Land for Hull but none for Tamil school

The Penang state government refused to provide extra land for additional construction to a Tamil school in Batu Kawan but has allocated two hectares to build a franchised campus for University of Hull in the area.

GEORGETOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has allocated a two hectare site to build a RM130 million franchised campus for University of Hull in Batu Kawan but failed entertain a long-standing request to provide extra land for a Tamil school, said Penang Hindraf chairman K Kalayselvam.

Kalayselvam said the Indian community had long been requesting the Pakatan Rakyat state government to set aside three acres for the Ladang Batu Kawan Tamil School.

He said the displaced plantation workers, some of whom were in the school’s parent-teacher committee, had submitted several memorandums to the chief minister’s office requesting for the land.

The committee has even offered to buy the land, which is needed for a field, a resource room, a library, a multi-purpose hall and a science laboratory.

“Once the state has given the land, committee will ask the federal government to build the facilities,” said Kalayselvam.

The state government had said it had no plans to provide extra land for the school, which has 150 pupils.

A new four-storey building for SRKT Batu Kawan is now being built at a cost of RM6.3 million on a two-acre site approved in 2006 by the previous Barisan Nasional state government.

The building, scheduled to be ready next year, is being built about 1km away from the current school, which is housed in a renovated estate quarters.

The school moved to the makeshift quarters when its previous wooden building was torn down in 2003 due to termite infestation.

“We applaud the move to build the Hull campus here but we are disappointed with the DAP government of not providing land to the Tamil school.

“We have been requesting the land for the current and future needs of a growing Indian population in the area,” said Kalayselvam in a statement here today.

He noted that the DAP in its pre-election Gelang Patah Declaration on March 31 entitled “A vision end strategy for Indians empowerment”, has stated among others that the DAP:

Offered justice, peace and equality for all;

Put aspirations of the people at the centre of its social and economy policy; and

Recognises BN’s 56-year-rule has created unequal distribution of wealth, resulting in poverty among Indians. But we shall ensure fair and effective distribution of our national wealth.

Kalayselvam said in the declaration, the DAP promised to ensure that all national-type Tamil schools were fully funded and the infrastructure on par with national schools.

He said Lim was so willing to sell the land to his developer friends but not even bothered to quote a land price for the Tamil school.

“Where is DAP’s policy of placing importance on the aspiration of the people, when they do not even hear our repeated and loud request for land for the Tamil school?

“How is the DAP policy going to ensure fair and effective distribution of national wealth, if they continue to make skewed decisions favouring the rich only?

“How is DAP going to ensure that Tamil schools are fully funded and have infrastructure on par with national schools?

“The Gelang Patah Declaration will remain as a pack of lies to hoodwink Indians for votes so long as Lim refuses to even consider providing land for the school,” said Kalayselvam.