Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s apology to the Indian Malaysian community has drawn contrasting reactions from a serving DAP lawmaker and a former party MP, with one adopting a more conciliatory stance while the other remains sceptical.
Jelutong MP RSN Rayer believes the Pakatan Harapan chairperson was being honest, conscientious, and sincere, “befitting a true statesperson and deserving commendable admiration”.
However, former Klang MP Charles Santiago called for genuine action instead of what he described as last-minute political manoeuvring.
“The Indian community is not ignorant and will not be fooled by token gestures made out of fear of another defeat and further loss of Indian support in Negeri Sembilan. If the prime minister is serious, let his actions, not political theatrics, prove it,” he said.
Yesterday, Anwar appealed to Indian voters to forgive his mistake of referring to houses of worship built on disputed land as “illegal” during a meet-and-greet session in Seremban.
The prime minister also announced that he would personally oversee matters concerning the 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.
In response, Charles called on Anwar, if he was genuinely serious, to establish a high-level cabinet committee on Indian affairs with immediate effect and replace Ramanan from the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra).
“If he (Anwar) has to take over, what exactly was the minister doing? Or is this just another political gimmick, complete with dancing to an evergreen MGR song yet again?” he added, referring to the prime minister’s decades-old routine of gyrating to the tunes of the late Tamil Nadu actor-turned-politician MG Ramachandran when canvassing for Indian votes.
Cautioning Anwar that the “window is closing”, Charles said the next general election is looming and the Indian Malaysian community “will remember who acted when there was still time and who only woke up when votes were at stake”.
“Promises, apologies won’t cut it this time around,” he added.
Madani’s Indian outreach
On a more positive note, Rayer said Anwar’s actions demonstrated that he recognised and appreciated the overwhelming support from the Indian Malaysian community for his “reformasi” movement.
The Penang Hindu Endowment Board chairperson said that under the Madani administration, Anwar had ensured that the welfare, education, and economic interests of the community continued to improve by increasing allocations under Mitra from RM100 million to RM150 million, continuously providing financial grants to Aimst University amounting to RM76 million over the last three years, and RM20 million to Tafe College.
Apart from these financial grants, the prime minister has also allocated funds totalling RM200 million for the maintenance of non-Muslim places of worship. Indian students who excel in the SPM examination have also seen increased opportunities for matriculation in local universities as a result of efforts by the present government.
“The Madani government now also has two Indian representatives - (Digital Minister) Gobind Singh Deo and Ramanan as our representatives in the cabinet,” he added.
Comparing Anwar with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Nor, Rayer said the prime minister was willing to apologise openly and retract a remark rather than double down with justifications.
“It is time to forget and forgive and realise that the prime minister has been magnanimous in his apology and that Madani is our only hope and way forward,” he added. - Mkini
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