N SEMBILAN POLLS | Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appealed to Indian voters last night to forgive his past mistake of referring to houses of worship on disputed land as “illegal”.
Addressing over 1,000 people at a meet-and-greet session with the Indian community in Seremban, the Pakatan Harapan chairperson acknowledged that using the term was wrong.
“Since I have been the prime minister, there was not a single old temple that I have demolished. None. There are rules.
“When I realised that it was wrong for me to say ‘kuil haram’, I apologised. I said ‘no’, that was technical, (what) I have said was a mistake.
“The prime minister is not perfect; the prime minister is also a human being, sometimes he does not mean it when he uses the wrong term,” Anwar said.
He came under fire last year after he reportedly referred to Hindu temples on disputed land as “kuil haram”.
He was also criticised for describing the groundbreaking ceremony of a mosque on a disputed site as a “victory”.
Taking charge of Indian affairs
During the event, the prime minister also announced that he would personally oversee matters concerning the Indian community.
While Human Resources Minister R Ramanan would assist in implementing initiatives for the community, Anwar said he would now take direct responsibility for the portfolio.
“I want to say this tonight to show that I am serious about Indian issues.
“I have assigned Ramanan to help, but from now, not only for Mitra (Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit) funds, but (all) Indian issues, I take charge,” he said.
He said he would oversee issues including assistance provided through government agencies such as Tekun and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, as well as citizenship applications.
The PKR president also urged voters to reject racist narratives being peddled by Harapan rivals during the campaign period.
Polling day for the Negeri Sembilan state election is this Saturday (Aug 1). - Mkini
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