I refer to A Rajaguru's letter NUTP president confused, ignorant. It is an excellent letter that exposes the hypocrisy and the bankruptcy of the National Union of the Teaching Profession. The present NUTP is a pale shadow of the union that was much respected and loved by teachers.

Many of its leaders at one time slogged unselfishly and fought gallantly for the rights of teachers. Spurred on by these leaders, the union members went on strike in 1967 for equal pay for women teachers, parity for DTC (day training centre) teachers, medical facilities and housing for all teachers and pension and government status for all.

Perhaps Siva Subramaniam wasn't even a teacher then but he has been a beneficiary of the struggles by those leaders and members.

But instead of showing gratitude for these leaders and members, these valiant teachers are ostracised and excluded from NUTP activities under Siva's leadership.

Under the previous constitution of the union, all retired teachers became associate members of the union with equal rights of membership except the right to vote or to seek a position in the union's leadership through election.

This meant that they could attend union branch meetings and participate in the proceedings. This allowed for the union to draw upon the experience and expertise of these leaders for the betterment of the union.

But under Siva's leadership, all these rights were removed by way of amending the union constitution.

The former leaders were then prevented from attending union meetings and participating in branch activities. This was done to prevent the former leaders from raising issues and asking questions that could embarrass Siva's leadership. He did not want to be accountable.

Those retired members who continue to be associate members of the NUTP do not even receive their branch newsletters or GuruMalaysia, the official organ of the NUTP. The activities of the NUTP are jealously guarded and no information is released to them. Their right to know is consciously denied them.

The union deals with millions of ringgit but details of the accounts are not available to ordinary members. The reports of the union's matters are not extended to ordinary and associate members. In the past, these were available to all members of the union.

The union leaders now hold office for three years, modeled after Umno's style. The union's triennial meetings are held just like Umno's - once in three years. Except for the hundred-odd delegates attending these meetings, the rest of the100,000 NUTP members do not receive the union's Statement of Accounts and the Union Report.

The minutes are not available to ordinary members who want to know what took place at the triennial conference. The NUTP operates very secretively and only for an exclusive few.

It is a joke that a person who has gone out of his way to deny NUTP members the right to information and association and who refuses to be accountable for his actions, should be appointed a human rights commissioner.