Umno will never fight for Indians, says DCM Rama
By Athi Shankar, Free Malaysia Today
GEORGE TOWN: Rights, interests and benefits of the minority Indian community in this country can only be safeguarded if there is a political change in the country, said Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy today.
Ramasamy, a senior DAP leader, suggested that until a change was made to remove the Barisan Nasional government at Putrajaya, the Indians here will continue to face hardships in protecting their religious and cultural identity and lifestyle.
“The Indians here cannot expect protection under the current Umno rule. They must go for a political change to safeguard their rights, interests and benefits in the country,” he told some 100 Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) members who attended their Penang council’s 30th annual general meeting here today.
Batu Kawan parliamentarian Ramasamy pointed out that forced and unwitting religious conversions and parental custody fight over children due to conversion by a spouse were among the main predicaments faced by the community today in the country.
Other pressing issues, he said, were frequent temple demolitions in BN-controlled states and piecemeal federal allocations for Tamil schools
He blamed the racist policies of the Umno-dominated federal government over the years as the main cause for the community’s quandary in the country.
He said without the desired political change, the Indian community would not succeed in their quest to attain equal religious rights “no matter how hard they tried”.
Ramasamy said in a real democracy, the majority would always protect the rights and interests of minorities.
“However, in Malaysia, the Umno’s governance is to the contrary,” he said.
