PETALING JAYA: After two years in government, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition has failed to address issues of the Indian community, was the message of dissatisfaction conveyed by over a hundred people who protested in front of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) headquarters in Tropicana here this morning. Led by Human Rights Party (HRP) president P. Uthayakumar, the group had intended to hand over three memorandums on land issues to the Opposition leaders.
However, being a Sunday afternoon, the office was all locked up.
One of the three memorandums had highlighted the plight of low-cost housing buyers and longhouse residents in PJS 1/52 in Selangor. The demands include relocation allowances, new longhouses for residents and also monetary compensation for the families involved.
The other two memorandums were on temple relocation issues involving the Sri Muniswarar Alayam Hindu temple in Taman Petaling Utama and the Sri Anantha Murugan Hindu temple in Taman Sri Manja, both also in Selangor.
“We’ve sent letters to Opposition leaders Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak and Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, informing them that we would be here today, at 11.30am, to discuss our issues,” Uthayakumar told reporters.
“We are very disappointed that they’re not here today. Their absence reflects their refusal to solve our problems.”
Uthayakumar claimed that 90 per cent of the Indian community had voted for Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 general election, after believing that Barisan Nasional (BN) government had failed them.
He said the Indian community was concerned with land issues affecting schools, temples and cemeteries.
“Land is 100 per cent under the state governments’ purview. For example, there are 98 Tamil schools in Selangor and we’ve been asking for land for so long. If the schools are given land, then the federal government have to fully aid the schools," said Uthayakumar.
“We’ve had this fight with the past BN government of Selangor. The current Menteri Besar could solve our problems with a stroke of his pen, but he’s not doing it.”
He said Anwar, as Selangor economic adviser, should advise Khalid to sort out the matter.
He also expressed disappointment that nothing was done by the PR government for the Indian community within the last two years it was in power.
“We voted for PR. If we don’t voice out our problems to them, where else can we go? We’d still end up fighting our own battle. Now, the leaders don’t even want to see us. After all this, how is PR different from BN and Umno?” said Uthayakumar.
The former Hindraf leader, who has been released from the Internal Security Act (ISA) detention for nine months now, said they will submit the memorandums to the leaders in Parliament when it resumes.
Uthayakumar said HRP has lost confidence in the PR leadership and that it has been decided that HRP will now "go on our own" in the next general election. - malay mail
now only u realise it bro...ok la, since better late than never. congratulation.
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