Samy's figures just don't add up enough...

A letter by : M Poobalan M Masilamani


I refer to the Malaysiakini report Samy: Here's what we have done.

Okay, I'm sure many of us have seen MIC President S Samy Vellu brandishing and giving out large numbers rather excitedly on TV. Let's summarise them numbers:

RM300m for the MIC-run Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (Aimst) University in Kedah (last few years).

Almost RM100m allocated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for rebuilding fully-aided and partially- aided Tamil schools, RM30 million released already.

RM8m for the MIC-run Tafe college.

RM1m annually for Hindu temples (since when? 1957? 1963? 1981? 2002? or 2007?)

RM4 m from the Economic Planning Unit.

RM5.4m for MIC’s social welfare arm, the Yayasan Strategik Sosial.(2004-2007)

RM3m from the Finance Ministry

RM5m for skills training

Add it all up and it comes to RM426 million. If we take the RM1million for temples was given since 2004 (just for calculation’s sake) then the total is RM428.4 million.

If we are to remove the Aimst and Tafe allocations as the these institutes have a multiracial intake (and which the MIC claims to be pride for all Malaysians), that leaves us with RM120.40 million. Please bow to MIC for making sure the Indian managed this from the government to uplift the community!

Next, to put these values into perspective, let's see a News Straits Times report which quoted Umno Khaled Nordin:

‘In four short years the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry has produced 130,000 bumiputera entrepreneurs who are involved in all kinds of businesses all over the country, said Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

‘He said his ministry, via the various agencies under it, including Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), had issued RM18 billion worth of loans to these entrepreneurs."The ministry had also attracted 1.1 million people to attend the courses it offered, including those which covered the small and medium scale and service industries.’

When we see these mind-boggling numbers by the Umno minister, it seems to put into perspective the amount given by Samy Vellu. And bear in mind the Umno minister’s figures do not include help in education, religious activities, UiTM, Mara colleges, etc.

Now, compare the numbers and see the amount of investment done for Indian Malaysian human capital. This is where we stand. Are we still fourth-class citizen or have we slipped further down?