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Sweat and tears created Indian professionals

December 17th, 2007
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'Sweat and tears' created Indian professionals
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76152
RK Anand | Dec 17, 07 4:44pm

It is unfair for certain quarters to continue harping on the number of Indian professionals in this country, said Malaysian Indian Business Association (MIBA) president P Sivakumar today.

He said certain quarters are using this to show that the Indians in Malaysia are doing well contrary to the allegation that the community has been marginalised.

"It is very unfair to quote these statistics," he told Malaysiakini.

Sivakumar explained that it is the "sweat and tears" of parents, and not the government or others, which are behind the creation of these professionals.

"These parents exhausted all their resources to give their children a sound education. There was very little government help in the past. It is the hard work of the parents.

"If anybody is to take credit for the number of Indian professionals, it must be these parents," he added.

Sivakumar, who was one of those who attended the special meeting between Indian non-governmental organisations and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Friday, pointed out that the current standard of living has made education an expensive acquisition.

"Without government help, it is very difficult to get a good education these days. It is a very sad situation," he added.

Things are improving

The MIBA president also said Indians must not forget that  once under the tenure of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, only one Indian student was given a medical seat in a public university.

"There is a down-track in every professional area as far as the Indians are concerned. This is especially so in medicine, which in the past was a traditional area for Indians," he added.

However, Sivakumar noted that the situation has improved under the Abdullah administration, with more assistance forthcoming for the community in relation to education.

"Under Abdullah, we are confident that there will be even more education opportunities for the Indians, such as scholarships and loans," he said.

In view of this, he stressed that the number of Indian professionals should not be used to argue that the community is fairing well in this country.

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parliment sieged?

December 11th, 2007
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TV3 only showed the passing of the motion and also arrest of Tian Chua in Buletin Utama just now. If really fair, must also air some comments from everyone.

Siege of Parliament – 'the ultimate shame'
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/75931
Yoges Palaniappan | Dec 11, 07 6:26pm

Over the years, Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang has had occasion to decry incidents that have brought shame on Parliament.

Today, he directed his ire at the police, whose actions this morning contributed to "the most disgraceful and shameful episode in the (history of) Parliament".

At a press conference in the Parliament lobby, Lim drew attention to the numerous roadblocks put up by the police along all roads leading to House where the Dewan Rakyat is still in session. 

This was to deter leaders and supporters of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) from submitting a protest memorandum over the Constitutional Amendment Bill, which sought to extend the Election Commission chief’s tenure up to the new age-limit of 66.

Said Lim: “We want the police to look after the safety of Parliament House, not to block access to it by the people or NGOs. Nobody is afraid that lives are at stake today, as it appears from the sieged scenario that we see.”

There was a heavy police presence with three check-points on the approach road to Parliament but this did not extend into the grounds. Rolls of barbed wire were unfurled along both sides of the road.

Saying that access to Parliament was blocked for the first time in its history, Lim said this has gone against the privileges and sovereignty of the institution, as well as undermined the responsibility accorded to it.

He was of the view that there would not have been any untoward incident if the Bersih delegation had been allowed into the building.

"They would have come peacefully. Then police blocks have instead of created a big ooh aah as if our country is under threat. It is completely, artificially manufactured and not good for our country's reputation," he said.

"It is also the first time a court order has been obtained to prevent the public from going to Parliament…[such action is] uncalled for and unwarranted."

‘Initiate contempt proceedings’

DAP MP for Ipoh Barat M Kulasegaran said the move by the police to obtain the court order to restrain public access to Parliament was a "very contemptuous act".

He urged Speaker Ramli Ngah Talib to make an application to set aside the court order and to initiate contempt proceeding against the police. 

"Whenever there is a sitting, the Inspector-General of Police [is obliged by a motion] to keep open all routes to Parliament. The question now is, did the police produce this motion when they obtained the court order? I think they suppressed it," he said.

“There must be free access. People must be allowed to come (to Parliament). There must be an end to the mentality of fear [among the authorities].”

DAP MP for Bukit Mertajam Chong Eng said that Malaysia, which aims to become a developed country by 2020, must have a police force with a developed mentality.

She said the police must be able to handle peaceful demonstrations without a show of force and urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is internal security minister to direct the police to take up this challenge. 

"We're not at the stage where we need to choose between public safety or public freedom," she said, referring to Abdullah's statement that given a choice between public safety and public freedom, he would choose public safety.

"We can have both. Public safety and public freedom can go together," she added.

Bersih comprises representatives from 67 NGOs and five opposition parties, including DAP.

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khir toyo meets padang jawa folks

December 9th, 2007
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"Let’s put the Hindraf episode behind us and move forward to find a better life for all."

– and don't forget to vote for me or my friends in next election!

" Later last night, during a 60 minute live interview over RTM1, Dr Khir clarified that the Kampung Rimba Jaya Hindu temple was demolished after the Deepavali festival. “There is a misunderstanding. A lot of people thought the temple was demolished before Deepavali. But, it was demolished on Nov 15,” he said adding that the temple was built on private land."

Read what Thanish says on the events that took place on 30th October 2007. 15 November comes after 30 October, doesn't it? An article in my blog quotes Selangor State Govt's official website that says the date of demolition is 30th October 2007. There's another statement here too. Samy Vellu also nearly cancelled Deepavali open house. Did he get the dates wrong as well?

Move forward, Dr Khir tells Kampung Rimba folk

source

Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo greeting the residents of Kampung Rimba Jaya in Shah Alam yesterday.

SHAH ALAM: Let’s put the Hindraf episode behind us and move forward to find a better life for all.

This was the message Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo had for the people, especially those in Kampung Rimba Jaya here, yesterday. Meeting the people here for the first time since the controversial demolition of a temple in the squatter settlement last month, the Selangor menteri besar said the people should not be taken in by the claims of the movement. He said the people of Rimba Jaya were now staying in council homes provided by the state in Shah Alam and they could continue to do so until their low-cost homes were built. The council homes are flats owned by the state in Section 26 and the tenants could stay there rent-free, he added.

“Do not worry. I will not let anyone sleep under the bridge. It’ll be a shame for me if that happens. The government will never neglect the Indians.”

On the demolished temple, Dr Khir said the developer had given RM40,000 to the temple committee to build a new one at the site given by the developer.

He said the people should not fret about having to move into low-cost homes, saying it was a first step towards better things. For those who were not eligible for bank loans, he said there were other avenues such as the Housing and Local Government Ministry, state Islamic Religious Council and other state agencies.

Speaking on the impact of the recent illegal rallies in the city, Dr Khir said two Taiwanese investors had put on hold their plans to come to Selangor.

Later last night, during a 60 minute live interview over RTM1, Dr Khir clarified that the Kampung Rimba Jaya Hindu temple was demolished after the Deepavali festival. “There is a misunderstanding. A lot of people thought the temple was demolished before Deepavali. But, it was demolished on Nov 15,” he said adding that the temple was built on private land. He said the temple committee had agreed with the relocation and added that: “The temple issue had been settled.” “The problem is Hindraf followers instigated others to take the law into their own hands and did not allow the priest to go into the temple.”

He said the squatters in the area would also be moving to their new homes by end of this year or beginning of next year. They will move to low-cost units with proper kindergartens, Hindu temple, surau, community hall and other facilities, he added. “So there is no issue of the temple or not helping the community. The state government helps all races,” he said. He also said the politics of hate should be rejected by all.

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Samy Vellu provides statistics on community

December 9th, 2007
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1. indians form 6% of university intake for 2007. does it show a downtrend or an uptrend? Can a graph showing the intake for last 30 years be provided? The same should be for all races so that we can nip any reduction of intakes as soon as possible.

2. "Many schools have been built for the community". Tamil school or national school? i thought the number of tamil schools is still at 523.

3. there was a slow increase in the present 1.2% ownership of share capital of limited companies because many Indians believed in investing in property and not in the share market. “Investing in property is also a good move as the price of property will appreciate,” – How true is this? does this mean that an abnormal number of indians are investing in properties as compared to others?

4. "46,054 Indians were employed in the public sector with another 3,642 in the police force". – That is about 4.18% (if govt staff is 1.1million). these 46,054 indians are at what levels and ranks? how about intake rate per year? increasing or reducing?

if the household income and unemployment rate is as stated, then it is a good thing indeed. in face of the adversity and imbalance in many areas, the community has struggled and improved their living conditions to a certain extent. By the way, what is the source of all these numbers? 🙂

NST: Samy Vellu: Indian community doing well

source

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC president quoted hard figures yesterday to show that contrary to what Hindraf says, the Indian community is doing well. 

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said that close to 12 per cent of the working Indian population are professionals or are in managerial positions. And many more could join them, as 2,447 Indians have enrolled in public universities this year.

Samy Vellu was responding to questions on the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), and its allegations that Indians in the country were facing ethnic cleansing, after the opening of the International Convention of Nagarathars. Some 650 Chettiars are attending the three-day conference.

Pressed to comment on whether he had made any effort towards a dialogue with the Hindraf leaders, Samy Vellu said: “I attempted on a few occasions to ask them to sit down and talk with us, but they do not want to. They have an agenda that is only known to them.” 
 

Samy Vellu said that Malaysian Indians could gauge for themselves how far they have come with the support of the government. He added that the Indian students who got placements in local universities this year represent six per cent of the 40,116 students who were enrolled this year.  Currently, Indians make up about eight per cent of the population.

And of the 847,900 Indians in the workforce, 46,054, or 5.12 per cent, are in the civil service. The unemployment rate among Indians is at 3.1 per cent. The national average is about 3.4 per cent. “We are also getting some help from the government for the AIMST Medical College in Sungai Petani. Many schools have been built for the community and funds are continuously allocated to upgrade the older schools,” he said.

He added that the government’s commitment to the Indian community is clear from the fact that under the microcredit scheme RM40 million has been budgeted for loans to Indians. “The aim is to create at least 5,000 Indian small businessmen under the Ninth Malaysia Plan,” he said, adding that many squatter families are now housed in government flats. He explained that the decision was made to rent out the units for five to six years, rather than sell them immediately to the occupants, to prevent those eligible for the homes selling for a quick gain. After that, a decision will be made as to whether the occupants can buy the unit.

Commenting on the convention, he said Malaysians could learn a lot about entrepreneurship from the Chettiar community, as they are known to be business savvy. The chairman of the Law Commission of India Dr Justice A.R. Lakshmanan and Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia Ashok Kantha also attended the opening of the convention.

THE STAR: Malaysian Indians have achieved much, more needed

source

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Indians have achieved progress in various fields over the last 50 years, although more needs to be done to make them competitive in the face of globalised realities, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said here. 

He said more than 80% of them were concentrated in urban areas compared to 60% that previously lived and worked in the estates. “This migration has provided better incomes for the Indian families,” he said in a statement Sunday. 

He said 847,900 Indians were in the workforce currently, 11.5% of them professionals and managers, 19.4% associated professors, lecturers and nurses, 22.9% in sales, 4.9% in agriculture, 9.4% in craft and trade, 20.1% of them machine operators and 16.3% elementary workers. 

Samy Vellu said about 2.9% of Indian households were below the poverty line but the mean monthly household income of Indian families was RM3,456, compared to the national figure of RM3,022. 

He said 46,054 Indians were employed in the public sector with another 3,642 in the police force. 

On the participation of Indians in the economy, Samy Vellu said there was a slow increase in the present 1.2% ownership of share capital of limited companies because many Indians believed in investing in property and not in the share market. “Investing in property is also a good move as the price of property will appreciate,” he said. 

He said MIC obtained micro-credit business loans for 4,000 Indian businessmen over the past few years through Bank Negara and financial institutions. “We have also assisted in getting business licences for Indian businessmen,” he said. Samy Vellu said the Government provided business-training programs to Indian youths through the National Entrepreneur Skills institute while RM3mil has been allocated for business loans for Indians through the Tekun foundation. 

On education, he said 2,447 Indians were offered places in public universities in the 2007 intake.

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5 lawyers arrested at human rights march

December 9th, 2007
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well, i don't suppose water cannons used againsts educated professionals like lawyers will bode well for our country. It will be different if this was mass protest involving all segment of societies, "penyangak"s included!
 
Human rights march: 5 lawyers arrested
Syed Jaymal Zahiid | Dec 9, 07 8:16am

The police have arrested eight people, including five lawyers, for proceeding with a march to mark International Human Rights Day from the Sogo department store to Central Market in Kuala Lumpur early this morning.

The arrests came after a failed attempt by the organisers of the march to negotiate with the police to allow them to finish their march at their intended spot.

The 100-odd crowd was already halfway to their destination when the police give the marchers a 10-minute warning to disperse.

The organisers, who believed that they could complete their march within the time limit, wanted to press on. According to an eyewitness, the police however cordoned off the area, moved in and made the arrests even before the stipulated deadline expired. 

Those arrested included five lawyers – N Surendran (photo), Latheefa Koya, R Sivarasa, Eric Paulsen and Amer Hamzah. Others were Anthony Andu, Norazah Othman and an unidentified activist.

They were arrested near the Jalan Tun Perak LRT station and were immediately taken to the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

The eight were arrested under the Police Act for illegal assembly, said Dang Wangi's acting Superintendent Che Hamzah Che Ismail.

 The remainder of the marchers dispersed following the arrests.

"Authorities seem to be upset by any visible signs of protest and I think this is a problem with the country," said Sivarasa, who is also a leader of PKR.

"They don't seem to be able to deal with peaceful dissent," he told AFP before he was arrested.

Organiser Latheefa said that Malaysians needed to continue to exercise their constitutional right to public assembly.

Willing to cooperate

Earlier today, at about 8am, the small group of about 100 gathered at the Sogo departmental store under the watchful eyes of the police. There were however no signs of the dreaded Federal Reserve Unit and their water cannon trucks.

The marchers had carried banners that read "Lawyers for the freedom of assembly" and "Government that abuses human rights is terrorist."

Eyewitnesses said that one of the persons arrested was dragged into the waiting police truck and the arrests were done despite the marchers’ willingness to cooperate with the police.

This small group of marchers have undertaken this march after the Bar Council had dropped its annual march in conjunction with the International Human Rights Day celebration – which falls on Dec 10 – due to pressure to obtain a police permit.

Yesterday the police had warned the public not to participate in the march given that no permit had been issued for the gathering.

"As no permit has been issued for the gathering, those who take part in it can be charged under Section 27(5) of the Police Act 1967 for participating in an illegal assembly," warned Che Hamzah in a Bernama report.

Upon the decision of the Bar Council to call off the march, at least 15 lawyers decided to proceed with the walk to make a statement that citizens have a right to assemble peacefully and without prior requirement of a police permit.

Venue changed

Two days ago,  Surendran had said that the march was purely initiated by a group of concerned lawyers, adding that the organisers will not be applying for a police permit.

  “We think that applying for a permit is a negation of our fundamental right to freedom of assembly as enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution,” he had explained.

“We feel the (Bar Council) march was called of due to undue pressure from the authorities. We want to send a message that the people of Malaysia have the right to a peaceful assembly,” Surendran said.

Bar Council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan meanwhile had explained that the decision to call off the march was made after “anxious consideration to the present circumstances that surround the event, particularly the interests of the public and the Malaysian Bar."

The Bar Council also moved its “Festival of Rights” event today to its own building located near Central Market after police insisted that organisers apply for a permit to hold the event at Central Market.

In a related development, Ambiga today expressed disappointed over not being allowed to see the arrested people.

Ambiga said that the march was peaceful and slammed the arrests as "totally unnecessary and unfortunate."

"The Bar holds the view that requirement of police permit is unconstitutional," she told reporters.

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