Write, and you shall be punished!

We all know that when it comes to Tamil schools, there is only ONE self-appointed guardian - the only party that claims any legitimate right to protect the community and all things that come with it, including Tamil schools.

Just think back of the spat between this party and PPP in the Tamil dailies over the plight of Tamil schools in recent weeks. MIC likes to defend itself tightly when it comes to Tamil schools, not allowing ANYONE to have a say or action at all.

In a nutshell, just as it claims, the party has full control of Tamil schools in this country, no doubt.

Given that, two incidents in recent weeks put things into a totally different perspective about the role of this self-appointed guardians of Tamil schools.

First, Johor-based Malaysia Nanban photojournalist, R Raman (aka R Kalaramu) is in coma after being attacked by unidentified group on Nov 2 outside his office in Johor Baru after reporting on problems facing Tamil schools in that state.

And then earlier this week, Raman's colleague M Nagarajan in Kedah received a phone call from an unidentified person threatening to kill him because of a report about a local Tamil school he had written on Monday.

Interestingly Nagarajan was reminded of the attacks on Raman by the caller.

So far there is no conclusive evidence as to the identity of the perpetrators but is it hard to guess?

Anyways, while the issue and anger on this matter have been confined to Malaysia Nanban pages only in Malaysia, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has issued a statement urging the authorities to investigate the attacks and threatening phone call urgently.

It said that Malaysia Nanban was known for its coverage of issues that affect the Indian community, including access to education, that are sometimes critical of the community leadership (read: MIC).

Another vocal critic Makkal Osai was closed for one month in August for publishing a cartoon of Jesus holding a can of beer, after MIC called for strong action against them.

As I see it, if there is no action taken by the police on the attackers and unidentified threat-makers, such attacks will continue unabated against Malaysia Nanban reporters. The style might even be used against Makkal Osai journalists.

As I said, we don’t know who the culprits are. But is it that hard to guess?