Despite Hindraf‘s signing of a MoU with BN and despite MIC’s continued participation in the government, there is no new deal for the Indian community.
Speech by
M Kula Segaran, DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat at “Krisis
Matrikulasi dan Pengambilan ke Universiti’’ Forum ( organised by Malaysian Indians Education and Social Awareness
Foundation) held at 9.30am at Excelsior Hotel, Ipoh on Sunday, July 21,
2013
Attentive crowd |
Speakers and Participants |
At the Thaipusam celebrations held
at the Sri Subramaniam Swamy Devasthanam in Batu Caves in 2012, the Prime
Minister Dato Seri Najib said the government was serious about addressing the
concerns of the Indian community.
“The government has never gone back
on their word. If I promise something, the government will surely do it. If you
help me, I help you and if you trust me I trust you, Nambike (trust in
me)," Najib assured the Indian community.
Kula |
If the BN government is one that can
be trusted, then there will not be a “Krisis Matrikulasi dan Pengambilan
ke Universiti” forum here today.
This year’s intake of Indian
students into Matriculation Colleges has become an issue that brings sadness
and anger to many parents because the government has not fulfilled its promise
made to the Indian community.
For this year’s intake into public
universities, only 1824 Indian students or 4.38 % of the total 41573 successful
students were Indians.
A top MIC leader has even publicly
said that this year’s situation as the most unfair and biased public university
intake in the history of Malaysia.
Last year, the Prime Minister had
agreed to increase the number of Matriculation places for Indian students from
556 to 1556.
But were 1556 places offered and
taken up by the Indian students?
Last year, only 800 Indian students
enrolled at Matriculation colleges. The balance places were not filled.
For this year, 1500 places were offered in the first intake but
only 892 places were taken up. A total of 6150 students had submitted their
applications.
Then why
were the balance places not immediately offered to other deserving students?
It was
said that for the second intake, 350 places were offered.
It is
evident that the government has not delivered as promised.
It certainly cannot be because there
are not enough candidates when so many qualified and eligible students have
failed to gain admission into Matriculation Colleges.
A few top people must answer for the
government’s failure to keep its promise to accord fair treatment to the Indian
students.
The first person is the Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib who had tried to woo Indian votes by asking the Indian
community to put their trust in him and who had promised to do more for the
community.
Tiru addressing the forum |
The second person is the Education
Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin who must explain why Indian students were not given
their rightful places at Matriculation Colleges and public universities.
The third person is MIC President
Datuk Seri Palanivel who has always heaped praises on Najib but yet has failed
to ensure Najib delivers as promised to the Indian community.
The fourth person is the newly
minted Deputy Minister Waythamoorty who decided to become a partner of BN by
signing a MoU with BN just days before the May 5 polling day.
In the MoU signed between BN and
Hindraf, the following were part of the agreement:-
*To
confirm that 7.5 percent of places in the government universities and
institutions of higher learning are for Indian students.
*
To confirm that 10 percent of places in the government polytechnic colleges are
for Indian students.
* To confirm that 7.5
percent of places in the present residential schools, matriculation and
technical colleges are for Indian students
So let me ask, where are you now Mr
Waythamoorthy? Why have you forgotten
what you signed with BN?
The fifth person who must explain to
us what he has been doing at the Education Ministry is the Deputy Education
Minister P Kalamanathan.
Under the BN government which does not keep its promises and which continues to implement raced based policies, Indian community will continue to get raw deal.
We must reject such treatment and must be united in demanding a fair deal for the Indian students and community.
In a news report today, Health Minister Datuk Subramanim said the Cabinet has directed the Education Ministry to look into weaknesses in selection procedures for entry into local universities after a number of top scorers failed to gain admission.
He also said that the Cabinet will look into how to place them in private universities if their appeals are unsuccessful but cautioned there was no discussion on scholarships for such students.
I want to ask if the Cabinet really understands the plight of the students.
If the students can afford the high tuition fees charged by private universities, then they would have applied directly and on their own to these universities.
Subramaniam’s remarks that “in all countries, not everyone who applies gets a place in universities” deserves a strong rebuttal.
Kula speaking to the media |
Let me remind the Cabinet that unfair intake of students for Matriculation Colleges and public universities is a very serious problem as it does not only involve the question of brain drain, it also affects the question of national unity.
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