ISD: MIC believes VC will do the right thing

MIC is confident that Universiti Malaya's Indian Studies Department (ISD) will be preserved in its original form and its name maintained.

And why so?

Because the party believes that vice-chancellor Ghauth Jasmon and other related authorities will respect the Indian community's sentiment and avoid from taking any decision which will hurt the feelings of the 1.8 million Indians in the country.

Conveying this in a statement today, MIC secretary-general and Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam said the community also wanted an Indian to head the ISD after Assoc Prof Dr S Kumaran was replaced by a non-Indian.

"The status of Universiti Malaya's Indian Studies Department has become a hot issue now," he added.

It was reported that the university planned to change the name of the ISD to South Asian Studies Department.

However, this move triggered uproar among the Indian community with several Indian-based non-governmental organisations opposing it.

Education, Welfare and Research Foundation (EWRF) chairperson S Pasupathi had said as a responsible and progressive educational centre, Universiti Malaya needed to strengthen the ISD instead of dissolving it.

Rectify the weaknesses

Meanwhile, Subramaniam said he had expressed the Indian community's sentiments towards the ISD during his meeting with Ghauth last July 30.

"We stated very clearly the sentiment of the Indian community and requested that the ISD should be preserved in its original form and an Indian should head the department.

"We fully support attempts to rectify any weaknesses that exist. We have said that the role of the Tamil language and Tamil literature should not be diminished," he added.

He said the ISD should play an important role in generating valuable information on the contributions of the Indian community in Malaysia in terms of their economic, educational and social status and come out with proposals to develop the Indian community.

The ISD was established in 1956, under the Faculty of Arts and Social Science and its main purpose was to conduct academic activities such as teaching, publication, research and consultation services.

The establishment of the department was based on several purposes, including to introduce the linguistics, literature, religious and socio-cultural heritage and to show case the historical, socio-political and economic aspects of the Indian community in Malaysia.