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Media Statement (3)       
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Monday) : MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu yesterday castigated Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Anwar Ibrahim, accusing him of deceit and not helping Indian estate workers when he was in power.

When Anwar was deputy prime minister, he “did nothing” for the estate workers, let alone the Indian community, said the Works Minister.  Samy Vellu said: “I have copies of letters I sent to him seeking assistance (for estate workers when Anwar was deputy prime minister), but he did not lift a finger to help.”

This was the MIC President’s response to Anwar who had said that Indians in estates were treated like slaves and subjected to abject poverty.  "They live in fear of thugs and their overlord minister. The Indians are treated as third class, not by us but by you," Anwar  said, referring to Samy Vellu.

Anwar said estate workers were intimidated and bribed into supporting the Barisan Nasional during the recent Ijok state constituency by-election.

Anwar is fully capable to defending himself and I have no intention of replying on Anwar’s behalf.

However, I have received calls from Malaysian Indians wanting to know from Samy Vellu why the MIC President had been a party to the marginalization of Indians and kept quiet for so long even now.

It is now almost nine years since Anwar was expelled from Umno and no more in the Barisan Nasional but the plight of the Indians have got worse rather  than better, (as illustrated by the highest percentage of Indians in Simpang Rengam detention centre,  completely out of proportion with the population ratio) reinforcing their status as the new underclass in Peninsular Malaysia.

I am therefore raising two  question on behalf of Malaysian Indians who had phoned me asking me to speak up on their behalf, viz:

• Why the marginalization of Malaysian Indians as  the new underclass in Peninsular Malaysia have got worse nine years after Anwar had been sacked from Umno and no more in BN government; and
• What concrete steps and masterplan have been adopted by the Barisan Nasional under the Ninth Malaysia Plan to restore to Malaysian Indians their full citizenship rights as Malaysian sons and daughters of the soil, and enable them to believe beyond a shadow of doubt that they have an equal place under the Malaysian sun – a key principle of successful Malaysian nation-building as defined by Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin.

(7/5/2007)