The Malaysian Indian Congress' Yayasan Strategik Social executive director, Dr Denison Jayasooria, selectively wrote about the upcoming MIC university claiming it as MIC's great contribution to Indian Malaysians Moving forward together with MIC

While it has its own merit, this project needs a thorough and rigorous "needs analysis" to ascertain whether it is the most pressing need for the Indians. I believe the Indians' real problem revolves around the serious lack of proper spiritual values which are the foundation of a civilised society. If values which encourage a great desire and thirst for knowledge, both spiritual and secular, are not inherent, a society will succumb to social maladies.

Today the grassroots Indians are showing the symptoms infected with alcoholism, gangsterism, drug abuse, immorality. They have been deprived of the impetus for acquiring comprehensive knowledge to propel the civilising process.

A tertiary secular institute of learning, will not imbibe the Indian community with the foundation of life improving crucial virtues that are vital for a well advanced community. Tertiary institutions cannot correct the primary weakness in the ordinary Indian community.

These weakness have emerged over the years of negligence by the leaders, be they political or spiritual or even social. Unlike the Christians and Muslims, the majority of Indians have not been educated in spiritual knowledge or virtues.

The Bible and the Quran have been the foundation of values for the Christians and the Muslims respectively, but for the Indians no holy scripture has played its specific role in "teaching" the Indians. Because of this great lack of values, the Indians do not have desire that motivates an individual to seek knowledge.

It will be wise for MIC to explore using some of its fund to find ways and means to "spiritualise" the community with virtues and values to instill a learning culture.

Despite the fact that the Dravidians have the Thirukkural , one of the best books on virtue as their scripture, yet the community has been deprived of this knowledge largely due to negligence. If the knowledge of the Thirukkural is systematically infused into young Indian children, they would develop a thirst for knowledge. The book teaches about virtue ( aram ) and knowledge ( porul ), but it is selectively ignored by the MIC leadership.

It will be more realistic for MIC to embark on a "spiritual recreation of the Indian community" instead of embarking on projects which are politically motivated .

The challenge at hand for the present Indian leadership is to study why the Indians have succumbed to social ills.

If the primary education level cannot generate well-learned youths, how can they get into tertiary institutions? Yayasan Strategi Sosial must conduct a detailed study of this basic problem and come out with viable solution as its main task. It should not engage in politicising the MIC or its leaders. On the other hand, it should eliminate party corruption and infuse ethics of good polity.

Dr Ananda Krishnan

Director

Thirukkural Research and Development Centre