When there are 69 Tamil schools with fewer than 25 pupils and 13 with fewer than 10 pupils totaling 82 Tamil schools because the Indians have left the estates and have since migrated to the town areas, there is the natural likelihood of the same being closed down because of lack of students. Logic would dictate that there is a need for at least 82 new Tamil schools especially in the new Indian neighbourhoods that they are living in. Logic would further dictate that with the increase in population, about double of this 82 ie 164 new Tamil schools that should have been built in the new significant Indian populated neighbourhoods. But the statistics show otherwise. From 888 Tamil schools in 1957 this figure has dwindled by 41.1 % to 523 Tamil schools today and is further dwindling by the year.

Despite there being 30,000 Indians in Kg Lindungan, Petaling Jaya a Tamil school land has been denied by the Selangor PKR, DAP and PAS state government and most students have to travel to the Simpang Lima, Klang Tamil school. (MO 22/10/10 at page 1). Similarly in Taman Kaya, Taiping with 2,000 Indian families. (The Star 21/3/2011 at page N45), Selangor, Serendah with 280 Indian families (BH 10/6/11 at page N55). Pandamaran, Selangor with 3,000 students (TN 21/8/8 at page 4) have all been denied a Tamil school in their respective local areas with significant Indian population. The Triang Indians were forced to hold a demonstration in front of their State Assemblyman’s office demanding a local Tamil school (TN 30/8/8 at page 11). The Klang Batu Ampat Tamil school is on a one acre piece of land and this 80 year old school has 950 students and 45 teachers and is fighting for a bigger piece of land for the past 30 years. (TN 26/9/8 at page 2). The 1,300 Valdor Tamil school students in Cheras are cramped up into a mere 0.7 acre piece of land. (Sinar Harian 3/11/10 at page S26).

In Kajang there is only one Tamil school and which is cramped up with about 1,800 pupils (FMT 18/5/11).

The Sg Papan Estate Tamil School with a mere 4 students and the Nyior Tamil school in Kluang was refused to be relocated to Ulu Tiram, Johor Baru which has a significant Indian population. (TN 20/2/2011 at page 12).

The power to alienate land for all 523 Tamil schools in Malaysia rests with the UMNO/BN state governments and the PKR, DAP & PAS state governments in Selangor, Penang and Kedah. In the aforesaid backdrop it is plain and obvious that in both the BN/UMNO state governments and the Pakatan Rakyat/PKR, DAP & PAS state governments, there is no political will and neither is there a political policy decision to act fairly and judiciously in addressing these aforesaid Tamil school problems.

The misrepresented by politicians “license” terminology for Tamil schools to be transferred from one Tamil school with low student enrolment to another Tamil school in a new locality does not arise just as much as there is no such thing as a license for a Malay muslim school.

The terminology “license” has been used by the UMNO authorities to subjugate the Indian poor into begging for their local and new Tamil schools and not to be one as of right. We do not discount the need for there to be letters of approval from the Ministry of Education and the other relevant authorities.

It is a shame that even after 54 years of independence, all these 523 Tamil schools have refused to be made fully (financially) government aided schools like any other Malay muslim school.

It is also a shame that after 54 years of independence Tamil schools have to beg the pre existing Indian poor for money to even pay for their electricity and water bills.

They have to even beg the Indian poor to raise funds to even set up their small and basic library as was done by the Motorola Indian workers for the Glenmarie, Highcom and Highlands Tamil Schools, Selangor. (Tamil Nesan 14/7/08 at page 6).

If this is not apartheid a la One Malay-sia then what is apartheid?

Unless it is the intention of both UMNO/BN and Pakatan Rakyat to systematically “ethnically cleanse” all these 523 Tamil schools!

We hereby call upon both the UMNO/BN and the Pakatan Rakyat Federal and State governments to grant to all these 523 Tamil schools a minimum of a five (5) acre piece of land.

We call upon the Federal UMNO government to establish a Permata kindergarten in each of the said 523 Tamil schools. Similarly a football field each like in any other Malay muslim school a computer lab, a resource room, sports equipment and facilities, a swimming pool, school musical band, library and with equal financial allocations and facilities like granted any other Malay muslim school.

After all Article 8 of the Federal Constitution provides for equality before the law and Article 12 provides for no discrimination by reason of race or religion in any educational institution receiving government financial assistance.

P.Uthayakumar