'Fast unto death' threat over Najib's promise

Jiwi Kathaiah Nov 19, 2012

Members of the board of management of SJK Tamil Ladang Minyak Serendah reconfirmed today that they will begin their "fast unto death" from midnight tomorrow if the promise of new premises for the school is not fulfilled.


They said the fast unto death would definitely be on if the promise of RM5.5 million for the school made by Prime Minister Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and MIC president G Palanivel was not fulfilled.


"We made public our decision to go on a fast unto death on Nov 3 and have confirmed the same in our letters to the prime minister, deputy prime minister, the MIC president and the other relevant departments," school board chairperson A Rama Rao (left) said yesterday.


"There has been no response from any of them till today," he added.

The new three-storey school building should be up and ready for the new intake in 2014, but not even a blade of grass has been moved at the site, Rama Rao said.

The two-acre plot for the Tamil school was provided by UMW Holdings. The school board is the registered owner of the land.


Rama Rao explained: "On April 24, 2010, during the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign, the prime minister announced an allocation of RM1 million for the development of the school.

Site ready, plans drawn up, but no money...  

"At the ground breaking ceremony held at SJKT Ladang Minyak Serendah on June 7, 2012, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin promised the school's board of management another RM2.5 million for the school.


"Then, MIC president G Palanivel was reported in Tamil Nesan and Malaysia Nanban on Oct 7, 2012, as offering RM2 million for the school.


"So, it is RM5.5 million altogether. But nothing has come to the board."


The school board has had the building plans drawn up and appointed a contractor to build it, Rama Rao said, adding that "all the preliminary work had been completed" and that the board was waiting for the money promised.

When it was pointed to him that the deputy minister of education had on Nov 10 announced that tenders for the construction of the new building for the school would be called on Nov 15, Rama Rao said, "Nov 15 was a public holiday. That shows how serious the deputy minister was on this matter.

"However, we are serious. Our fast unto death begins on Nov 21."