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Media Conference         
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Tuesday): The MIC Cameron Highlands Member of Parliament S. K. Devamany had let down the 30,000 Indians at the Hindraf demonstration on Nov. 25 with his regret and apology when it is the Barisan Nasional leadership which should express regret and apologise for its denial syndrome in refusing to acknowledge the long-standing marginalization of the Malaysian Indians into a new underclass.

These are the newspaper headlines today on Devamany’s meeting with the Barisan Nasional Whip Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Parliament yesterday over his remark during parliamentary question time the previous Monday that the fact that 50,000 people showed up at the Hindraf demonstration showed the Government’s failure in distributing wealth equally:

• Devamany mohon maaf – YB Cameron Highlands kesal dakwa kerajaan gagal bantu kaum India – Berita Harian;

• ‘Saya Kesal’ - Utusan Malaysia;

• Devamany regrets criticizing BN – New Straits Times;

• Devamany let off the hook by Najib – I regretted my remarks and will be more responsible, says MP – The Star; and

• MP says sorry, no action to be taken – The Sun.

This is the report from The Sun:

Speaking to reporters in Parliament Lobby later, Devamany said he met Najib at 10am to explain his remark and the meeting took about 20 minutes.

"He was very nice to me. I told him I regretted the statement," he said.

"He advised me on what happened. I truly believe that unity, peace and stability are paramount in the country and cannot be compromised," he said.

On Sunday, MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu had done a great disservice to the Indian community and the Malaysian nation when he denied in Sungai Siput that the Indians in Malaysia had been marginalized.

Devamany had yesterday compounded this disservice with his regret and apology for what he said in Parliament during question time the previous Monday, putting him back to his comments in the Aljazeera interview on the day of the Hindraf demonstration on Nov. 25 when he belittled and insulted the Malaysian Indians for taking part in the Hindraf protest.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that he has “big ears” and is prepared to hear the truth but it is shocking that nobody in the MIC leadership, whether MIC Cabinet Minister, Deputy Minister, Parliamentary Secretary or MP, is prepared and has the courage to tell the Prime Minister the truth – that for decades, the Malaysian Indians have been marginalized politically, economically, socially, educationally, culturally and religiously reduced them into a new underclass.

Samy Vellu and the MIC leaders in government should tell the Prime Minister and other UMNO leaders in Cabinet and Parliament that the 30,000 Indians from all over the country who rallied to the Hindraf demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 25 was making a valid, justified and legitimate “cry of desperation” by the Malaysian Indian community for an end to such marginalization – the reason why they came peacefully and were prepared to brave police atrocity of tear gas and chemically-laced water cannons to make that important point for the sake of their children and children’s children.

They did not turn up for the Hindraf demonstration because of support of the allegation of “ethnic cleansing” of the Indians in Malaysia – as the overwhelming majority of them did not know about the allegation.

This was the challenge which the Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Noh Omar threw at me in Parliament yesterday when I had raised the issue of the extremist calls by two Barisan Nasional MPs for the removal of Christian cross and demolition of Christian statues in mission schools – whether I supported Hindraf allegation of “ethnic cleansing” of Indians in Malaysia.

I replied categorically that I disagree with the Hindraf allegation of “ethnic cleansing” but the government must respect the cry of desperation of 30,000 Indians who had gathered from all over the country calling for an end of their marginalization as Malaysian citizens.

Samy Vellu and the MIC leadership cannot continue to deny the fact of the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians for over three decades, particularly during the last 28 years when Samy Vellu became MIC President and Cabinet Minister!

Before the launch of the New Economic Policy in 1971, the racial breakdown of the Malaysian civil service comprised 60.8 per cent Malays, 20.2 per cent Chinese, 17.4 per cent Indians and 1.6 per cent others.

In June 2005, there were 899,250 public servants, of whom 77.04 per cent or 692,736 were Malays. The rest were: 84,295 Chinese (9.37 per cent), 46,054 Indians (5.12 per cent), 69,828 other Bumiputeras (7.77 per cent) and 6,337 of other races (0.70 per cent).

This means that in the past 34 years, the percentage of Indians in the Malaysian civil service had plunged from 17.4 per cent to 5.12 per cent, a precipitous fall of 12.28 per cent – with Samy Vellu presiding over this plunge of Indian representation in the civil service for 28 of the 34 years!

The 30,000-strong Hindraf rally and the cry of desperation for an end to the marginalization of the Indian community in Malaysia must be one of the three top agendas for the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

The Cabinet should end the denial about the marginalization of the Indians in Malaysia and come out with a new policy for a New Deal to end the marginalization of Indians and all marginalized groups in Malaysia.

Specifically, the Cabinet should adopt the following proposals:

• Establishment of a Cabinet Task Force headed by the Prime Minister himself on a New Deal to end the marginalization of Indians and all marginalized groups;

• Conversion of all the partially-aided Tamil primary schools into fully-aided schools;

• An immediate RM500 million allocation to upgrade the facilities and standards of Tamil primary schools; and

• A one-year moratorium for an end all demolition of Hindu temples and all places of worship in all states in the country.

(04/12/2007)