Indian NGOs clear the air over RM1.6-million allocation

PETALING JAYA: After being accused of fund mismanagement, representatives from three NGOs today cleared the air over the RM1.6-million allocation from the Selangor government for the Tamil Schools Programme (TSP).FMT had earlier reported that the Selangor government allocated RM4 million for Tamil schools annually, of which RM2.4 million was given directly to Tamil schools while the remaining RM1.6 million was distributed for the TSP through three NGOs.

The three are the Tamil Foundation (TF), Educational Welfare and Research Foundation (EWRF) and Child Information Learning Development Centre (CHILD).The allocation through the NGOs was questioned by the Tamil Schools' Parent's Association of Selangor (TSPAS), with its president S Murali claiming that allocation for the TSP was being mismanaged.Murali had said that the money should have gone directly to the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) of Tamil schools.

When asked why the Selangor government chose to disperse the money to the NGOs instead of to PTAs, TSP coordinator K Arumugam said: “We have the experience."EWRF special adviser S Pasupathi chipped in: “We are not ordinary NGOs. Most Tamil schools know about us. The EWRF has been around for 34 years. We've been doing these (programmess) for a long time.”According to Arumugam, the three NGOs first approached the Selangor government with a proposal for “developing soft skills” for Tamil schools in mid-2008. They were then given the RM1.6 million in 2009.“When it comes to Tamil schools, there are two aspects: Physical and student (development),” said Pasupathi, adding that TSP was in a better position to take care of them.

'We don't rely solely on state funds'

Asked to elaborate, Pasupathi said that the services included English proficiency classes for students and transport allowances for volunteer teachers.EWRF is also involved in the printing of a five-times-a-year trilingual magazine known as Elanthalir, which is provided free for upper primary Tamil school pupils.
Pasupathi said the three NGOs did not depend on the state money alone. “What we (EWRF) get from the state amounts to 25% to 30% (of EWRF's total budget),” he said.The EWRF adviser told FMT that his organisation had an annual budget of RM2 million.“We get (most of) our money from the (Indian) community, and we have partners such as Hong Leong Bank,” he added.

Pasupathi also confirmed Selangor state exco Xavier Jeyakumar's affiliation with the EWRF.Murali had earlier claimed that Xavier was “very close with the EWRF” and that “he had no business with the NGOs”.
“Jeyakumar was an EWRF member for a long time,” Pasupathi said. “He was part of our Klang branch, and has contributed much to the NGO for more than 10 years.”He did not see Jeyakumar's involvement with the organisation as something amiss as many in the state administration have NGO backgrounds.“But what about Murali? What credentials does he have? EWRF has been around for many years, while TSPAS has been around for two,” he shot back.

When asked about Murali's gripe with the TSP, Arumugam said: "With these programmes in Tamil schools, NGOs are powerful. If the NGOs are removed, then it would be easier for him to take control.”When asked if he had any evidence to support his claims that TSP was mismanaging funds, Murali said: “No, but I have the audit report of these NGOs that might shed some light.”

Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/pakatan-rakyat/8444-indian-ngos-clear-the-air-over-rm16-million-allocation