LETTER | Muhyiddin's speech another rhetoric in M'sian politics

LETTER | Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in his virtual speech to the MIC AGM on Saturday with the heading "We will take care of you" can be said as yet another rhetoric of the past 63 years of Malaysian politics.

It's no secret that the Malay Muslim government which snatched and replaced the legally elected Pakatan Harapan administration is now in shambles and is in a state of having divided the Malay votes drastically.

The need for Umno, Perikatan Nasional and PAS now to garner non-Malay votes to return to power come GE15 will see more cooling statements of equality and fair treatment to non-Malays to get them to support and vote for them.

MIC president SA Vigneswaran though can be commended for leading a more united MIC with its grassroots doing some work of dishing out handouts to the poor Indians.

Nevertheless, he could have used the AGM to put across to Muhyiddin and Umno president the need for PN, BN and PAS to revisit what was agreed in the Reid Commission which was jointly agreed and signed by MIC, Umno and MCA. 

Two of them need special mention now, namely creating a common nationality, and safeguarding the special position of the Malays and the legitimate interests of the other communities.

The Malays in fact remain very tolerant and friendly towards the other races but it is the politicians who have continued to divide the people by race and religion in the like of "Malay Muslim government instead of the multi-racial government".

MIC is still not reading the pulse of the Indian community.

What the Indians want is to be treated equally and fairly with every opportunity extended to them.

Let me draw the attention of the Indians who are stateless.

Their application for citizenship perhaps in thousands have been piling up and sleeping in the Home Ministry.

When Muhyiddin was the home minister during Harapan rule, the promise to solve the stateless Indians within 100 days never saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

With Muhyiddin as PM and with the ordinance in place, there is a political will the issue of stateless Malaysians can be resolved.

Vigneswaran should have used the AGM platform to alleviate the long sufferings of the stateless Indians and even the other races.

To the MIC, please stop the hypocrisy of praising Muhyiddin for the pittance of RM100 million to the Indian community and the honouring of the one minister post to MIC which is a serious blow to the previous four full Indian ministers and one deputy under Harapan rule.

The writer is president of the Johor Indian Business Association (Jiba).

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini