Former minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar has lauded Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government, saying that it has shown a sincere commitment to addressing long-standing issues faced by the Indian community in Malaysia.
The former water, land, and natural resources minister claimed that the government’s efforts to bring about change are evident and that the victory in the Mahkota by-election in Johor proves that the people recognise the good it is doing.
“Everyone is aware that the problems the Indian community faces did not arise overnight, nor will they be resolved immediately.
“However, we must acknowledge that the government has already begun taking steps to alleviate these issues, and it must be recognised that the prime minister is working sincerely and honestly to address them.
“As evidence, Anwar recently held his third meeting with the Indian representatives in Parliament, state assemblies, and the Senate, outlining both what the government has already done and what it plans to do for the Indian community,” Xavier stated in a statement, as reported by Bernama.
Ironically, In March 2021, Xavier resigned from PKR to support then-prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
He had been a part of the party since 1998 when it was called Parti Keadilan Nasional, and his daughter, Sangetha Jayakumar is still PKR Women’s vice chief.
On Saturday, BN’s Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah won the Mahkota by-election by securing 27,795 votes against Perikatan Nasional’s Mohamad Haizan Jaafar - who received 7,347 votes.
However, despite the huge margin of victory, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke noted a significant rise in non-Malay voters giving the by-election a miss and reminded all parties within the coalition government to maintain internal harmony and strengthen cooperation to achieve greater success in the future.
Eliminating racism from governance
In his statement, Xavier said that in the past, the Indian community had been denied the status of true partners.
“We know that the leadership of that time, along with the government officers, did not show concern for our issues or consider our problems as those of the nation.
“If we can eliminate racial and religious bias from the minds of government officials and leaders, then we can easily resolve all the problems in the country.
“All citizens, regardless of race and religion, will receive government services without discrimination,” he said.
In such a scenario, Xavier stressed that the prime minister would not need to personally intervene in solving issues affecting minorities as government officials could resolve these problems themselves.
“For example, processing an identity card application or approving it should be the duty of a government officer.
“Whether the application is delayed or swiftly approved depends on the official, if that officer holds the belief that we too are their fellow Malaysians, the issue can be resolved at the official level.
“Many matters that remain unresolved for years, awaiting special recommendations from ministers or the prime minister, are due to a lack of this consideration by officials,” he said. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.