Perak exco tells MIC-linked foundation not to go the 'Maika way'

Perak exco member A Sivanesan (above) today urged the state Indian Education Development Foundation not to go the way of Maika Holdings in handling a 2,000-acre plot of land given to it.

Sivanesan also expressed shock at the way the land was handed to the foundation by the previous BN-led state government.

"Simply put, the state government does not have any power over the land which was given to the foundation for free for the development of Tamil schools in the state.

"The foundation has nine directors most of whom are MIC leaders. They can do anything they wish (with the land). The board of directors also does not have to detail the accounts to the state government," Sivanesan, who is the state exco for Health, Consumer Affairs, Civil Society, and Human Resources, told Malaysiakini today.

Sivanesan also likened the foundation to organisations like Maika Holdings Berhad and the Aimst (Asian Institute of Medical, Science and Technology) University which "cannot be challenged by the public."

The DAP's Sungkai assemblyperson also acknowledged that the said foundation had met him after Pakatan Harapan won the Perak state government after the 14th general election.

"They came to see me after we (Harapan) formed the state government. I was shocked by the foundation's 'loose' constitution. There was nothing about the development of Indian students in Perak in the constitution.

"I have asked several senior lawyers to study the foundation's constitution. Our goal is to not let the foundation 'slip out' of the hands of the Indian community in Perak," he said.

"This foundation is still new. We know what are its functions and the reason it was set up. If let (unmonitored), maybe in another 20 years, no one will know what the foundation was set up for and it would be open to abuse."

Tamil schools

For the record, the foundation was set up on Aug 30, 2013.

The 2,000-acre land, allocated for the construction of 134 Tamil schools in Perak, was the idea of the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat government when the coalition ruled the state in 2008.

After the Pakatan government was toppled and BN took over in 2009, the latter kept to the former's pledge and set up the foundation to handle matters pertaining to the land. -Mkini