THE standoff over the Vivekananda Ashram refers. The Vivekananda Mission's role in education is to teach good moral values, spiritualism, cultural studies and yoga. It is not to do the job of the government by spending the mission's finances to run a government school.
The mission had to provide education during the pre-independence period, when there was no education policy. After independence, education became the responsibility of the government.
The government through the Razak Report made it its duty to provide for schools for all Malayans, and later Malaysians. Malay, English (for a limited period), Chinese (primary) and Tamil (primary) schools were supported by the government, and secondary level education was provided for all Malaysian children.
In the early years, it was in order for the mission to maintain the Tamil schools because they carried out religious and cultural activities.
However, the government policy from 1980s restricted these schools to mere government policy schools. Many schools have been ordered to do away with non-Muslim activities.
Tamil schools have indirectly been able to maintain religion and culture but for how long? When Tamil schools can no longer maintain and impart Hindu religion and culture, how will the mission advance its cause by maintaining a Tamil school purely for its language of instruction? The mission should concentrate on cultivating the use of its ashram in advancing its mission.
I have not seen any cogent reason to explain why the management feels that part of this heritage building and this land entrusted to the mission by the Hindu community of Malaysia ought to be developed and sold as luxury apartments. I do not understand why they want to raise funds to maintain schools, when it is the government's responsibility to do so.
Please turn the ashram into a spiritual and cultural education and training centre with an auditorium for cultural shows and weddings. That was the historical site of the Sangeetha Abiviruthi Sabha which was the venue of spiritual and cultural activities for more than a century.
This was the vision of the present chairman in the 1980s when he declared his intentions of developing the ashram into a grand cultural centre.
I appeal to the chairman to re-think his proposal to build multi-storey apartments on the site.
Datuk A. Vaithilingam
Former President
Malaysia Hindu Sangam
The mission had to provide education during the pre-independence period, when there was no education policy. After independence, education became the responsibility of the government.
The government through the Razak Report made it its duty to provide for schools for all Malayans, and later Malaysians. Malay, English (for a limited period), Chinese (primary) and Tamil (primary) schools were supported by the government, and secondary level education was provided for all Malaysian children.
In the early years, it was in order for the mission to maintain the Tamil schools because they carried out religious and cultural activities.
However, the government policy from 1980s restricted these schools to mere government policy schools. Many schools have been ordered to do away with non-Muslim activities.
Tamil schools have indirectly been able to maintain religion and culture but for how long? When Tamil schools can no longer maintain and impart Hindu religion and culture, how will the mission advance its cause by maintaining a Tamil school purely for its language of instruction? The mission should concentrate on cultivating the use of its ashram in advancing its mission.
I have not seen any cogent reason to explain why the management feels that part of this heritage building and this land entrusted to the mission by the Hindu community of Malaysia ought to be developed and sold as luxury apartments. I do not understand why they want to raise funds to maintain schools, when it is the government's responsibility to do so.
Please turn the ashram into a spiritual and cultural education and training centre with an auditorium for cultural shows and weddings. That was the historical site of the Sangeetha Abiviruthi Sabha which was the venue of spiritual and cultural activities for more than a century.
This was the vision of the present chairman in the 1980s when he declared his intentions of developing the ashram into a grand cultural centre.
I appeal to the chairman to re-think his proposal to build multi-storey apartments on the site.
Datuk A. Vaithilingam
Former President
Malaysia Hindu Sangam