Deputy National Unity Minister K Saraswathy denied the allegation that her staff had mistreated a mother who was applying for a scholarship fund worth RM 15,000.
During a press conference today, Saraswathy said her office will lodge a police report over the accusation, claiming it was an attempt to tarnish her reputation.
"My response to MIC is that it is not a matter for them to blow it to that extent without knowing the facts of the matter by just relying on her explanation.
"So, I feel this is an attempt and has been their continued attempt, particularly through this one particular person, L Sivasubramaniam to discredit and attack me to set a negative narrative about me," Saraswathy told reporters at her service centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
Apart from police action, Saraswathy, who is also PKR vice president, said she would also refer this matter to the unity government secretariat so the party involved would be reprimanded for amplifying the allegations.
Two days ago, MIC central working committee member Sivasubramaniam urged Saraswathy to take action against one of her officers accused of using disrespectful words towards a mother who requested financial assistance for her child’s education.
This is after allegations spread on social media that one of her special duties officers had said, “Why send your child to study to be a doctor if you don't have money?”
Sivasubramaniam said he had met the woman, who had applied for financial assistance at the Advanced Educational Development Institute, MIC’s education arm.
He also revealed that MIC had previously loaned the mother RM15,000, but she’s now requesting another loan.
Chronology of events
According to Saraswathy, the mother had come to her office on Feb 16, met one of her officers and passed her a handwritten note stating that she needed funds for her daughter to continue her medical course in Russia.
"My staff then told her to write a proper letter with some supporting documents to ease the process," she said.
Saraswathy added that the mother had texted her staff on Feb 19, asking if she had received the letter and the supporting documents, to which her staff responded by saying she did not receive any email.
"The person then sends the documents through WhatsApp, which my staff took the trouble to print for my other employee to collect the document and bring it to my office in Putrajaya," she said.
On Feb 21, Saraswathy said that one of her staffers collected the documents and had to register them in the mailing department. Eventually, Saraswathy received the documents on Feb 23.
Saraswathy then said she had personally contacted an establishment which provides funds for students, arranged the necessary steps and also had all the documents passed to the organisation to process.
"We submitted all the documents that we had. They only wanted her to fill up the form. Following that conversation, at one point she asked if it was a fund or a loan. The organisation replied it was a loan because the body only gives loans.
“The minute they said it was a loan, she stopped communicating with them despite the organisation repeatedly asking the mother to submit her application form. We have communication trails of the secretary. I can even share the telephone number of the secretary,” she said.
Helpful despite doubts
On that note, Saraswathy highlighted there were doubts about the legitimacy of the documents sent to her office, as it only had an admission letter for a medical course for the 2019/2020 session.
Despite the doubt, Saraswathy said she insisted on helping the mother but did not expect things to end up like this.
"She did not have any statement for the current year and we are unsure if the girl is really pursuing her studies.
"And we didn't even have the statement of outstanding payment from the university. Yet we took the initiative to request the organisation to consider her plight.
“And all they only wanted was for her to submit the application form, which she has not done till today," she said. - Mkini
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