Fact check: What did Kula say about ‘pendatang’?

FACT CHECK | Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran came under fire earlier yesterday for reportedly calling Malays “pendatang” (immigrants), and that Indians were the original inhabitants of Malaya.

Kulasegaran has since denied this, saying an Utusan Malaysia report on this was slanderous, and that a Tamil-language speech of his had been deliberately taken out of context to stir racial tensions.

Malaysiakini has analysed a video of Kulasegaran's speech, made at an event in Nilai last week, to determine what was actually said.

"They were the pendatang, we were not pendatang. They and us are the same," he said in the speech to explain the history of Indian presence in the peninsula.

However, Kulasegaran does not elaborate on who “they” refers to in the video excerpt.

The minister later explained to Malaysiakini that "they" does not refer to any race in particular.

"If you listen to my whole speech, what I was referring to are instigators. Those who call Indians pendatang and incite racial hatred, they are the pendatang," he said.

The video, posted by website MyNewsHub, has been verified as accurate and unmanipulated by the minister's press secretary.

However, the officer said the video is only an excerpt of an 18-minute speech, and that the reports by Utusan and MyNewsHub were fabricated.

Malaysiakini is attempting to get a full recording of the speech.

The analysis of what was said is as follows:

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What Utusan reported

Paragraph 1:

“Naib Pengerusi DAP, M Kula Segaran mendakwa Melayu merupakan golongan pendatang di negara ini sementara penduduk asal merupakan penganut agama Hindu” (DAP vice-chairperson M Kula Segaran claims Malays are pendatang in this country, while the original inhabitants were Hindu).

Paragraphs 4-5:

“Kebanyakan orang telah lupa, orang Hindu mula jejak negara ini 2,500 tahun dulu. Apa buktinya? Sekiranya anda pergi ke Lembah Bujang, ke­semua bukti terdapat di sana. Terdapat banyak kuil lama yang ditemui di sana” (Many people have forgotten, Hindus have been in this country for 2,500 years. What's the evidence? If you go to the Bujang Valley, all the evidence is there. There are many old temples found there.

“Apabila kitalah yang berada di negara ini terlebih dahulu, maka, merekalah (Melayu) yang sebenarnya pendatang! Kita dan Melayu adalah setaraf. Ini tanah air kita!” (When we were the first ones here, therefore, they (Malays) are the pendatang. The Malays and us are of the same level. This is our motherland!)

Note: MyNewsHub provided a transcript that is similar to the quotes published by Utusan.

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Kulasegaran's explanation

“In a Tamil-language event, I did not mention once about Malays. Hence, the accusation that I called the Malays pendatang is pure slander and a lie.

“What I explained in that event was that Indians had been in Malaya since 2,500 years ago. Hinduism was brought by Indians to Malaya. Archaeological finds in the Bujang Valley, especially the finding of Sungai Batu in Kedah, have proven this.

“In light of that, I believe it is unfair to call Indians pendatang based on those historical facts.

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M'kini's translation of Kulasegaran's speech from video excerpt

“A lot of people, when asked about our history, (they say our) history dates back 120-130 years.

“Not true. When we first came here (it was) 2,500 years ago. The evidence is in Bujang Valley. There are temples there... buried.

“They were the pendatang, we were not pendatang. They and us are the same.

“If you ask a lot of our students, they will say (our history is) 100 years...'because my teacher told me that'

“I say, knock that teacher's head. You can quote me on that. We have the right to stay here, this is our motherland.

“We have all the rights to stay here as they do. Don't give up. We must tell our people that…” (video ends).

-Mkini