BN, Pakatan to slug it out on Indian issues

Malaysiakini

The BN and Pakatan Rakyat are set to go head to head on the touchy issue of Indian welfare at a forum planned for this weekend in Petaling Jaya.

Touted by organisers as “the battle to win hearts and minds for the Indian vote”, the forum will feature heavyweights from both sides of the political spectrum as well as representatives of Indian NGOs.

Familiar faces from the ruling coalition will include G Palanivel, the newly-minted MIC chief who has much to prove, his PPP counterpart M Kayveas, and Gerakan senator A Kohillan Pillay.

In the opposition corner will be DAP’s P Ramasamy and PKR’s Xavier Jayakumar, along with PSM’s Dr Michael Jeyakumar who will also speak on the outlook for Indian Malaysians in the next general election.

Both sides will speak in separate moderated sessions to address how they have delivered on the community’s promises and expectations after the 2008 ‘political tsunami’.

They will each be given 10 minutes, while interventions of three minutes each will be allowed from the floor.

"Opportunities will be given to as many participants (as possible) to make interventions," said the organiser, the Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba).

Promises made, promises kept?

Major questions at the forum will focus on whether Pakatan has kept its promises to the community and whether the BN has made good on its pledge to remedy weaknesses on welfare matters since the 12th general election in 2008.

While the BN has made several promises like the founding of a high-powered Indian task force to reinforce its renewed commitment to the welfare of the minority group, which comprises two million of the 27 million Malaysians.

“This is to take stock and compare what was promised and what was delivered, between what was part of the election manifesto in 2008 and the track record of delivery and public confidence,” said a statement from Miba.

The forum will also feature Indian luminaries from civil society and business community, with their own assessment of the community.

The A-list includes former trade unionist N Siva Subramaniam, businessman Pardip Kumar Kukreja, ex-ISA detainee V Ganabathirau and social activist lawyer K Arumugam.

The forum will be held on Sept 11 at the PKNS Tower, Shah Alam. Participants will be charged a RM100 registration fee.