Blame yourself, not Najib, Gerakan tells Waytha Moorthy

Gerakan vice-president A Kohilan has reminded Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia (PHM) chairperson P Waytha Moorthy of what transpired before the last general election and claimed that the latter had only himself to blame.

He said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had accepted the movement's blueprint, leading to a memorandum of understanding being signed with regard to six key points aimed at bringing more Indians into the mainstream of the country's development.

Whereas, the deputy foreign minister added that the now defunct opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat had refused to consider or support even the minimum demands of the blueprint.

Responding to the accusation that BN had not fulfilled the terms of the MoU and shortchanged the Indian community, Kohilan also reminded Waytha Moorthy of how Najib had appointed the PHM leader as a senator and deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

“Waytha Moorthy was appointed as a senator and a deputy minister to oversee the government’s efforts to uplift the socio-economic status of the Indian community but he failed.

“It was his own decision to resign and give up the role, he only has himself to blame, not the PM or government,” he said in a media statement.

Kohilan claimed that Waytha Moorthy failed because he did not work as a team and was ineffective in continuing his fight for the community by squandering the opportunity to advocate in a proper and official platform as a member of the cabinet.

He said Waytha Moorthy's appointment to the cabinet enabled him to be in control and oversee the deliverance of government's efforts, but he failed to live up to his responsibility and gave up.

Kohilan also criticised PHM's recent decision to back the new opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan when the latter's predecessor had spurned the blueprint.

“Najib has shown that the well-being of Indians along with other communities is a matter close to his heart. The BN government under his leadership has done a lot for the Indian community. The commitment and sincerity are unmistakably clear.

“The launching of the 10-year Malaysian Indian Blueprint in April was the renewal of such commitment and effort,” he said.

Kohilan added that the struggle to protect and uplift the Indian community has now been picked up by BN.

He said MIC and Gerakan are committed to fighting for Indians effectively through the governmental framework and platform and appealed for the community's support to make this successful.

He quoted the formation of the Special Unit Programme for Socioeconomic Development of the Indian Community (SEDIC), the Secretariat for Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs (SEED) and the MyDaftar campaign by the government, which have yielded proven results as a concrete reason for the Indian community to continue their support for the government.- Mkini