‘Problems facing Indians can’t be solved overnight’

Klang MP Charles Santiago believes that the problems plaguing the Indian community are deep-rooted.

PETALING JAYA: The problems of the Indian community are so deep-rooted that they cannot be fixed overnight, Klang MP Charles Santiago said today.

For example, he said that the Indian share of equity had remained stagnant although the Indians have been in the country for almost 150 years.

“In 2000, the Indian share of equity was 1.6% and in 2010 it was still 1.6%,” he said.

He was commenting on a FMT article which said that PKR was taking initiatives to win back dwindling Indian support to the opposition.

He said that the Selangor government has been taking measures to address the community’s plight.

“For example, the state government has been spending money on Tamil schools not only to help the weak students but also their parents,” he said, adding that other measures included assisting single mothers, building houses for the poor and conducting kindergarten classes.

However, he claimed that the state government has limited budget, adding that the federal government should also chip in to help the community.

“The state had budgeted RM1.3 billion for this year. Half of it goes to payment of wages… the remainder is for development works… So what the state government can do is very limited.”

PR stunts

Santiago also took a swipe at Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for his outings to the Indian communities to mark their new year celebrations, saying that “30% to 40% of the community is involved in gangsterism, faces unemployment… these are the issue that need to be settled, and not wishing the community a happy new year”.

He dismissed Najib’s forays to win over Indian support as mere public relations stunts.

“Offering billions in short meetings with the Indians will not solve the community’s problems,” Santiago said.

Najib is scheduled to visit the Simpang Lima Tamil school in Klang on May 29 in what many political observers believe is an attempt to win back Indian support.

But Santiago issued a challenge to Najib to open a new Tamil school at a piece of land allocated by the state government nearby. The Simpang Lima Tamil school, with 2,300 students, is said to be overcrowded.

He also disagreed that the swing in Indian votes had caused Pakatan Rakyat to lose by-elections held in Hulu Selangor (Selangor), Bagan Pinang (Negri Sembilan), Tenang (Johor) and Merlimau.

The FMT article also quoted a PKR source as saying the party lost in the by-elections because it was not serious in tackling problems of the community.

However, Santiago said that the performance of the Selangor government in helping the Indian community cannot be judged by the outcome of the by-elections.