We need a prime minister for ALL Malaysians

By Charles Santiago

It was the perfect setting for meandering colloquies that didn’t make sense: two thousand delegates from the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) who are more than eager to please Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Nevertheless Najib’s self-styled “father of Indian development” moniker was in poor taste.

In a hurry to take a dig at former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Najib forgot his pledge of being the Prime Minister for all Malaysians, when he singled out the Indians despite not hailing “from Kerala”.

We need a PM who strives for the development of all Malaysians and creates opportunities for all his citizens.

And Indians under Umno – even under Mahathir – suffered because of the “Malay first” policy.

At present, Indians and especially those from the Bottom 40 (B40) suffer severe poverty because of failed Umno and Barisan Nasional policies, which focus on creating opportunities for the rich.

Malays have been impoverished as a result of economic policies that favoured the ruling elite and their cronies.

I see poor Malays, Chinese and Indians in my office in Klang every Thursday. Many are not able to put food on the table for their families, send their children to school or pay for medicine.

We have seen Najib wooing the Chinese and Indians over the past few months in a clear indication that the next general election is around the corner.

But in doing so, Najib cannot set a new low for himself. He must understand that we don’t need a father but a Prime Minister for ALL Malaysians.

Charles Santiago is MP for Klang.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.