Ex-DAP man Tuan Tat and Gerakan's Baljit Singh doubt if the DAP can deliver on its promise to Indians as the blueprint has yet to be endorsed by its Pakatan allies.
GEORGE TOWN: DAP’s 14-point blueprint for the Indian community is nothing but a desperate attempt to fish for votes, alleged a former DAP branch leader and a Gerakan politician.
Tan Tuan Tat, the ex-DAP Taman Seri Sungai Pelek branch chairman and Baljit Singh, Penang Gerakan’s legal and human rights bureau head, said the blueprint raised many questions.
They doubted that the DAP can deliver the blueprint since it has yet to be endorsed and adopted by its Pakatan Rakyat partners, PKR and PAS.
Baljit recalled Pakatan de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim promising to absorb some Indian issues into the already launched coalition manifesto, although he has done nothing thus far.
He asked why did the DAP hastily and hurriedly prepare and launch a blueprint, that too in Gelang Patah of all places, without consulting its allies.
Baljit is curious to know the fate of the blueprint should PKR and PAS reject it on the usual and oft-quoted grounds of multiracial politics.
“It is clearly an eyewash: a piece of paper to hide DAP’s failure to deliver anything worthy to Indians in the last five years.
“DAP thought the blueprint can arrest the waning Indian support to the party and Pakatan,” Baljit told FMT here today.
Many ethnic Indians were frustrated when Pakatan’s manifesto failed to address their woes. Their disenchantment deepened when Pakatan also ignored Hindraf’s blueprint for them.
Is DAP going its separate way?
Their anger against Pakatan boiled over when Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy held his 21-day hunger strike to compel both Pakatan and BN to endorse Hindraf blueprint.
Switching into defensive mode, Pakatan leaders claimed that they did not need to endorse the blueprint as the coalition’s Orange Book or Buku Jingga tackled them all.
However, until today Pakatan leaders have not been able to show which portion of the Buku Jingga featured Hindraf’s blueprint.
Baljit questioned the need for a separate DAP manifesto if indeed Pakatan’s Buku Jingga, which formed the basis of the coalition manifesto, had addressed Indian issues.
“Is it the DAP’s way of showing its displeasure against Buku Jingga and Pakatan’s manifesto for failing to address Indian issues? Is DAP going separate way from its allies?” he asked.
Tan was curious to know how DAP suddenly became very caring and concerned about Indians when the Chinese-dominated party never bothered about them all these years.
Besides being the ruling party in Penang, he pointed out that DAP dominated the Pakatan government in Selangor and for a while in Perak, before the state fell to BN.
However, he said the DAP had not carried out any projects or programmes in these states to benefit the Indian community, especially those in the poorer rung of society.
“Suddenly DAP comes up with an overnight blueprint for Indians. Suddenly DAP is so caring about Indians and their welfare,” said Tan.
He asked if the blueprint was ever tabled for approval at the party highest’s decision-making body, the central executive committee (CEC).
He also raised doubts if chairman Karpal Singh was aware of the blueprint since he had called on Pakatan leaders to resume talks with Hindraf leadership on their blueprint.
“If DAP has a blueprint duly endorsed by the CEC, why should Karpal ask Pakatan to find an amicable solution to Hindraf’s blueprint?”
The 14-point DAP blueprint tagged, “The Gelang Patah Declaration: Vision and Strategy for Indian Empowerment”, is supposed to improve the standard of living for the Indians.
It was launched by the party senior leader Lim Kit Siang, who will contest the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat.
GEORGE TOWN: DAP’s 14-point blueprint for the Indian community is nothing but a desperate attempt to fish for votes, alleged a former DAP branch leader and a Gerakan politician.Tan Tuan Tat, the ex-DAP Taman Seri Sungai Pelek branch chairman and Baljit Singh, Penang Gerakan’s legal and human rights bureau head, said the blueprint raised many questions.
They doubted that the DAP can deliver the blueprint since it has yet to be endorsed and adopted by its Pakatan Rakyat partners, PKR and PAS.
Baljit recalled Pakatan de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim promising to absorb some Indian issues into the already launched coalition manifesto, although he has done nothing thus far.
He asked why did the DAP hastily and hurriedly prepare and launch a blueprint, that too in Gelang Patah of all places, without consulting its allies.
Baljit is curious to know the fate of the blueprint should PKR and PAS reject it on the usual and oft-quoted grounds of multiracial politics.
“It is clearly an eyewash: a piece of paper to hide DAP’s failure to deliver anything worthy to Indians in the last five years.
“DAP thought the blueprint can arrest the waning Indian support to the party and Pakatan,” Baljit told FMT here today.
Many ethnic Indians were frustrated when Pakatan’s manifesto failed to address their woes. Their disenchantment deepened when Pakatan also ignored Hindraf’s blueprint for them.
Is DAP going its separate way?
Their anger against Pakatan boiled over when Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy held his 21-day hunger strike to compel both Pakatan and BN to endorse Hindraf blueprint.
Switching into defensive mode, Pakatan leaders claimed that they did not need to endorse the blueprint as the coalition’s Orange Book or Buku Jingga tackled them all.
However, until today Pakatan leaders have not been able to show which portion of the Buku Jingga featured Hindraf’s blueprint.
Baljit questioned the need for a separate DAP manifesto if indeed Pakatan’s Buku Jingga, which formed the basis of the coalition manifesto, had addressed Indian issues.
“Is it the DAP’s way of showing its displeasure against Buku Jingga and Pakatan’s manifesto for failing to address Indian issues? Is DAP going separate way from its allies?” he asked.
Tan was curious to know how DAP suddenly became very caring and concerned about Indians when the Chinese-dominated party never bothered about them all these years.
Besides being the ruling party in Penang, he pointed out that DAP dominated the Pakatan government in Selangor and for a while in Perak, before the state fell to BN.
However, he said the DAP had not carried out any projects or programmes in these states to benefit the Indian community, especially those in the poorer rung of society.
“Suddenly DAP comes up with an overnight blueprint for Indians. Suddenly DAP is so caring about Indians and their welfare,” said Tan.
He asked if the blueprint was ever tabled for approval at the party highest’s decision-making body, the central executive committee (CEC).
He also raised doubts if chairman Karpal Singh was aware of the blueprint since he had called on Pakatan leaders to resume talks with Hindraf leadership on their blueprint.
“If DAP has a blueprint duly endorsed by the CEC, why should Karpal ask Pakatan to find an amicable solution to Hindraf’s blueprint?”
The 14-point DAP blueprint tagged, “The Gelang Patah Declaration: Vision and Strategy for Indian Empowerment”, is supposed to improve the standard of living for the Indians.
It was launched by the party senior leader Lim Kit Siang, who will contest the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat.
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