‘Uplift the Indian community too, Najib’

While urging Najib to do more for the Indian community, Tunku Aziz also criticised DAP's manifesto for Indians for being prepared overnight to fish Indian votes.

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, a former Transparency International-Malaysia president,  wants Barisan Nasional chairman Najib Tun Razak to endorse and implement the Hindraf Makkal Sakti’s blueprint to correct the historical wrongs committed on the Indian community.

Pointing out that Indians have been marginalised since colonial days, Tunku Abdul Aziz said by right the government should have implemented a blueprint on its own to uplift the Indians by now.

If only successive governments had implemented what was needful and rightful for the Indians since independence, he said Hindraf and Indians would not have resorted to the streets or tabled a blueprint to exert their rightful demands.

He stressed Najib must endorse the blueprint and implement it fully if he was serious with his transformation plans for the country.

He said it would be an ill-conceived idea for Najib to implement his transformation plans while a segment of citizens remained languished.

“I call on Najib to endorse and implement Hindraf blueprint for Indians.

“It is long overdue. Najib should take the bold pro-active initiatives to correct the historical wrongdoings on Indians.

“It’s timely for him to rightly rectify the neglect of past.

“Poor Indians will be grateful to him,” said Tunku Aziz, formerly a DAP vice-chairman, adding that Najib was a premier who listens and delivers to the people.

He also dismissed criticisms that Hindraf blueprint was an extreme and racist agenda for one particular community.

DAP’s instand noodle blueprint
Tunku Aziz insisted that the blueprint was a legitimate demand to uplift Malaysians of Indian origin sidelined from country’s mainstream development.

“Hindraf is not demanding the sky and the moon for the Indians.

“It’s just asking the government of the day to correct past wrongs done on Indians.

“It’s just asking for a policy for Indians that by right should have been implemented long time ago,” he told FMT when he was here to speak at a public rally in Bukit Mertajam last night.

On the 14-point DAP manifesto for Indians, he said it was an “instant noodle” prepared overnight to fish Indian votes.

He mocked the DAP Indian representatives for preparing the instant blueprint to hoodwink Indians when for five years they merely stood and watch as the DAP-helmed state government in Penang and the party’s executive councillors in Selangor failed to implement any worthy policy to benefit Indians.

Dubbed as “Gelang Patah Declaration”, the DAP blueprint was unveiled by party senior leader Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency.

During his time in DAP, Tunku Aziz said he had never heard of Lim, his son, Guan Eng, or Indian representatives like P Ramasamy, M Kulasegaran and Charles Santiago highlighting, discussing or finding solutions for Indian issues.

He said the only person who would constantly highlight Indian issues in DAP and Pakatan Rakyat meetings was former Senator S Ramakrishnan.

“DAP has done nothing for Indians but came up with a bombardstic glamour declaration to cheat Indians,” said Tunku Abdul Aziz.