Education and election issues dominate MIC assembly debate

Dec 9, 2012 - The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Issues on education, scholarships and elections featured in the 90-minute debate at the MIC general assembly here Sunday.

The delegates spoke on better infrastructure facilities for Tamil schools and more scholarships for the Indian community.

One delegate thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel for being sensitive to the feelings of the Indian community on the proposed visit by Sri Lanka President Mahindra Rajapakse.

Another delegate said if the 25 committee members of the 4,000 branches approached five voters each, then they would have met 500,000.

Datuk K. R. Murugiah from Penang said there should be special privileges for Indians in the economic and business sectors, including licensing.

Another delegate, Prakash Rao of Shah Alam, said there should be no quota imposed on Indian students to obtain places in the public universities.

"If an exemplary student is denied the choice to pursue his intended course, he and his family will be disappointed and this would be a loss to Barisan Nasional" he said.

He said 28,300 Indian students sat for the STPM this year and there was a need to monitor them to ensure that they were not left behind.

Senator Sivapakiam Aiyam Perumal said couples about to get married should be compulsorily attend pre-marriage courses.

"This is necessary as the divorce rate is high. There is also a need for counselling for youths due to social problems," she said.

MIC Youth secretary C. Sivarraajh urged members to have confidence in the party and speak on the stronger points rather than the weaker points.

"We are a 66-year-old party and we are a strong force. No other opposition party can come near us," he said.

He said the Youth wing had launched the Ops Jelas pamphlet, which provides the questions as well as the answers on the issues raised by the Opposition.

Six resolutions which touched on support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, government transformation, more intake in the civil service, education blueprint, and skills training and entreprenuer development were unanimously passed.