Vexed parents warn of hunger strike

If the government fails to provide the land to build a new building for a Tamil school in Kuala Pilah, parents have warned that they will go on a hunger strike.

KUALA PILAH: The 200 parents who staged a protest yesterday in front of Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan; will not hesitate to go on hunger strike if the government ignores their request for a new school building.

T Paramanathan, a disgruntled parent, said: “We have been asking for a new school building for the past 10 years but the government appears not serious about the matter.”

“Genting Berhad already allocated RM1.5 million for the new building’s construction but how to proceed with the construction when the government does not provide the land.

“The classrooms and toilets [in the existing building] are not well lit. I don’t understand why the Education Department doesn’t take any proactive action,” he added.

Paramanathan also accused MIC of not doing anything to safeguard the education of Indian children.

“There are 27 MIC branches all over Kuala Pilah. If these branch, division and state leaders are concerned about the plight of the school and the children, I’m sure they can help to solve the issue because they are part of the ruling government,” he said.

He added that the issue had been brought to the attention of Negeri Sembilan MIC chief T Rajagopalu and state exco member VS Mogan.

“If nothing positive comes forward in two weeks, we will go for a hunger strike and send a memorandum to the Yang Di Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tunku Mukhriz Tuanku Munawir requesting for for his intervention,” he added.

What happened to the promises?

Another vexed parent G Naina also criticised Barisan Nasional and MIC leaders.

“BN and MIC leaders told us that they can only solve this problem during election season. So we supported them, we voted for them [in the lastpolls].

“What happened to their promises? How long must the children suffer? Do they think our children are cows and buffaloes? Do they think this is a cowshed?” he thundered.

“Look at the condition of the school! This school has been here since even before independence. They (BN and MIC) have cheated the people of Kuala Pilah,” he added.

Meanwhile, DAP’s Senawang state assemblyman P Gunasekaran gave a one-week ultimatum to the authorities to come up with a proposal.

“I will wait for another week and if the government keeps ignoring the matter, I will organise a trip of five bus loads of parents to stage a protest at the Parliament building,” he warned.

Gunasekaran said he sent letters to important officials in the Education Ministry, including its minister Muhyiddin Yassin, describing the condition of the school.

“Until now, I haven’t recieved a reply,” he added.

The school’s Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) president P Ganes told FMT that the presence of the toilets next to the classrooms was unhygenic.

“These students are also forced to deal with the foul smell. The Health Department also confirmed that all the classes do not meet the level of lighting specification.

“As you can see here there is only one door for the classrooms. If there is fire, there is no alternative door for the students to escape,” he added.