Senator S. Ramakrishnan , 15/4/2012

While the Prime Minister is going around promising to upgrade Tamils, the Selangor state government together with the support of Midland Tamil school Board of Governors has built a Tamil school which looks like a college. This effort of a state government is unprecedented and a welcomed effort. The new school complex stands majestically beside the old run down school building. The Selangor Menteri Besar declared open the new school building which includes a convention centre yesterday (15/4/2012). The first Tamil school with a convention centre. It was a proud moment for the state government, parents, teachers, board of Governors and students and all those who were present. Apparently the school teachers and headmistress were told not to attend this opening ceremony by Selangor Menteri Besar by the Selangor education department. To UMNO BN their political interest supersedes the crying call of Indian community.  But the new Midland convention centre was filled to the brim by people who were proud to be present during the opening ceremony.

It was announced by the Menteri Besar during his speech that the school building with the state of art facilities was completed with a state grant of RM3 million and the school board of governors raised RM1.7 million. Well the same building would have cost the federal government at least RM 10 million. If a college like building is built for RM5 million whereas federal government builds Tamil school for RM9/10 million, look at the level of overpricing and corruption in government expenditure. The Prime minister has been making a series of announcement that RM440 million will be spent on the reconstruction and upgrading of Tamil Schools. Well, how much of the millions spent on the reconstruction of Tamil schools would go to crony contractors or rechanneled back to the government? Based on the assessment of informed sources Tamil schools will only get 1/3 of the building value due to overpricing and UMNO cronies getting the jobs.  

The local MIC leaders who fought hard to sabotage and hijack the building of Midland school may not know where to show their faces. They were against the building of this school which is beside the old present school because the state could only allocate 3 acres of land. The present location is ideal because the school is surrounded by flats and houses from where the students come from. What is needed now is the demolition of old rundown school building and turn into a field. Then it will be the best school in whole of Malaysia.

BN Indian leaders must realise that they could not have build such a state of art Tamil school under the UMNO regime. Therefore they must put aside their political difference and work for the betterment of the Indian community. Unfortunately knowing the current state of affairs in BN on the ground level, this is a tall order to ask for. BN do not have dynamic generals and dedicated soldiers to uplift Indian community. All the goodies announced by PM are election handouts without any policy change. Committed Indian leaders in BN have given up hope on UMNO and left or retired. It’s high time that the Indian community become politically aware about what is happening around and be prepared to adapt to new changes. Politics have changed in Malaysia after 2008. Past achievements and contributions are forgotten and therefore Indian community must reposition itself to remain relevant to the political changes. Agencies like Minnal FM and other government news providers will keep feeding Indians with government propagandas. The community must know who are friends and enemies.   There are a lot of obstacles placed to prevent Indians from being kept informed on the larger political changes. The poor and rural Indians have to join their urban cousins to become a political block. Change we must. It’s now or never.