Don't pay taxes if ministry fails to act, non-Muslims told

A MIC leader suggested that non-Muslims stop paying taxes if the Education Ministry fails to act against the school authorities who allegedly made their non-Muslim students eat in a shower room during Ramadan.

"This is ridiculous!" said party strategy director S Vell Paari in a statement. "Is this what the children of non-Muslims have been reduced to? Having to hide in washrooms to eat."

"To be honest, I am at a loss for words. The future of this country appears bleak and I fear for the future of our children which such school authorities and teachers around," he added.

Vell Paari called on the Education Ministry to launch an immediate probe and act against those responsible.

"It should not simply be a slap on the wrist, such as transferring the teacher or teachers responsible," he said.

Failing which, Vell Paari suggested that non-Muslims refrain from paying taxes.
                    
"Our tax money is used to pay the salaries of the civil service and if this is the kind of people (civil servants) we get, then we might as well stop paying," he said.

Photographs emerged online allegedly showing non-Muslim students of SK Seri Pristina in Sungai Buloh being made to eat in a shower room during fasting month.

The photographs were supposedly uploaded on Facebook by a parent.

It is alleged that school authorities made the students eat in the makeshift room, located next to the toilets.

No food is believed to be served in the canteen, which is said to be closed during Ramadan.

Miba: This violates the constitution
Also condemning the move, Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar said such actions, if true, went against the teachings of Islam itself.

"What about the rights of people of other faiths, which are protected by the constitution?" he asked.

Sivakumar said there were also cases were certain restaurants refused to serve food to non-Muslim patrons. 

"Fasting is an individual thing between the person and God... it should not be an excuse to hurt the feelings of others. And this applies to all religions," he added.

As far as the school was concerned, Sivakumar said the authorities action had violated the constitution.

"This is ridiculous situation, we live in a multiracial and multi-religious country. An  investigation must be done and action must be taken. 

"We can't just be taking about reforms, things need to change. All those who harp on religious issues and stoke the flames of racism must grow up," he added. 

WargaAman: 1Malaysia goes to the toilet 
A coalition of Indian NGOs also criticised the school, describing the latest incident as another glaring example of disrespect towards non-Muslims.

WargaAman secretary-general S Barathidasan said these incidents occur because the civil servants had no fear.

"They know that the government would not take action and this would be just another case in a long list of similar cases. What we need is firm action to send a message across that such things would not be tolerated," he added.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's 1Malaysia slogan, Barathidasan said that in the latest case, "1Malaysia had literally gone to the toilet."

Furthermore, he asked why should non-Muslim children be punished just because their Muslim schoolmates were fasting.

"What kind of divisive message are we sowing in these young minds. We are not animals, we are human beings, why must our children eat under such deplorable conditions," he said.

Barathidasan said WargaAman would be visiting the school tomorrow to demand an explanation from the principal.

School claims makeshift canteen used by all 
In an immediate response on Twitter, Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan said the school had been instructed to change the location of the temporary eating room.

The MIC leader and Hulu Selangor MP added that the ministry had requested for an investigation into the matter.

"If the canteen is under renovation, a proper place should have been identified; surely not the changing room. It is not the right thing to do. The school could have appointed a temporary canteen operator to run the operations during Ramadan," he said.

Meanwhile, the school claimed that the shower room had been used as a "canteen" since March this year due to "space constraints" in the canteen proper.

S Yogendran, the special officer to Kamalanathan, said that SK Seri Pristina's principal had informed him that the canteen was not large enough to accommodate the students.

However, he did not provide an explanation as to why the canteen was not used during the Ramadan fasting month despite space availability, referring the issue to the deputy minister.