S Gopinath

We had Maria Chin Abdullah detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) for organising Bersih 5 - the objective was to spread awareness on the importance of a clean voting system.

It is not easy to go into business today. The struggle is real. From unequal opportunities to biased perceptions based on ethnicity and race, there are circumstances that we cannot combat even with a high level of education and professionalism.

This is in response to Professor Navin Rajendran’s article in the Kuala Lumpur Post regarding community transformation. The statement had a headline that reads ‘Unity is the key to community transformation - Prof Rajendran’. In the five-sentence post, the professor was also quoted as saying that the community needs transformation in order to build a better future for the next generation.

The prime minister has announced a 30-year transformation plan - TN50; which will propel the nation’s direction towards globalisation via a new canvas. The PM hopes to make this a success by empowering youths through the Youth and Sports Ministry.

Floods have become just ‘any other’ news for us Malaysians these days. It’s a yearly anticipation and battle to fight with. I remember reading that one of the flood victim, Isa Kassim, 65 from Kuala Berang, telling the reporters from Bernama that this is the worst flood in 30 years.

Many entrepreneurs are marching into 2017 with a heavy heart; too many uncertainties, from currency rate to politics. Businesses everywhere are witnessing a slow tempo at the moment, will it prolong in 2017? We doubt it.

The Perlis government’s amendment to its enactment in allowing the unilateral conversion of a non-Muslim child by a newly-converted Muslim parent without the consent of the non-Muslim spouse is clearly against the federal government’s proposed Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act which was tabled just recently, on Dec 21, 2016 aiming to put an end to the unilateral conversion of minors.

The Indian Development Blueprint is in the making now.

The UPSR results have been announced.

While your children are battling with SPM for the next one month or so, what are your plans for them once the exams are over? Have the tertiary academic courses been selected or are they still undecided, hoping that the exam results would point to a more realistic direction?

With laws/policies like this - no one will be afraid to commit a crime in the future. Attempt rape and get murdered by the victim; victim is sentenced. Break into a house and get murdered by the victim; victim is hung to death. Appointed as a teacher and molests students, teacher gets transferred, students remain in trauma. Justice is mere fantasy these days.

In my opinion, none of us (Indians) should be happy with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s speech at the recent annual general meeting of the MIC last Sunday.

My heartiest congratulations to the MIC Youth chief, C Sivaarrajh, for coming up with I-Padu. The fact that the willingness to be audited is coming from a MIC leader itself is very impressive and was surely one that was not expected by many of us. Bravo, our society needs more youngsters like Sivaarrajh to be on the front lines.

‘Government in talks with EPF on higher housing withdrawal’ reads the headline of an article in The Star Online on Oct 5, 2016.

The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) came into implementation in 1997, and a total of RM 56.4 billion been disbursed so far. The management complains that it has only received back RM 8 billion to date from their borrowers.

It is undeniable that most of the Indian Malaysians in this country are not aligned with MIC. We constantly voice our frustrations and suggest ways to enhance the party as it is the only party representing us in the Parliament.

Recently, my team and I visited a Tamil school which is located about 35 kilometres away from Kuala Lumpur. We were there to give away some stationary for the students sitting for UPSR this year and to survey on their other needs as we are planning to ‘adopt’ the school and to look into their well-being until they are self-sustained.

“Young Tamils, unable to get jobs, have taken over gangster activities from the Chinese and this is a major problem for the nation,” said Prof Hoo Kee Ping on June 7, 2016. These words have made their way onto many local dailies on the very same date. This is the remark that we have earned after 59 years of Independence.

It’s heartwarming to see more and more Tamil school students doing well in both their academic and co-curricular activities. The recent success of SJKT Kajang in winning the Fan Favorite Award in the Interact Video Awards ( IVA 2015 ) competing against 87 entries from 25 countries is not just commendable but is worth including in Malaysian Book of Records.