maybe some unforeseen circumstances made her to go to loan sharks and now seeking aid from all and sundry.

She can consider working in other countries (since UK rules has changed) or perhaps postpone a semester to work.

She can’t apply PTPTN  since PTPTN is for local studies only, so surely got rejected. JPA loan is hard to get, plus she’s enrolled in a non-recognised university.

There’s no mention of her SPM or STPM results, so I can’t comment on her non-acceptance into IPTAs or JPA scholarship.

Im’ sure there are plenty of cases like this, as, on average I get once such news about every other month so far this year.

MIC has promised to look into her case, which is asking her to apply MIED loan (isn’t application closed at the moment? Or do they provide RM40k because I think the average amount per loan is less than 10k). Refer to 2011 MIED loan awards, its RM617,518 for 72 medical students (average of RM8576/student).

In the meantime, readers’ comment in FMT prompted the media to provide her bank account number for those interested to donate. Refer: Syamala Devi a/p Mani (Maybank acc: 112278032141) .

MIC has promised to look into M Syamala Devi’s case, with party president G Palanivel promising urgent action.

Yesterday, FMT reported that the final year medical student needed RM40,000 to complete her studies in a university in Romania.

This morning, Syamala, 28, met with Palanivel at the MIC headquarters here.

Speaking to FMT after the meeting, Syamala said Palanivel had asked her to apply for a loan with MIC’s education arm, Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED).

“I have to be back in Romania before the end of this month. If I fail to get the money then I have to forget my dream of becoming a doctor,” she added.

After completing Form Six, the eldest of five siblings, who lost her father at the age of eight, had applied in vain for a place to do medicine in some 20 local universities.

She also applied for numerous scholarships and loans but was turned down.

Refusing to give up, Syamala worked in a courier service agency and provided home tuition to save up enough money to pursue her ambition.

She also borrowed RM20,000 from a loan shark, and is forced to pay RM2,000 every month in interest alone. Her brother and sister were helping her with this.

During her semester breaks, Syamala would work in the UK and when the semester commenced, she earned a small income by cooking and selling food to the Malaysian students in her university.

However, the UK goverment had since barred students from foreign universities from working there.

The student also revealed that she was aware that the medical university in Romania was not recognised by the Malaysian government.

However, Syamala added that she had no choice because that was the cheapest place to pursue a medical degree.

The student, who had since forked out RM310,000 for the past six years, said she would need to sit for another examination in Malaysia upon her graduation in order to practice here.

Since her plight was highlighted, FMT received numerous calls from readers wanting to help her.

Those wishing to financially aid Syamala could channel their donations to: Syamala Devi a/p Mani (Maybank acc: 112278032141)

source:  http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/09/22/mic-to-look-into-med-students-plight/

This is the first news:

M Syamala Devi’s dream is to become a doctor. But the 28-year-old final year medical student has returned home from Romania because she cannot afford to continue her education.

To make matters worse, she also took RM20,000 from a loan shark to finance her studies and is forced to pay RM2,000 in interest every month.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the Human Rights Party (HRP) here, the sixth-year student with the University of Medical Pharmacy of GRT Popa said she needs another RM40,000 to complete her degree.

“My father was a former auxiliary policeman and he died when I was eight. Look at my family background, that is why I chose to study in Romania because the fees is cheaper there,” she said.

Syamala said after completing her STPM examination, she had applied in vain for a place to do medicine in 20 local universities.

She also applied for scores of scholarships and education loans, including the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship and Higher Education Loan Fund (PTPTN), but was rejected.

Seeking government help

Following this, she worked with a courier service agency for two years and provided home tuition in order to save enough money to pursue her dream.

Apart from taking money from a loan shark, she also used to work in the UK during her summer holidays.

When the semester commences, Syamala said she used to earn a small income by cooking and selling food to some 30 Malaysian students at her university to cover her day-to-day expenses.

However, the UK implemented a new rule prohibiting students from other countries from working there and this dealt a blow to Syamala’s ambition.

“The total cost of my education is RM350,000. Until today, I have spent nearly RM310,000, money which I raised myself,” she said, adding that her brother and sister were also helping her to settle the loan shark’s interest.

“I am pleading to the government to help me. Please grant me a RM40,000 loan to finish my studies,” she said, adding that she enrolled in that particular Romanian university although it is not recognised by the Malaysian government because she had no choice.

“This was the cheapest place to study medicine and upon graduation I will have to sit for another examination in Malaysia to allow me to practice here,” she said.

Meanwhile, HRP education bureau head G Ganeson asked the government if it was wrong for a poor Indian to dream of becoming a doctor.

He said the government must immediately grant Syamala the loan so that she could complete her studies.

source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/09/21/please-help-me-become-a-doctor/

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Kedah Exco says have helped Malaysian Indian community

September 6th, 2011
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Same excuse: “cleaning up the mess of 50 years can’t be done in 3 years”. I think some of the mess can be cleared in short time, provided got willpower. It will be good for the state government to come out with its report card to show what difference has been made. Mere RM229k for 58 school is nothing to shout about as it works out to barely RM4k per school. No difference from RMK plans which allocate pittance to Tamil schools. You can say that this is something new and previous government hadn’t gave anything but “giving something is better than nothing” won’t work anymore because the other party can give something more than the “something” you are giving.  You have to move fast and come out with better plans and execution.

Wonder what is the status of the land allocation for schools. Last 3 years, don’t tell me can’t even get land for any of the 49 partially-aided schools? Hope can enlighten us on this matter.

Noticed it covers the standard stuff: school, temple, cemetery, NGOs.

A Pakatan Rakyat state assemblyman has dismissed allegations by certain quarters, including a few Indian-based NGOs, that the Kedah state government had not done much for the Indians there.

According to Bukit Selambau assemblyman S Manikumar, the state government had done its best to help the community bearing in mind its ‘limited resources’

“It’s unfair to expect Pakatan to clean up all the mess left by the Barisan Nasional in more than 50 years within three years.

“But we are trying our best to help the Indian community in the state with the limited state resources (that we have).

“We are not getting the amount of allocation that other BN ruled states get from the federal government,” said Manikumar who also heads the state’s tourism, Indians affairs and human resources portfolio.

Citing Tamil schools and temples as examples, he said the Pakatan-led state government had done far more for the state’s Indian community than MIC.

“Talking on Tamil schools, there are 58 Tamil schools in Kedah and only nine are under the fully-aided category (which means they receive full financial grants from the federal government).

“The rest 49 Tamil schools are partially-aided schools where the money given by the Education Ministry is only for the purposes of school activities and not for the upgrading of the school infrastructures.

“This year the state government allocated RM229, 000 to be disbursed to all of the 58 Tamil schools.

“The amount each school received varied depending on the needs of the particular schools,” he said.

Tamil schools and NGOs

Manikumar claimed that such disbursements to all Tamil schools had never occured during BN’s rule in the state.

According to him, in the past money came only during election campaigns when MIC will request ad-hoc allocations for certain Tamil schools and that there was no proper structure to the disbursements.

“But under Pakatan government, the allocation for Tamil schools are included officially under the state yearly budget,” he said.

He also slammed Indian-based NGOs who complained of receiving nothing from the state government.

He said unlike the BN regime which cared less for proper allocation strucure, the Pakatan state government insisted on paperworks and proper documentations.

“We had given RM7, 000 last year and RM20, 000 this year to Kedah branch of Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) to carry out activities that are related to the community. The activities were to weed out social ills among Indians.

“We can’t entertain every single NGO that come without proper paperworks or documentations to back their claims.

“I proposed to the state government to approve the request by MHS based on the documentation evidence of their programmes and activities.

“MHS itself is an established NGO and was founded in 1928,” explained Manikumar, who is also the PKR’s central leadership council member.

Temple and cemetry

He also pointed out that the Kedah state government had granted a land title to the 100-year-old Sri Mahamariamman Temple at Jalan Bakar Bata in Alor Setar.

“The temple was granted a land title last year and the temple land has been gazetted under National Land Code.

“Also this year the state government approved and allocated five acres of land for a cemetry for the Hindu community in Langkawi.

“During BN’s ruling for more than 50 years MIC never took the initiative to get the land title for the temple or a Hindu cemetery in Langkawi.

“But we have done it in less than three years,” Manikumar told FMT.

source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/09/06/weve-done-more-than-mic-and-bn/

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Retirees being cheated over EPF withdrawal by giving up citizenship

September 5th, 2011
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Please remind the elderly folks in rural areas about this scam.

Many retired Indians have been cheated by “agents” who told them that they could only withdraw their Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings by giving up their citizenship.

Special Implementation Task Force for Indians national coordinator Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said that due to their lack of education, many of these retirees were cheated this way.

Siva said many of them would pay the “agents” money to help them apply to surrender their citizenship.

“However, in the end, those conned would receive nothing. They were so ignorant that they did not know that such a procedure did not exist,” he said.

source:  http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/9/3/nation/9418082&sec=nation

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YB Manoharan’s seven motions for Indian community

August 29th, 2011
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The seven motions:

1. Felda-like scheme involving 2000 acres of land for 200 hardcore families.

2. RM10 million fund to be set up to assist Indians in small and medium enterprises.

3. set up an Indian affairs bureau under the purview of the menteri besar.

4. at least 10 acres of land for all Tamil and Chinese schools in the state.

5. renaming Jalan Barat in Petaling Jaya to Jalan V David to commemorate the late unionist.

6. seven percent discount for all poor Malaysians who are purchasing homes from the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).

7. “no demolition” order or shifting of temples erected in the state before 2008.

Number 7 was accepted with a modification:  no demolition or shifting a temple without the approval of the executive council in charge.

Motion number 1 is difficult due to land scarcity, but I believe Selangor still got plenty of land outside Klang Valley which can be utilised for agriculture. The state government can even consider reserving certain percentage for the poor Indians in any schemes being implemented/planned.

Motion 2 is not a big problem. Can easily be set up.

Motion 3 is even easier.

Motion 4 is noble indeed. Must be supported.

Motion 5, well, not exactly top of my list. Can even consider naming some of the new projects being done by the state government instead of renaming, if its an hassle.

Motion 6, totally agree. Not sure if anyone in the right mind will disagree to this.

Motion 7, as it has been amended, we can hold the executive councillor in charge responsible if any demolition happens.

Out of the 7, 3 are outright motions to help Indian community, while the other 4 are mixed or of no direct help.

Gotta agree with the YB, this kind of motion was unheard of before this. I hope its retabled and let’s see how the state government responds.

I’m not sure what the senator Barat Maniam meant by saying that MIC representatives will support the motion if BN wins Selangor. Someone need to table the motion FIRST, before you can support it. So, would MIC representatives make promise to table such a motion?

 

Just days after Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers conceded that the opposition pact, which rode to victory in five states on the wave of Indian support in 2008, had failed the community, a legislator revealed that several motions beneficial to Indians had been dismissed by the Selangor State Legislative Assembly.

According to Kota Alam Shah state assemblyman M Manoharan, the assembly has dismissed seven motions which he had tabled in July.

He said if the motions had been passed and become law, not only would the Indians have benefited but all the poor in Selangor would have also found reprieve.

Explaining the motions, Manoharan said he had moved for a Felda-like scheme involving 2,000 acres of land to be set up for 200 hardcore Indian poor in Selangor.

He had also moved for a RM10 million fund to be set up to assist Indians in small and medium enterpries in the state.

“I also tabled a motion to set up an Indian affairs bureau under the purview of the menteri besar and asked for at least 10 acres of land for all Tamil and Chinese schools in the state,” he said.

The other three motions he had tabled were renaming Jalan Barat in Petaling Jaya to Jalan V David to commemorate the late unionist, a seven percent discount for all poor Malaysians who are purchasing homes from the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) and a “no demolition” order or shifting of temples erected in the state before 2008.

“But the only motion that was accepted by the assembly was the temple order.

“But that too they (Pakatan lawmakers) tweaked to read no demolition or shifting a temple without the approval of the executive council in charge,” said Manoharan, who added that he will again table the same motions in October sitting of the assembly.

Land and housing

Manoharan, who was upset with the dismissal of his bids, said it was “high-time Indians enjoyed the benefits denied to them since Independence”.

“About one-third of the entire Indian population in Malaysia lives in Selangor.

“If the motions had been passed and become law, they would not only help Indians but also all those who are poor in the state.

“I asked for the land so that we can teach the Indian community to cultivate it for agriculture or livestock.

“This would also empower our youths and deter them from joining criminal activities,” said Manoharan,who is from the DAP.

On the housing issue, he said owning a house was a basic necessity for everyone.

He added that PKNS was in a position to assist Indians and the low-income earner acquire homes.

“PKNS is an established property company and it makes money from its housing projects.

“Surely, it can help our low-income people by offering discount.

“Besides, the Menteri Besar (Khalid Ibrahim) is the chairman of the government-linked agency and he can monitor it directly,” said Manoharan.

Malay votes

Asked why the other Pakatan state assemblymen refused to support his motion, Manoharan said it could be due to fear of losing Malay votes.

However, he added that even the Malay assemblymen were aware that the Indians were left behind in many areas.

“Some lawmakers did come to me after the state assembly meeting and said my ideas were good.

“But when I asked why they didn’t support it then, they kept mum,” he said.

However, Manoharan stopped short of criticising the Pakatan state government, saying the assemblymen now enjoyed more freedom to table their motions unlike in the previous state government.

“The Indian representatives then would not even dare to table such motions.

“I must thank our current speaker (Teng Chang Khim) for allowing more freedom in the assembly.

“And I am going to table the motions again in the next state assembly sitting in October. I’m confident my fellow Pakatan assemblymen will support me,” said Manoharan.

‘Good ideas’

Meanwhile, newly appointed Senator V Subramaniam, however, supports Manoharan’s motions, saying the ideas “were good”.

Subramaniam, however, conceded that allocating 10 acres for Tamil schools in Selangor would be tough as some schools were located in densely populated areas like Petaling Jaya where land is scarce.

“However, the rest of the motions are good. The (state assembly’s) rejection shows that Pakatan is not sincere in helping the Indians despite riding high on the community’s votes in 2008,” said Subramaniam, who is better known as Barat Maniam.

Subramaniam, who is Petaling Jaya MIC’s division chief, said if BN wins Selangor in the next polls, MIC representatives will support the motion to improve the Indians’ lot in the state.

“The ideas are in line with the 1Malaysia concept. If we win in the next polls, we will look out for the welfare of all Malaysians.

“Besides, that is why we are elected into the post,” he said.

Last week, Indian DAP leaders conceded that the opposition pact had failed the community after having a closed-door meeting involving 50 DAP members, including lawmakers.

One DAP member said that Pakatan is doing “another BN” for Indians in Selangor, Penang and Kedah.

Among those present at the meeting were DAP national vice-chairman and Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran, Penang DAP deputy chairman and deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, Perak DAP deputy chairman and Tronoh assemblyman V Sivakumar, Perak DAP vice-chairman and Sungkai assemblyman A Sivanesan and former ISA detainee V Ganapathirau.

source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/08/29/sgor-rejected-motions-to-improve-indians-lot/

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Punjabi Education Centre in Sungai Petani

August 16th, 2011
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Good effort by the community. The authorities must support the enrichment and continuation of various cultures in Malaysia and not only provide lip service or token handouts. Our diversity is a strength, not a threat.

IN a bid to preserve the Punjabi language, the Punjabi Education Centre (PEC) in Sungai Petani wants to upgrade its facilities and rope in more students to learn the language.

Its principal, Manjeet Kaur, said there had been keen interest among Punjabi parents to send their children to the centre since it started Punjabi language classes eight years ago.

“They want their children to learn the written and spoken language in order to preserve their mother tongue.

“Many children from Punjabi households prefer to speak English or Malay with their parents and grandparents. So, there is a danger of the language dying off if it is not spoken or revived for future generations,” Manjeet said.

She said intermarriages of Punjabis with people of other communities was another factor for the decline in the usage of the language.

Manjeet said the centre was now running eight classes with 62 students, aged from four to 17, every Friday at SJK(T) Mahajothi in Taman Sutera Jaya. There are 11 teachers consisting of school teachers, retirees and housewives.

“We want to upgrade the facilities so we can accommodate more students. Parents who are interested can contact us to enrol their children,” she said, adding that the centre welcomed non-Punjabi children as well if they are interested in learning the language.

Manjeet said there were 36 PECs throughout the country and they received some financial aid from the Government.

She said these centres however had to depend on local gurdwaras and donations to keep the classes going as the aid was insufficient to, among others, pay teachers and helpers.

She said they had already appealed to the Kedah government for an annual grant and hoped to receive a positive response as several other states like Penang and Perak were giving out such grants.

Those interested to know more about the centre or to help out can contact Manjeet at 016-4215658 or the centre’s chairman Tarsame Singh at 013-3601433.

source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/8/10/north/9237732&sec=North

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