Indians in Negri neglected by BN, says DAP - Malaysiakini

The DAP says that BN has not rewarded the Indian community in Negri Sembilan for their contribution and role in the economic development of the state. Instead, it chose to marginalise them from the mainstream of progress for the past 52 years of BN rule.

Party national labour chief A Sivanesan (left) told Malaysiakini today that Negri Sembilan was basically a plantation industry whereby 95 percent of the workforce was the Indian community.

He claimed that only about 20 years ago, the state went into high industrial gear and many of the plantation estates were fragmented.

Plantation workers were displaced, he claimed, and lost in the mainstream of progress that other races received and enjoyed.

" The Indian community that worked their backs off in building the state's plantation economy were not rewarded for their contribution but BN instead chose to marginalise them from the mainstream of progress in their 52 years of rule of the state," he said.

"In 1972, the BN government came out with a face-saving national "estate workers home ownerships scheme" whereby such workers will get to buy houses built by the plantation management," he said.


Promises vanish into the night

However, he claimed that many such schemes did not take off in the country due to several factors including the prices of houses which were beyond the means of the plantation workers and besides, these workers were unable to get housing loans from financial institutions.

"So, what (Deputy Premier) Muhyiddin ( Yassin) announced recently in the Bagan Pinang by-election campaign that BN will provide housing for the plantation workers, is nothing new as the promise dates back to 1972 and is actually old wine bottled in a new bottle."

"This is how BN hoodwinks the Indian community with its endless election promises made during every election that normally do not see the light of the day."

Sivanesan said that many of these estate workers are aged above 40 years and over and will face difficulties in getting housing loans from financial institutions.

He threw a challenge by saying "If Muhyiddin is the saviour of the Indian community as he claims to be, why does he not make the government to stand as either guarantors or offer interest free loans for the proposed houses?"

"At the end of the day it is back to square one when the by- election is over and BN lip-servicing the Indian voters with election promises vanishes into the night," he pointed out.

Unreachable economic equity

"BN had promised that the Indian community economic equity in the country will increase from the 1.3 percent to 3 percent by 2010 and now it has moved the goal post to 2020 and the never-ending political game to hoodwink the oppressed and suppressed community goes on," said Sivanesan angrily.

"Education, schools and places of worships are the fundamental rights of every Malaysian citizen but how come such issues are only highlighted when each time a election comes along ? he asked.

"There is also talk now that Umno members want Malay majority voter areas to be given only to Umno representatives and not to members of the BN component parties as was the practice in the past," added Sivanesan.

As to the recent BN propaganda on the electronic control media in run-up to the Bagan Pinang by-election, that Pakatan is the cause of the Kampung Buah Pala tragedy, Sivanesan said rational thinking people will know that it was the BN government that decommissioned the Brown Estate Trust(present Kampung Buah Pala) and took control of the site to be later sold to a co-operative at a give-away price by BN and Gerakan state government.