Removal of canteen operator not a racial issue, says Kamalanathan

The termination of an Indian food service provider at Politeknik Seberang Perai was not a racial issue, said MIC education bureau chief P Kamalanathan.

"I wish to stress here that the issue is not a racial issue as in total four contractors were terminated based on administrative reasons," said Kamalanathan, who is also the deputy education minister.

According to earlier news reports, the Indian food canteen operator, who was the only non-Muslim canteen operator on campus, was told to cease operations on grounds that his stall was not "syariah compliant".

A Facebook post on the matter, from someone who appears to be a student of the college, has been widely shared online and on phone messaging services.

According to one such message, a petition by some 300 students against the removal of the only Indian food stall on campus was unsuccessful.

A spokesperson for the polytechnic has reportedly denied allegations of foul play, according to Free Malaysia Today. The spokesperson said a police report was lodged on June 26 over the contents of the viral messages.

Three non-Indians also axed

The spokesperson had also said he could not make any other comments as the director of the institution was on leave but added that a full investigation into the matter would be initiated on Thursday when the director returned from his break.

Kamalanathan said the MIC president S Subramaniam is very concerned with accusations of racism against the canteen operator. He said that the party president had ordered him to investigate the matter.

"MIC will not tolerate any discrimination if the accusation is found to be true," he said.

He explained that he had contacted the director of the institution who clarified that four contractors, including the Indian food stall operator, had their service terminated due to the non-adherence to the terms of the contract.

The other three operators who had their service terminated were Malay, he said.

Kamalanathan said MIC will follow-up on this matter with the Higher Education Ministry and the director of the institution to ensure that it is resolved soon.- Mkini