Losing Indian support: Pakatan must blame itself

GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Rakyat should blame itself for the loss of Indian support and not others, said a local DAP leader.

Jalan Bagan Luar DAP branch head G Asoghan said Pakatan should get rid of its denial syndrome and stop blaming Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Pakatan should reflect on whether it had done enough to maintain the overwhelming Indian support shown for the coalition in the 2008 general election,” he told FMT.

He blamed the Pakatan state governments in Penang, Kedah and Selangor, as well as the coalition’s top leaders and Indian elected representatives for the decline.

Pakatan governments, he said, should have implemented various programmes within its administrative powers and financial capacities to benefit the Indian community.

He pointed out that Pakatan should have used state powers on land matters to resolve the landless status of Tamil schools, Hindu temples, burial grounds, crematoriums and Indian residential areas.

Instead of this, he said, Pakatan governments demolished Indian settlements like Kampung Buah Pala in Penang and the Ladang Batu Pekaka Hindu cemetery in Kuala Ketil, Kedah.

“How can Pakatan expect Indian support when it emulates the BN administration?” he asked.

‘Get your act together’

In view of this, Asoghan called on Pakatan decision-makers and strategists to get their act together and address the issue.

“Or else, Pakatan can kiss goodbye to Putrajaya,” he said.

He was referring to the recent call by DAP vice-chairman and Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran for Pakatan to woo back Indian support.

Kulasegaran warned that Pakatan’s ambition of capturing Putrajaya would hit a brick wall if did not arrest the declining support of Malay and Indian voters.

Asoghan said Pakatan for a start should not have adopted the mandore politics ala BN.

He said chief ministers, relevant executive councillors and elected representatives should have directly addressed and resolved arising Indian issues.

He said Pakatan’s argument that its state governments needed more time to perform also did not go down well with the Indian masses.

He added that grassroots Indians have pointed out that during the same short period, Pakatan governments carried out beneficial programmes for the Malays and Chinese.

Asoghan also did not mince his words when taking a swipe at Pakatan’s Indian elected representatives, comprising 10 MPs and 17 assemblymen.

He criticised them for failing to form a community caucus at the national and state levels within the coalition as desired by working class Indians.

Through this caucus, he said, Indian elected representatives could have formulated and recommended constructive policies for implementation.