Lim: Time to step down, Samy

MIC president S Samy Vellu has two honourable options left over the recent Hindu Rights Actions Force (Hindraf) demonstration - and one of them is for him to step down. This is the view of Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang in a statement today advising Samy to admit his failures as the Indian party president in the past 28 years and submit his resignation.

Another option suggested by Lim is for Samy Vellu to get the cabinet and Parliament to concede the legitimacy of the ‘grievances, frustrations and unhappiness’ of the Malaysian Indians. “(Adopt) a new national policy on a new deal to end the marginalisation of the Indian community, failing which, he should resign as MIC president and cabinet minister for three decades of failure to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Indians,” he said. The criticism comes after Samy’s decision to set up a special committee to analyse and address socio-economic problems faced by the Indian community after meeting premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi two days ago.

Another letdown“The PM (in) kicking the ball back to the MIC to set up another committee on the plight of Indians is a great letdown [...] is further proof of the advanced denial syndrome of the Barisan Nasional government,” he stated. The DAP supremo stated further that “the 30,000-strong Hindraf demonstration was a public vote of no confidence in Samy for his failure in the past three decades to check and reverse the relentless marginalisation of Indians into a new underclass in the country”.

The Ipoh Timur parliamentarian also said the government has adopted the two worst possible responses to the Hindraf demonstration that is impervious and insensitive to those who took part in it. “Firstly, organisers and supporters of the Hindraf demonstration are being persecuted and prosecuted. “Secondly, asking the MIC to set up another committee after three decades of neglect and marginalisation of the Indian community is no different from dismissing or treating flippantly the root causes of the Hindraf demonstration,” he asserted. Last Sunday, about 30,000 people - mostly Indian Malaysians - gathered at Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur to participate in a rally organised by Hindraf to submit a memorandum to the British High Commission. The authorities had denied a permit for the rally and obtained a rare court order restraining the public from taking part. The police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Be more concerned Lim pointed out that the situation as such as been vindicated in a letter written by Penang state executive councillor Dr Toh Kin Woon to Malaysiakini yesterday.Toh said the government should, instead of condemning the rallies, be more concerned over the grievances, frustrations and disappointments that have brought thousands to the streets. He also criticised the move by BN leaders to chastise backbencher K Devamany for taking a divergent stand on Hindraf. “The message sent seems to be that all BN elected representatives are expected to be meek and passive followers of the views of their leaders and that no space is provided for independent views, including those articulated by the larger civil society,” the Gerakan politician said.