By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Universiti Malaya will retain the Indian Studies department at the university, vice-chancellor Ghauth Jasmon has assured representatives of people of Indian origin here.
K. Arumugam, coordinator of 128 NGOs representing people of Indian origin in the country, said the vice-chancellor had also indicated that the university was in the process of recruiting a person proficient in Tamil to head the department.
A controversy arose after the university replaced department head S. Kumaran, who retired, with Mohammed Raduan Mohammed Ariff, the first man not of Indian origin to head the department. The uproar in the community became louder when there was talk of replacing the Indian Studies department with a South Asian Studies department, The Star said Wednesday.
A three-member Indian delegation had a one-hour discussion with Jasmon. They handed over a memorandum asking that an Indian expert be appointed as head of the department.
“The vice-chancellor has agreed to consider a member of the existing staff to head the department if they can get together and agree among themselves.
“He was very frank and patient. He assured us that his intention was only to make it better and not to destroy the department,” Arumugam was quoted as saying.
Nearly two million Malaysian Indians constitute about 8 percent of the population of Malaysia. The bulk of Indian origin people in Malaysia are Tamils.