‘Ramasamy, stop lying about AIMST’

MIC CWC member R S Maniam says the university is rated number two in the country, with over a thousand Indian graduates in the past 15 years.

PETALING JAYA: An MIC Central Working Committee member has come out to defend the party and its educational facility, Asia Institute of Medical, Science and Technology University (AIMST), following recent comments made by DAP’s P Ramasamy.

Calling the criticism of AIMST a deliberate distortion of facts, MIC’s R S Maniam said that the university is number two to Universiti Malaya (UM), with a better rating than public and private universities in the country.

“Ramasamy may not know, but in the 2015 MQA D-Setara rating, AIMST is rated second to UM, way above Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, International Medical University and Monash.

“To date AIMST has trained 717 doctors, 62 dentists, 143 pharmacists, 310 biotechnologists, 69 nurses, 56 engineers, 53 business graduates and 66 other diploma and postgraduates, all from the Indian community,” Maniam said, adding that from Sept 16, AIMST will start a new diploma in nursing programme with full scholarship for Indian students.

Founded in 2001, AIMST is owned by MIC’s education arm, Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED).

Maniam accused Ramasamy of trying to confuse the Indian community by making false and misleading statements on AIMST.

“Thus far, many graduate doctors from AIMST, who are Indians, are financially aided. The full-paying students are from other races.

“Ramasamy fails to understand that to ensure smooth functioning, AIMST has to balance its social responsibility with financial sustainability,” Maniam said in a statement today, on the enrolment of a high number of non-Indian students.

The Kota Raja MIC division chairman also slammed Ramasamy for the attacks for “political gain” which are said to have disturbed and demoralised the faculty, students and their families.

Turning the tables on the Penang Deputy Chief Minister II, Maniam questioned Ramasamy’s ability to help the Indian community under the DAP banner, despite ruling the state for eight years.

“After eight years in office, what has he, to his credit, to show to Indian constituents as his contribution towards community empowerment?

“Raja Petra in a recent column in Malaysia Today revealed that Penang DCM II Prof Ramasamy told him that it was beyond him to set up tuition centres,” Maniam said in his statement.