We must have 'nambikei', Najib tells Indians

If they want more for themselves, Indians must have ‘nambikei’, or “trust and belief” in the government, said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

“We need a partnership between Indians and the government, between Indian NGOs and the government,” he told thousands of Malaysian Indians at the national Thaipusam celebration in Batu Caves today.

“If we have partnership... There is more that we can do. We must have nambikei, trust and belief.

“You help me, and I can help you. Nambikei. You trust me and I trust you,” the premier offered, to the cheers of the audience.

He reminded them that his government had given them the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M), the RM100 assistance to schoolchildren and RM200 book vouchers for students.

More, he claimed, will be in store for the Indians if the nambikei and partnership between Indians and the BN-led government are forged.

As a teaser, he also announced a RM2 million special allocation to help kick-start the development of an Indian cultural centre and community hall at the Batu Caves temple complex.

This he said, will be part of a series of more allocations that will be given later on to finance the building of the cultural centre.

The cultural centre was part of a four-point request read out by Batu Caves temple complex board of trustees chairperson R Nadarajah.

Four-point request

In his speech preceding Najib’s, Nadarajah had requested for:

• An Indian cultural centre and hall at Batu Caves,

• Special unit under G Palanivel for Hindu temple affairs,

• Funds for the special unit to operate, and

• One extra holiday during Deepavali for “poor Indians” who have only a one-day holiday unlike the Chinese for Chinese New Year and Malays for Hari Raya Puasa who had two days for both annually.

Najib, however, kept mum on Nadarajah’s other requests in his over one-hour speech, which drew some catcalls from the crowd impatient to hear the premier speak.

Prior to the speeches, Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansur were draped in silk cloth and Malai flowers.

Similar honours were accorded to the slew of BN leaders that accompanied him which included Senator Koh Tsu Koon, MIC president G Palanivel, his deputy S Subramaniam, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, MP SK Devamany and others.

Also present was the Indian High Commissioner.