By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Insider
GEORGE TOWN: Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party national youth leader N Ramu today called on Indians in Hulu Selangor not to vote for Pakatan Rakyat candidate in the parliamentary by-election on April 25.
He said Indians should reject Pakatan because the coalition had betrayed the community since achieving electoral success in the 2008 general election.
He cited the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco in Penang, the controversial relocation of a Hindu cemetery in Kuala Ketil, Kedah, and the lack of a comprehensive policy to upgrade Tamil schools in Pakatan states as good reasons for Indians to vote for Barisan Nasional in the forthcoming polls.
“Pakatan has betrayed the Indians, who helped the coalition to capture four additional states apart from denying BN its parliamentary two-thirds majority.
“After securing unprecedented electoral gains in the 2008 general election, Pakatan has ignored and neglected the plight of the Indians,” said Ramu, who heads the Youth wing of a MMSP faction led by Ipoh-based A Vathemurthy.
He was particularly irked by Penang Pakatan government’s decision to demolish Kampung Buah Pala in Gelugor.
Kampung Buah Pala was the last Tamil traditional village in Penang.
It was once popularly known as “Tamil High Chaparral” due to its population of Tamils, cowherds, cattle, goats, livestocks and lively religious cultural festivities.
The village was demolished in September last year to pave the way for a lucrative condominium project, namely the Oasis, undertaken by Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd.
Ramu argued that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s government was lured by “money matters” when it decided to allow the village to be demolished.
“Demolishing a home means tearing apart a family. Flattening a village means destroying a community and cultural lifestyle. But for Pakatan, money was more important than humanity,” said Ramu.
He said while Penang Pakatan was not bothered with living beings, its Kedah counterpart went one step further by not even sparing the dead.
He said a cemetery was the last place one’s soul would find a permanent resting place.
“However, thanks to the PAS-led Kedah government, the Kuala Ketil Hindu burial ground is no longer a resting place for the departed souls,” Ramu told FMT today.
Lower income bracket
Ramu rebuked the Kedah government for being adamant on plans to build a college on a burial ground as if “there was no other land in the state”.
He also chided the ousted Perak Pakatan government for not providing much assistance to Tamil schools.
He slammed former menteri besar Nizar Jamaluddin’s government for giving away 2,000 acres of land to a particular community, but not to Perak Indians, the majority of whom were living in the lower income bracket.
He said it was the same with the PKR-led Selangor government, which he alleged "has not done anything worthy for Indians”.
He said Pakatan until today had failed to recognise the sacrifices and contributions made by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which contributed to its success in the last election.
He recalled that Pakatan MPs walked out of the Dewan Rakyat in protest against the detention of Selangor MP Theresa Kok under the draconian Internal Security Act in September 2008.
But, he pointed out that the same MPs never walked out in protest against the ISA detention of four Hindraf lawyers and another, even though their detention was a major factor behind the Indian vote swing for Pakatan in the March 2008 polls.
“Given that both the Indian community and Hindraf were betrayed, Indians should not back the Pakatan candidate in Hulu Selangor,” said Ramu.
Hulu Selangor has 64,500 registered voters, including 63,701 walk-in voters and 799 postal voters.
Malays make up the majority with 34,020 voters or 52.7 percent, followed by the Chinese with 16,964 voters (26.3 percent) and Indians at 12,453 or 19.3 percent.
GEORGE TOWN: Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party national youth leader N Ramu today called on Indians in Hulu Selangor not to vote for Pakatan Rakyat candidate in the parliamentary by-election on April 25.
He said Indians should reject Pakatan because the coalition had betrayed the community since achieving electoral success in the 2008 general election.
He cited the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco in Penang, the controversial relocation of a Hindu cemetery in Kuala Ketil, Kedah, and the lack of a comprehensive policy to upgrade Tamil schools in Pakatan states as good reasons for Indians to vote for Barisan Nasional in the forthcoming polls.
“Pakatan has betrayed the Indians, who helped the coalition to capture four additional states apart from denying BN its parliamentary two-thirds majority.
“After securing unprecedented electoral gains in the 2008 general election, Pakatan has ignored and neglected the plight of the Indians,” said Ramu, who heads the Youth wing of a MMSP faction led by Ipoh-based A Vathemurthy.
He was particularly irked by Penang Pakatan government’s decision to demolish Kampung Buah Pala in Gelugor.
Kampung Buah Pala was the last Tamil traditional village in Penang.
It was once popularly known as “Tamil High Chaparral” due to its population of Tamils, cowherds, cattle, goats, livestocks and lively religious cultural festivities.
The village was demolished in September last year to pave the way for a lucrative condominium project, namely the Oasis, undertaken by Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd.
Ramu argued that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s government was lured by “money matters” when it decided to allow the village to be demolished.
“Demolishing a home means tearing apart a family. Flattening a village means destroying a community and cultural lifestyle. But for Pakatan, money was more important than humanity,” said Ramu.
He said while Penang Pakatan was not bothered with living beings, its Kedah counterpart went one step further by not even sparing the dead.
He said a cemetery was the last place one’s soul would find a permanent resting place.
“However, thanks to the PAS-led Kedah government, the Kuala Ketil Hindu burial ground is no longer a resting place for the departed souls,” Ramu told FMT today.
Lower income bracket
Ramu rebuked the Kedah government for being adamant on plans to build a college on a burial ground as if “there was no other land in the state”.
He also chided the ousted Perak Pakatan government for not providing much assistance to Tamil schools.
He slammed former menteri besar Nizar Jamaluddin’s government for giving away 2,000 acres of land to a particular community, but not to Perak Indians, the majority of whom were living in the lower income bracket.
He said it was the same with the PKR-led Selangor government, which he alleged "has not done anything worthy for Indians”.
He said Pakatan until today had failed to recognise the sacrifices and contributions made by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which contributed to its success in the last election.
He recalled that Pakatan MPs walked out of the Dewan Rakyat in protest against the detention of Selangor MP Theresa Kok under the draconian Internal Security Act in September 2008.
But, he pointed out that the same MPs never walked out in protest against the ISA detention of four Hindraf lawyers and another, even though their detention was a major factor behind the Indian vote swing for Pakatan in the March 2008 polls.
“Given that both the Indian community and Hindraf were betrayed, Indians should not back the Pakatan candidate in Hulu Selangor,” said Ramu.
Hulu Selangor has 64,500 registered voters, including 63,701 walk-in voters and 799 postal voters.
Malays make up the majority with 34,020 voters or 52.7 percent, followed by the Chinese with 16,964 voters (26.3 percent) and Indians at 12,453 or 19.3 percent.
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