Peanuts for Indian Msians
Published: Feb 13, 2007 7:46 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
Government allocations of funds for the Indian Malaysian community amount to "peanuts", given the extent of needs to be satisfied.
Government allocations of funds for the Indian Malaysian community amount to "peanuts", given the extent of needs to be satisfied.
Backing this claim, yet-to-be-registered Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia pro-tem legal advisor P Uthayakumar referred to two recent announcements.
On Feb 12, Tamil-language daily Tamil Nesan front-paged a RM100,000 allocation to expand 116 Tamil schools.
He claimed this was nothing, given that 80 percent of the 523 Tamil schools nationwide are in "near cowshed- like conditions".
Uthayakumar (photo) also cited the Feb 11 announcement by Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister G Palanivel that RM1 million would be spent on organising programmes for Indian women.
"The allocation for the approximately 1 million Indian women in Malaysia would work out to approximately RM1 per Indian woman," he claimed.
"The ruling Umno gives peanuts and expects the Indian Malaysian community to be loyal and grateful."
He said Indians are among the lowest wage earners with RM450 a month, compared to the national per capita income of RM14,954.
"For the oppression and suppression suffered by this community over the last 50 years, we hereby call upon the government to allocate RM50 billion to be managed by trustworthy trustees to help alleviate the plight of the Indian poor," he said.
A study by think-tank Asian Strategic and Leadership Institute published last year claimed that a large portion of the Indian community are victims of systemic economic and social marginalisation.
Backing this claim, yet-to-be-registered Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia pro-tem legal advisor P Uthayakumar referred to two recent announcements.
On Feb 12, Tamil-language daily Tamil Nesan front-paged a RM100,000 allocation to expand 116 Tamil schools.
He claimed this was nothing, given that 80 percent of the 523 Tamil schools nationwide are in "near cowshed- like conditions".
Uthayakumar (photo) also cited the Feb 11 announcement by Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister G Palanivel that RM1 million would be spent on organising programmes for Indian women. "The allocation for the approximately 1 million Indian women in Malaysia would work out to approximately RM1 per Indian woman," he claimed.
"The ruling Umno gives peanuts and expects the Indian Malaysian community to be loyal and grateful."
He said Indians are among the lowest wage earners with RM450 a month, compared to the national per capita income of RM14,954.
"For the oppression and suppression suffered by this community over the last 50 years, we hereby call upon the government to allocate RM50 billion to be managed by trustworthy trustees to help alleviate the plight of the Indian poor," he said.
A study by think-tank Asian Strategic and Leadership Institute published last year claimed that a large portion of the Indian community are victims of systemic economic and social marginalisation.
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