Najib uses NGOs to target Hulu Selangor’s Indians

By B Nantha Kumar - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA KUBU BARU: Whilst infighting tears through Umno and the MIC, Barisan Nasional chairman Najib Tun Razak is not leaving the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat to chance.

Irrespective of who BN ultimately fields in the April 25 by-election and regardless of the oppositions shenanigans, Najib is already working the ground, focussing on every possible avenue to ensure that the 19 percent Indian votes stay with the party.

For the Indians in Hulu Selangor, quick solutions to their problems is enough reason to vote for BN whether they like the candidate or not.

“There is no room for sentiments,“ said an observer. “We only want solutions.”

Engineered to deliver, a Klang Valley based non-governmental organisation Mynadi, is BN’s latest strategy to woo constituents.

Overriding MIC in Hulu Selangor, Mynadi’s main task is to provide Najib with unglossed data on the Indian community’s challenges in the constituency.

Mynadi volunteers are clearly focussed on listening.

When FMT attended their recent people-and-problems sessions, discussions were occasionally interjected with “ if you want your problem solved, you should vote for BN. Because if BN wins only then can we take your problem to PM and find a solution."

Organised by another local NGO, Persokemas, the session with 50 participants was moderated by volunteers from Mynadi.

Despite three elected BN state assemblymen and MIC’s longstanding foothold here – at least until the March 2008 shocker when PKR’s Dr Zainal Abidin beat incumbent G Palanivel by 198 vote majority - the issues among Indians prevail.

Their needs are simple - identity cards, birth certificates, red identity cards and micro credit financing for petty and small business traders.

“There is a group of Indians who are far behind the rest. They don’t have documents for loans from Tekun or banks.

“The people that we meet are looking for start-ups, sometimes as small as RM1,000,” said Maniam, a Persokemas volunteer.

Persokemas and Mynadi go where MIC does not, so there is no conflict, added Maniam.

Set up in 2009, Mynadi first popped up during the run-up to the Bagan Pinang by-election, which BN’s Isa Samad won with a 5,345 vote majority.

Mynadi, founded by Dr S Jeyaindran, head of Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s Pulmonary and Critical Care unit, is closely associated to Najib and first lady Rosmah Mansor.

MyNadi was also reportedly responsible for Najib and Rosmah’s visit to Batu Caves in August 2009.