Indians vs Indians debate an insult, says Ramasamy

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II denounces upcoming forum and wants a showdown with Umno on issues plaguing the community

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy wants to debate with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and any other top Umno leaders on Indian issues in the country.

He does not want to be entrapped by Umno into debating with other Indian political leaders on the pressing issues facing the community.

“Why are Indians being pitted against Indians yet again to quarrel over Indian issues? The real culprit is Umno … we should debate with Umno,” he said.

Ramasamy was commenting on the open debate forum to be organised by the Malaysian Indian Business Association (MIBA) this Sunday.

The forum entitled: ‘Future of Malaysian Indians Towards the 13th General Election’ is scheduled to be held at Menara PKNS in Petaling Jaya.

It would see Indian leaders from Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat facing off in an open debate on the future of Indians in the coming general election.

Ramasamy aside, MIC president G Palanivel, PPP president M Kayveas and Gerakan vice-president A Kohilan Pillay, Selangor exco Xavier Jayakumar have been invited for the forum.

Participants will be charged RM100 per person.

Ramasamy is not attending the forum due to pre-arranged programmes and because he has a ‘fundamental and principled disagreement’ about it.

“It’s an insult to organise an Indian versus Indian debate in the first place,” he said.

He even suggested that Umno could be behind the proposed debate merely to keep Indians busy quarreling with each other while Umno escaped scot free.

“I think MIBA should focus on helping Indian businesses instead,” he said, adding that he had never agreed to take part in the proposed debate.

Umno needs to be dismantled

He said the debate would be meaningless because MIC and other Indian leaders in BN were actually spineless and powerless.

He added that Umno’s Malay hegemony is solely to be blamed for the systematic marginalisation and backwardness of the Indian community for 50 over years.

“If I want to debate on the issue, I will debate with Najib or Umno leaders anywhere anytime, not with another Indian.

“If you want to liberate the country, you should dismantle Umno,” the state DAP deputy chief told a press conference in Komtar here today.

Ramasamy said he even wanted to debate with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but dropped the idea because “the old man has now become senile.”

“The existence of many unregistered Hindu temples and shrines, the dilapidated condition of Tamil schools and stateless status of thousands of Indians are products of Umno’s hegemony and racist agenda,” said Ramasamy.

Ramasamy is furious that he was not notified before hand to be included in the debate.
“I was not given an official invitation nor told about it. The organiser simply announced my name and called me to inform about it two days ago.

“It’s also ridiculous to charge people RM100,” he said.