By P Ramasamy
Shocking truths about the Asia Institute of Medical, Science and Technology University (AIMST) are finally emerging.
AIMST was started by the MIC in the 1990s in Bedong, Kedah, to address the tertiary educational and professional needs of the Indians.
The land for the establishment of the campus was provided by the Kedah state government.
However, whether the university is owned by the MIC or its affiliates is not known. There are rumours to indicate that ownership of the university is in the hands of certain individuals who are close to the former president of MIC, S Samy Vellu.
Apart from the ownership question is the question of whether the funds collected from the Indian community and thousands of MIC branches are being put to the good use in promoting Indian educational advancement.
The most worrisome aspect of AIMST is the decline in the intake of Indian students over the years in professional disciplines such as medicine, dentistry and others.
In the recent intake into the dentistry faculty, out of the total 75 students only 3 were Indians. It is not that Indian students do not have the grades but it is due to their inability to pay their fees. Non-Indians seem to be the preferred choice of the administration overseen by the MIC, the supposedly champions of Indians or the “mother party”.
If AIMST is just an ordinary private university then it is understandable if poor Indian students are not admitted on the grounds of a lack of funds.
Therefore, AIMST, started by the MIC with so much fanfare about the need to uplift the poor Indians, has failed tragically and miserably in addressing the “aims” of Indians.
Yes, land was given free and millions collected from poor Indians but what is the result – another sad episode for the Indian community that has contributed in blood and sweat for the development of the country.
The “mother party”, the MIC, has made a mockery of the need to uplift the poor Indians. Their contributions are being used to educate the rich students.
P Ramasamy is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang.
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