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MIBA’s Sivakumar offers more views

December 21st, 2007
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He asked why the government cannot offer discounts to poor Indians and Chinese to purchase better houses.

"Why should they be left with the low-cost houses option? This will just lead to the creation of urban slums. They should also be given the opportunity to enjoy better housing," he added.

Yeah, why not?

Indian woes: Look at the BIG picture
RK Anand | Dec 21, 07 5:17pm
Source

The problems afflicting the Indian community in Malaysia extend beyond government handouts, said Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar today.

In order to view the big picture, he called on concerned groups, including MIC, to discard their conventional myopic ways.

The Johor-based businessman stressed on the importance of a reform in mindset and approach to tackle the community's woes.

"For decades, they have been talking about the same issues like estates, Tamil schools and temples. No doubt these are important, but the problem now is greater.

"What is confronting the community today are issues of national identity and equal opportunities in both the public and private sector as well as education," he told Malaysiakini.

After 50 years of independence, Sivakumar said Indians are deeply concerned about their future and that of their children's in this country.

"This is the real issues that need to be addressed. We cannot run away from them. The community is also concerned about its rights as enshrined in the federal constitution.

"This is a painful and tearful situation. Those with wealth, who are the minority, can afford to migrate, but what about the rest?" he said, adding, "I have been working with the community for 25 years and I have read their 'pulse'."

"It is these concerns that are being expressed. The community is not indulging in racism, communalism or extremism, they are merely expressing their sentiments and frustrations."

Elections – a test for BN

Sivakumar also warned that the coming general election will be a litmus test for the ruling Barisan Nasional government in terms of Indian votes.

In the past, Indians have been true-blue supporters of the ruling coalition but recent events, namely the emergence of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and allegations of marginalisation and persecution, indicate the possibility of a swing in votes.

Meanwhile, Sivakumar said the Indian community is not questioning the special privileges accorded to the bumiputera.

"These privileges were agreed to in the social contract in 1970 when the New Economic Policy (NEP) was formulated, agreed to and supported by all the races.

"This is not being disputed by anyone," added the 50-year-old entrepreneur who was one of those who met with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently to discuss the problems faced by the Indians.

The issue of contention, according to Sivakumar, is the 'abuse' of the NEP. "This has given rise to dissent and dissatisfaction. It is the lack of aid extended to the poor of other races. The poor are being neglected," he said.

He asked why the government cannot offer discounts to poor Indians and Chinese to purchase better houses.

"Why should they be left with the low-cost houses option? This will just lead to the creation of urban slums. They should also be given the opportunity to enjoy better housing," he added.

He reasoned that education and business are two key areas which can help propel the community towards a better future. "So, it is vital that the government assist Indians in these areas."

Furthermore, he said with the increase in the cost of living, the Indians must receive their fair share of help from the government to ensure that they can lead quality lives.

Samy 'departs from the norm'

"These are the issues that MIC should be pushing for instead of mentioning the same old things again and again," he added.

However, he commended MIC president S Samy Vellu over his recent comments, which Sivakumar described as a "departure from the norm."

"Samy Vellu made some critical observations, such as agreeing on the need for more Indians in the civil service and that the public delivery system must be improved and stressing on the need for a Malaysian identity," he said.

Sivakumar also commented on a news report today which quoted Johor MIC chief K S Balakrishnan as saying that the state never marginalised Indians.

Among others, the state MIC leader said the state granted RM9 million over the past years for the modernisation and development of Tamil schools while RM2 million was allocated last year to build new Tamil schools, renovate classrooms and buy equipment.

"I have to agree with this," said Sivakumar.

"Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman has a track record of being fair to all races. He was also generous enough to extend a privatisation project to the community, but this was later withdrawn.

"Maybe Johor MIC can explain why it was withdrawn," he said, without elaborating.

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deputy minister johari on use of Allah word

December 21st, 2007
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I'm not an expert on Islam, but since Internet is around, I googled around for the word "Allah". These are some of the interesting things I found:

1. From http://emuslim.com/WhoIsAllah.asp

First of all, it is important to note that "Allah" is the same word that Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use for God. If you pick up an Arabic Bible, you will see the word "Allah" being used where "God" is used in English. This is because "Allah" is the only word in the Arabic language equivalent to the English word "God" with a capital "G". Additionally, the word "Allah" cannot be made plural or given gender (i.e. masculine or feminine), which goes hand-in-hand with the Islamic concept of God. Because of this, and also because the Qur'an, which is the holy scripture of Muslims, was revealed in the Arabic language, some Muslims use the word "Allah" for "God", even when they are speaking other languages. This is not unique to the word "Allah", since many Muslims tend to use Arabic words when discussing Islamic issues, regardless of the language that they speak. This is because the universal teachings of Islam – even though they have been translated in every major language – have been preserved in the Arabic language.

 

It is interesting to note that the Aramaic word "El", which is the word for God in the language that Jesus spoke, is certainly more similar in sound to the word "Allah" than the English word "God". This also holds true for the various Hebrew words for God, which are "El" and "Elah", and the plural form "Elohim". The reason for these similarities is that Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic are all Semitic languages with common origins. It should also be noted that in translating the Bible into English, the Hebrew word "El" is translated variously as "God", "God" and "angel"! This imprecise language allows different translators, based on their preconceived notions, to translate the word to fit their own views. The Arabic word "Allah" presents no such difficulty or ambiguity, since it is only used for Almighty God alone. Additionally, in English, the only difference between "God", meaning a false God, and "God", meaning the One True God, is the capital "G". In the Arabic alphabet, since it does not have capital letters, the word for God (i.e. Allah) is formed by adding the equivalent to the English word "the" (Al-) to the Arabic word for "God/God" (ilah). So the Arabic word "Allah" literally it means "The God" – the "Al-" in Arabic basically serving the same function as the capital "G" in English. Due to the above mentioned facts, a more accurate translation of the word "Allah" into English might be "The One -and-Only God" or "The One True God".

More importantly, it should also be noted that the Arabic word "Allah" contains a deep religious message due to its root meaning and origin. This is because it stems from the Arabic verb ta'Allaha (or alaha), which means "to be worshipped".

 

…This brings us to a more important point: It should be clearly understood that what Islam is primarily concerned with is correcting mankind's concept of Almighty God. What we are ultimately going to be held accountable at the end of our life is not whether we prefer the word "Allah" to the word "God", but what our concept of God is. Language is only a side issue. A person can have an incorrect concept of God while using the word "Allah", and likewise a person can have a correct concept of God while using the word "God". This is because both of these words are equally capable of being misused and being improperly defined. As we've already mentioned, using the word "Allah" no more insinuates belief in the Unity of God than the use of the word "God" insinuates belief in the Trinity – or any other theological opinion. Naturally, when God sends a revelation to mankind through a prophet, He is going to send it in a language that the people who receive it can understand and relate to.

 

Some of the biggest misconceptions that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with the word "Allah". For various reasons, many people have come to believe that Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews. This is totally false, since "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God" – and there is only One God. Let there be no doubt – Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus – peace be upon them all. However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God. For example, Muslims – like Jews – reject the Christian beliefs of the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation. This, however, doesn't mean that each of these three religions worships a different God – because, as we have already said, there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be "Abrahamic Faiths", and all of them are also classified as "monotheistic". However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas

 

As Muslims, we think that it is unfortunate that we have to go into details on such seemingly minor issues, but so many falsehoods have been heaped upon our religion, that we feel that it is our duty to try to break down the barriers of falsehood. This isn't always easy, since there is a lot of anti-Islamic literature in existence, which tries to make Islam look like something strange and foreign to Westerners. There are some people out there, who are obviously not on the side of truth, that want to get people to believe that "Allah" is just some Arabian "God", and that Islam is completely "other" – meaning that it has no common roots with the other Abrahamic religions (i.e. Christianity and Judaism). To say that Muslims worship a different "God" because they say "Allah" is just as illogical as saying that French people worship another God because they use the word "Dieu", that Spanish-speaking people worship a different God because they say "Dios" or that the Hebrews worshipped a different God because they sometimes call Him "Yahweh". Certainly, reasoning like this is quite ridiculous! It should also be mentioned, that claiming that any one language uses the only correct word for God is tantamount to denying the universality of God's message to mankind, which was to all nations, tribes and people through various prophets who spoke different languages."

2. From http://understanding-islam.com/related/text.asp?type=question&qid=69&sscatid=8

Question:

What is the derivation of the word "Allah"? Some scholars say it derives from al+ illah ("the God"), but many Muslim Ulema and translators of the Qur'an (such as Maulana Muhammad Ali) disagree with this, and say that "Allah" is whole in itself, as a proper name for the Supreme Creator. But is there any philological relationship between Allah and other Semitic terms for "God" such as Eloah (Hebrew) and Alaha (Aramaic/Syriac)?

Thank you.

Peace and blessings of Allah be with you.

Answer:

Although a lot has been said about the philology of the word 'Allah', however, in my opinion, the former of the two opinions noted by you seems to be closer to the correct one. A detailed discussion compiling the opinions of various scholars of the Arabic language regarding the origin of the word can be seen in "Lisaan al-Arab" under the word "Aaliha" (a-l-h). In my opinion, 'Allah' is an Arabic word meaning 'the God'. According to the general principle of making proper nouns from common nouns in the Arabic language, the word "ilah" (common noun) has been converted to "al-ilah", which became "Allah" due to the turgidity and the slight difficulty of pronouncing the word "al-ilah".

The Qur'an, because its prime and first addressees were the Arabs, used the word "Allah" for the Supreme Being, as that had traditionally been the word used for the Supreme Being in that language. The same had been the case in the older scriptures. Those scriptures, like the Qur'an, used the particular words for the Supreme Being, which were already in vogue in those languages, to refer to the Supreme Being.

However, there have been scholars of the Arabic language who ascribe to the opinion that "Allah" is the actual name of the Supreme Being. It is indeed important to analyze the evidence that they have provided to support their opinion. Nevertheless, I feel that to give God a name is a requirement of us, humans. God, being the absolute being is in no need for a name.

3. From http://www.islam-info.ch/en/Who_is_Allah.htm

In the technical vocabulary of linguistics, the word Allâh is Jâmid, that is, it is not derived from any other word. In the pronunciation of Allâh, the letter ‘L’ is stressed. The word Allâh is not a construction of al-ilâh as some people think, but a different and an independent word. The first two letters Al in the word Allâh are an integral, inseparable part of the word. They do not denote the definite article Al of Arabic, which is equivalent to the English ‘the’. In Arabic, the prefix Al is added before the noun to emphasize the word in the sense of 'most' or 'all', for example al-Rahmân – the Most Gracious. Sîbwaih, the great grammarian, and Khalîl, the great linguistic, say, “Since Al in the beginning of the word Allâh is inseparable from it, so it is a simple substantive, not derived from any other word.”

If Al in All̢h were an additional prefix, the common exclamation y̢ All̢h, (O All̢h!), would not be permitted according to the rules of Arabic grammar, as the form y̢ al-il̢h or y̢ al-Rahm̢n are not permissible in Arabic. Moreover, this supposition would mean that there were different gods Р̢lihah (plural of il̢h), one of which became gradually known as al-il̢h and was then contracted into All̢h. This supposition is not correct. All̢h has always been the name of the Eternal Being (Hughes: Dictionary of Islam), nor has the word All̢h ever been applied to anyone else but the Divine Being. The pagan Arabs had numerous il̢hs or gods, but none of them was ever called All̢h.

This being the proper name of the Supreme Being has therefore no parallel or equivalent in any other language of the world. The English word ‘god’ is applied to any religious object of worship. Most probably it is related to ‘good’ and origins from heathen mythologies. Jehovah, which is the Aramaic or Hebrew expression Ya Howâ, literally means most closely ‘O! That’ or ‘O! Thou’ used to address a Deity, the emphasis is on Huwa which is to emphasize an Existence, therefore it can hardly be a proper name. The Hindus give their senior deity the name of Par-Mâtma (the Super Soul), Par-Barham (the Super and the Great), Par-Mishwar (the Great King or Owner), The Parsis give their supreme God the name of Yazdan and Hermes. In the Sikh religion, their great Deity is called Satt which means the Truth. The use of Jehova in the New Testament by the Witnesses of Jehova is a new invention. In the original Greek version and older versions of the New Testament this name was never used and Jesus never employed the name "Jehova". Although most Christians are unaware of it, the Aramaic speaking Jesus also used the word Allâh (or ‘Allaha’). Christians speaking the Semitic languages still use it. In the Greek and Latin writings this was then rendered to theos or deos, the generic words for ‘god’ in these languages. These words are derived from Dyeus, the name of a heathen god. The French ‘dieu’ or the English ‘deity’ are also etymologically based on that word.

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah

The term Allāh is most likely derived from a contraction of the Arabic article al- and ʾilāh "deity, god" to al-lāh meaning "the [sole] deity, God" ( ho theos monos), L. Gardet states.[2] Another theory traces the etymology of the word to the Aramaic Alāhā.[2]. Cognates of the name "Allāh" exist in other Semitic languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic. [4] The corresponding Aramaic form is אֱלָהָא ˀĔlāhā in Biblical Aramaic and ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ ˀAlâhâ or ˀĀlōho in Syriac. [9].

According to Gerhard Böwering, the contraction of al- and ʾilāh in forming the term Allāh (“the deity” in the masculine form) parallels the contraction of al- and ʾilāha in forming the term al-Lāt (“the deity” in the feminine form). [10]

Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, use the word "Allah" to mean "God". [4] The Christian Arabs of today have no other word for 'God' than 'Allah'.[6] Arab Christians for example use terms Allāh al-ab (الله الآب) meaning God the father, Allāh al-ibn (الله الابن) mean God the son, and Allāh al-ruh al ghodus (الله الروح القدس) meaning God the Holy Spirit (See God in Christianity for the Christian concept of God).

Deputy Minister Johari says the word is from Arabic language, so I suppose all those who speak Arabic can use it. Religion is a sensitive issue, so I hope this issue is not misinterpreted and offend those people of Arabic descent who may not be Muslims. Again, I'm not an expert, so my apologies if there's any mistake here.

Johari: Only Muslims can use 'Allah'
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76302
Soon Li Tsin | Dec 21, 07 5:31pm

The word 'Allah' can only be used in the context of Islam and not any other religion, said the Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum.

Asked why a new condition will be imposed on Catholic weekly newspaper Herald when its annual publishing permit is next renewed, the deputy minister said this is to prevent confusion. 

"Only Muslims can use 'Allah'. It's a Muslim word, you see. It's from (the Arabic (language). We cannot let other religions use it because it will confuse people," he said when contacted today.

"We cannot allow this use of 'Allah' in non-Muslim publications, nobody except Muslims. The word 'Allah' is published by the Catholics. It's not right."

The Herald, the organ of the Catholic Church in Malaysia, had been facing problems in renewing its publishing permit allegedly because of the word 'Allah' was used in referring to 'God' in its Bahasa Malaysia section. 

The ministry has also allegedly told the publisher to remove the entire Bahasa Malaysia section or the permit will not be renewed when it expires in two weeks.

The Herald, which is published in four languages – English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil – has a circulation of 12,000.

Johari noted that other publications, such as Buddhist magazines, do not use the word 'Allah' when referring to God.

"The Herald can use other words but not 'Allah'. That will confuse people," he claimed.

Basis of decision

He said the decision was made based on a report submitted by the publications department of the ministry.

"Previously no one knew (about this). I made the decision based on a report submitted to me that was prepared by an officer," he explained.

However, when asked why the Herald is being told to remove its Bahasa Malaysia section – rather than use of the word 'Allah' – Johari was unable to comment.

"I'm not sure about it, I have to check again. As far as I know they used the word 'Allah' and we cannot allow that," he reiterated.

He further pointed out that the word 'Allah' cannot be printed on t-shirts or other garments and those who have done so have been warned by his ministry.

The use of 'Allah' outside of Islam has stirred controversy in Malaysia previously. Four years ago, the Bible in the Iban language was banned because it translated the word 'God' as Allah Taala, which resembles Islam's name for God. 

The ban was, however, lifted after protests from the Christian community.

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samy vellu to fight on

December 21st, 2007
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Samy Vellu Vows To Fight On For Indian Community

source

By S. Retna

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 21 (Bernama) — "I will continue to fight for the betterment of the (Indian) community. The question of the MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress) being dented from recent incidents does not arise," said Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, the MIC supremo.

Referring to recent street protests by some members of the Indian community and those from the so-called Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), he said the MIC's spirit and strength had not been weakened by those incidents.

"I have always stood by the MIC and will continue to stand by the party. I will continue to fight for the community to ensure that Indians in the country continue to rise socially and economically," he told Bernama in an interview.

But the MIC president, who has led the largest Indian-based political party in the country for the last 28 years, reminded the Indian community that Malaysia is a multiracial country and that the nation's wealth must be shared in a reasonable manner.

"This is important. We cannot get whatever we have asked for and the same applies to the other races. The sharing of the country's economic wealth must be addressed in a reasonable manner," he said in a frank interview which covered a wide range of subjects involving the Indian community.

Touching on Hindraf, Samy Vellu, who is Works Minister, said that when the group initially censured the government, it did not ask for anything for Malaysian Indians but was more inclined to criticise the authorities and in particular, Umno, the main partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

"But they failed to realise that fighting Umno is equivalent to fighting the Malays, who are the majority in the country. This is not the approach to make changes for the (Indian) community. We have always worked with the government, which is backed by Umno, to bring changes to the (Indian) community," he said.

Hindraf, on Nov 25, held a rally in Kuala Lumpur claiming that the government had failed to help the Indians over the last 50 years.

Five Hindraf leaders are now held under the Internal Security Act at the Kamunting detention centre for being a threat to national security.

Samy Vellu, who is often noted for his outspoken nature, said although Hindraf did not discredit the MIC or its leadership, the MIC could not stand and watch "any attack on Umno".

"I know the weaknesses in the implementation and delivery system at several stages of the government. In spite of this, I have continued to raise issues concerning the Malaysian Indian community.

"Being a minister, I'm privileged to have this information and whatever we discuss at the Cabinet is classified. As such, I'm unable to divulge certain information to the public, espicially to the community.

"I have openly made constructive criticism of the government's recruitment and promotion of Indians in the public sector. I have also brought to the attention of the Cabinet the sufferings of estate workers, who are now enjoying a fixed monthly salary…we in the MIC have raised various matters to the government as we represent 1.8 million Indians in the country," he said.

Speaking on Hindu temples, the minister said MIC had always been a "shield" for these temples although some of these places of worship were built illegally.

"As for the Kampung Jawa temple (which was demolished by the authorities in October because it was built on private land after the land owner obtained a court ruling), we did our best and even the prime minister did his best but the court order stood in our way. I have personally handled thousands of temples," he said. For the record, there are more than 25,000 Hindu temples nationwide.

"I did this because I'm a staunch Hindu but I'm not a Hindu extremist. I know for a fact that extremism can never achieve anything," Samy Vellu stressed.

The MIC president also said that he had been constantly "fighting" with the government to get what Malaysian Indians were entitled to and that he had records to prove this.

"On Tamil schools, I have looked after these schools because I myself am a son of a rubber tapper, who had lived in estates and I was one of the first to go to a Tamil school…Tamil is my language…my mother tongue.

"Now elements who do not know about Tamil schools and their problems are making blind accusations that the MIC did not protect these schools. The government and the prime minister gave RM1 million to temples annually.

"Some quarters have asked for the acounts of this money. I only make recommendations to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) (under the Prime Minister's Department) on the allocations needed and it channels the funds directly.

"Some ignorant people have been asking what has happened to the money. My question is, "What money? Who gave what money to the MIC?", he said.

On the economic front, Samy Vellu said the MIC, through its economic bureau, had created some 50,000 active Indian businessmen, from small to big. He said these businessmen had also asked the government to allow them to bring in workers from India. This matter was raised by him in the Cabinet and approval was given to bring in 40,000 Indian workers.

Following the MIC's request, the government also allocated some RM40 million for micro-credit schemes and this scheme too had been successful.

"However we face problems of repayment of these loans. Despite that, the MIC through Nijhar (Tan Sri K.S. Nijhar, MIC vice-president and party economic bureau chief) has now proposed for further financial aid for Malaysian Indians," he said.

Samy Vellu also claimed that "some unscrupulous elements" were taking advantage of the current situation to hit out at the MIC and its leadership by spreading lies via the short messaging service (SMS).

He alleged that these people had actually failed the Malaysian Indian community.

"I have made it a point to have direct contact with the grassroots…we must hear and listen to the grouses of the people.

"At no time will I give up the Malaysian Indian community. I'm always subservient to them and nobody can stop me from fighting for the community," he said.

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9 reason to lock up uthaya under ISA

December 21st, 2007
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'9 reasons' to lock up Uthayakumar
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76298
Andrew Ong | Dec 21, 07 3:50pm

Of the five Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), P Uthayakumar recorded the highest number of reasons which the government used to support his detention. 

The nine reasons were listed in the detention order as an annexure titled “Allegations of facts” on which the order is based – a requirement under Section 11 (2) (b) of the ISA.

Other than five seditious speeches, Uthayakumar was accused of organising three illegal assemblies – at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya, outside Parliament and outside the Attorney-General’s Department – between Nov 2006 to August 2007.

The final reason is his alleged links to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist group in Sri Lanka which has been declared a terrorist organisation by a number of western countries.

Uthayakumar has vehemently denied Hindraf's links to LTTE.

Two other Hindraf leaders detained under ISA – V Ganabatirau and T Vasantha Kumar – had six allegations mentioned in their respective detention orders.

M Manoharan chalked up seven while R Kenghadharan had only three.

The four other detainees were mostly accused of making ‘seditious speeches’ during Hindraf organised public forums and taking the movement’s cause overseas.

Hearing next week

The five were detained under the ISA on Dec 13 based on an order signed by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi under his Internal Security Minister portfolio.

The detainees were immediately sent to the Kamunting Detention Centre to serve their two-year detention.

In a related development, Karpal Singh – counsel for the five Hindraf leaders – today filed habeas corpus applications for Uthayakumar and Vasantha Kumar at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

The applications follows similar applications made by Karpal on behalf of Manoharan and Ganabatirau on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters later, Karpal said Judicial Commissioner Zainal Azman Abd Aziz would be hearing all four cases next Wednesday.

A habeas corpus application for Kenghadharan would be made on Monday. The move is believed to be a deliberate attempt to disassociate him from Hindraf.

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johor MIC provide statistics

December 21st, 2007
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I suppose this is to counter the damage by Mr Siva from JIBA.

1. 9 million for past "several years" for 70 schools. Let's assume several years is 5 years. (9,000,000 / 5 / 70 = RM25714 per school per year.)

2. "RM2mil was allocated last year to build new Tamil schools, renovate classrooms and buy equipment." That should read as "build new buildings for existing Tamil schools".

3. "12 new sites for such relocation, including in Taman Tun Aminah (2ha) and Permas Jaya (2.4ha) and a piece of land in Kulai valued at RM9mil.". Obviously land in JB side is expensive and if the school is not located next to sewerage ponds, it should be costly.

4. " Johor had 70 Tamil schools and all of them received aid from the government".  This is provided under law. But what are the efforts to  convert them to FULLY-AIDED status?

5. "He said the state government had recently allocated RM500,000 for the construction of a Hindu crematorium at Kebun Teh here." This is funny indeed!  Of course crematorium is by govt. We don't want people contributing to open burning by cremating the dead in public areas, do we?

I feel something is not right. The way the information is given, it sounds as if the people are living here due to some hospitality or charity of authorities. But things like education, burial, housing are responsibilities, not charity to be given when liked.

MIC rep: Johor always meets needs of Indians

source

JOHOR BARU: The state has never marginalised the Indian community and has given attention to their educational, religious, social and cultural needs, Johor MIC liaison committee chairman Datuk K. S. Balakrishnan said. 

He said the state had granted RM9mil over the past several years for the development and modernisation of Tamil schools while RM2mil was allocated last year to build new Tamil schools, renovate classrooms and buy equipment. The allocation was the result of the request made by Johor MIC and the work was carried out by the district offices, he said. 

Balakrishnan, who is Unity, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman, said the state government had also provided alternative sites for the relocation of Tamil schools when their existing sites had to make way for housing and industrial development. He said the state government so far provided 12 new sites for such relocation, including in Taman Tun Aminah (2ha) and Permas Jaya (2.4ha) and a piece of land in Kulai valued at RM9mil. Johor had 70 Tamil schools and all of them received aid from the government, he said, adding that these schools also received tuition aid from the Johor Education Foundation. 

Balakrishnan said the aid provided by the state government proved untrue the allegations of marginalisation of Indians by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). 

He also said that the state government had so far provided 19 alternative sites for Hindu temples that had to make way for development. He said the state government had recently allocated RM500,000 for the construction of a Hindu crematorium at Kebun Teh here. 

On housing, he said the state government had reserved 10% of the units in low and medium cost housing schemes for the Indian community but was prepared to raise the quota to 50% in places such as Labis and Chaah where there were many Indians. – Bernama 

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