KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s possible return as Malaysia’s prime minister is bad news for Indians, MIC Youth chief Datuk Sivarraajh Chandran said on Monday.
He said Indian leaders in the Pakatan Harapan coalition would not be able to attract Indian voters if the fourth prime minister returns as the seventh premier – the same man whose administration deprived an entire generation of Indians of valuable opportunities and rights.
“Even Dr Mahathir has admitted that Indians were poorly-served during his years leading the country. How will he fare leading a Pakatan Harapan line-up that does not have a single party representing the interests of Indians?
“Indians must keep in mind that it was the policies set by Dr Mahathir’s 22-year administration that gradually eroded the economic share that Indians had in the country, which eventually caused the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) rally in 2007,” Sivarraajh said in a statement on Monday.
He added that Indians are still struggling to reverse the damage done to their community by Dr Mahathir’s administration.
And he sees more of the same on the horizon.
Sivarraajh pointed out that very little reference was made to the economically-disadvantaged Indians across the country by Dr Mahathir in his speech at the Pakatan Harapan convention over the weekend.
“With the election just months away, one has to ask – what has happened to Pakatan’s Gelang Patah Declaration? Will they come up with another document to mislead the Indians (again)?” he said.
Sivarrajh noted that Indians began returning to the Barisan Nasional (BN) fold in the 13th general election, and that Dr Mahathir’s nomination as the prime ministerial candidate will only serve to further distance Indians from Pakatan Harapan and towards BN.
He added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has taken proactive steps in addressing the problems suffered by Indians with the Malaysian Indian Blueprint – the first-ever official document aimed at raising the socio-economic status of Indians in the country.