DAP-PKR-PAS' betrayal of the Indians
Malaysiakini.com
Apr 1, 2008
Ashwin Fernandez

The recent announcement of the exco composition of the PKR-DAP-PAS controlled Perak and Selangor is a huge let down for the marginalized Indian community. It really borders on the outer limits of betrayal. Least this letter be misconstrued as a mischievous attempt of a MIC or Barisan supporter, let this be put to rest – we voted for PAS in Perak and for PKR in Selangor. MCPX

And what do we marginalised Indians get in return? The same one miserable exco seat each in Selangor and Perak – just like what Umno gave MIC. For a marginalised community that started the tsunami what do we get – one miserable seat. For a community that defied the police, bore the brunt of tear gas, were charged with murder and placed in police lock ups and under the ISA – what do we get? One miserable exco seat. We threw the dictator Samy Vellu out in Perak and what do we get in Perak? One miserable exco seat.

Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang would not have had an audience at their early ceramah if not for the Indians who made a sizable portion of the audience. Others saw us coming out in the thousands for the ceramah and decided to follow suit. A marginalised community ignited a revolution in this country that ended up in a tsunami. And what do we get for it? Betrayal.

The problems of the suppressed Indian community are too enormous for just a single exco member to handle. A Sivanesan of Perak and Dr Xavier Jayakumar would fail because the task is unmanageable – unmanageable by any single person. Definitely an argument will be forthcoming that this Barisan Rakyat represents all races and that their elected representatives would take care of all regardless. If so, then why the tussle over exco seat allocations between the parties? Why the wrangling over juicy portfolios like land and local government?

How about PAS in Perak? Instead of taking three exco seats, why didn’t it give up one and insist on two exco seats for Indians? How could PAS have won these many seats both in Selangor and Perak if not for the 95% Indian support for a party that wouldn’t even allow me, a Malaysian, to be a full member because of my religion? Is this action a ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ action, can this action be called keadilan and is this the action of a party that is rooted in religion?

We Indian Malaysians were colour blind, race blind and religion blind during the last elections – because we didn’t want it to matter. To our core, we were Malaysians first, Malaysians second and Malaysians third. We placed our entire faith in the hands of the Barisan Rakyat parties. Now have we been shortchanged. No, we have been betrayed instead.

How could one Indian exco member be successful in safeguarding the interest of all the Indians as well as the interest of all Malaysians in Selangor and Perak? The Malaysian Malaysia’s DAP website and PKR’s website don’t even have sections in Tamil – only Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin! Now who is marginalising whom? Gentlemen, let your action speak louder than all your sweet campaign words.

Please make amends to your actions. There are city council and municipal council heads to be changed. The PKR-DAP-PAS coalition should ensure that at least some of the big cities have an Indian as a mayor or municipal head, both in Selangor and Perak. There are also state government bodies and corporations. Please ensure adequate representation at senior levels.

Also, both these states, please come up with a comprehensive plan to combat the problems the Indians are faced with. We are disappointed so far but we are hopeful that the wrongs will be righted. We hope we will not be let down again in the future.

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