Creating an avenue for progress

The RM390mil Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology, a mammoth project for the benefit of Indians, is seen as the vehicle to carry the Indian community into the future. However, while response has been encouraging, there have also been critcisms, writes A. LETCHUMANAN. THE project, the brainchild of MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, has received brickbats as well as criticisms from certain quarters but he is clearly committed to making the university a reality.

He has been working tirelessly, running the width and breadth of the country, cajoling the Indians especially MIC members; and occasionally issuing threats to assist in raising the much-needed funds for the construction of the university.

The university is being built on a 92ha site in Semeling, 15km from Sungai Petani, and is the fourth private medical university in the country after Penang Medical College, Malacca Manipal University and International Medical University in Bukit Jalil. It is expected to be completed before February 2004.

Samy Vellu, in his speeches, always makes it a point to stress the importance of education, reminding the community that the lack of proper education had left them behind until the 19th century.

"They had been hard labourers but today we can be proud as there are professionals like lawyers, doctors and university graduates. This is the vision for the future. Our aim is to provide education to the community as well as the children of other communities," he said in an interview.

Samy Vellu is determined to see the university emerge as one of the best higher learning institutions in the country and is not about to be daunted by criticisms.

"This is a very demanding project. No one took the university as a challenge all this while. I know what my goals are. The community knows what I am doing and we cannot be unnecessarily worried about a handful of people," he said, adding that there had been criticisms when MIC started the TAFE College 18 years ago.

"Let the dogs continue barking but there is a mission to be accomplished. We cannot be derailed by these irresponsible critics who don't want to see anything good done for the community."

He said TAFE College had contributed to the huge number of skilled Indians in the job market while Maju Institute of Educational Development had been providing loans to hundreds of needy students to pursue their studies locally and overseas.

Though the Works Minister's schedule is packed, he still makes time to visit the construction site of the university during his trips to Kedah.

One aide said Samy Vellu would always attend to all calls on the cellphone and even makes it a point to return calls. "He is the only one who will take calls from anyone, be it a small person or a student. He is a people's man and patiently listens to their problems."

The aide said that a student had called him and wanted to obtain his signature to apply for a study loan and Samy Vellu patiently spoke to the student and asked him to meet him at the airport before he returned to Kuala Lumpur.

On another occasion, Samy Vellu stopped and listened to the woes of a family at the lobby of a hotel in Sungai Petani although he was already late for another engagement at a Tamil school in Sungai Petani. He later attended a dinner organised by the Merbok division, which raised about RM151,000 for the university.

This interview with Samy Vellu was disrupted several times by such incidents.

Replying to critics, Samy Vellu said they did not realise the importance of education and had influenced a journalist to write negative articles about the university. "The project was awarded to a contractor but he faced problems and we had to terminate the agreement. This is normal but to these people, this is something wrong. They had gone on a campaign to discredit the university and the party. They think that they are doing the community a favour. "We know what they are up to. They use vettipechu, a website belonging to a man who is based in New York, to attack us. They have no guts to set up a website of their own. In fact, vettipechu is also known as nonsense talk," he said, adding that it was pointless taking legal action against these people. Rebutting claims that a private company, AIMST Sdn Bhd, owns the university, Samy Vellu said the company was formed in keeping with the requirement for a locally incorporated company to be set up within one year of the approval under the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act.

"The company should have issued and paid-up capital, subject to such terms and conditions with respect to equity participation and composition of the board of directors and with the sole objective of establishing and managing private higher educational institutions," he said, adding that the approval would be withdrawn unless the authorities grant an extension of time.

Samy Vellu said the critics appeared to be living abroad and had no idea about the business realities in the country. "We need to have bumiputra participation to form a company. We cannot run away from it. With the company, it would be easier to get loans from the financial institutions," he said, adding that the shares in the university are being held in trust on behalf of MIC.

Samy Vellu said the critics thought they could destroy MIC's credibility.

"In fact, we have been getting a good response from MIC divisions and the people in our efforts to fund the university. I have collected sums ranging from RM100,000 to RM2mil in the past two months. The response is very encouraging and people from all walks of life have donated."

For Samy Vellu, the challenge is not only in educating the community but also his critics.

(Submitted on 28th October 2002)