Can Kamalanathan be a voice of the people in Parliament when he dares not criticise PERKASA

Right-wing group Perkasa is not belligerent against non-Malays as its aim is to promote the empowerment of the Malay community, said BN's Hulu Selangor candidate P Kamalanathan.

The 44-year-old public relations manager, whose task is to convince Hulu Selangor's 34,020 - or 52.7 percent of - Malay voters of Hulu Selangor that he is their man in the upcoming by-election, said that Perkasa's role is about "empowering” the Malay race and it does not trample on the rights of other races.

"Perkasa has its own role. It is strengthening its (Malay) race, its language and its religion, and we (MIC) are also doing the same by strengthening our race, religion and language," he stressed.

"Is it wrong for me to want to memperkasakan (empower) my race and my language? Is it wrong for me to want to memperkasakan Tamil schools?" he asked.

The above was part a Malaysiakini report after the portal spoke to Kamalanathan .

There is no doubt that Perkasa has come across to majority of Malaysians as a right wing and extremist group.

Perkasa's president Datuk Ibrahim Ali has also on many occasions made baseless and dangerous accusations against the Opposition.

I have no doubt that if a public survey is conducted among the people as to what is their opinion of Perkasa, the result will be an overwhelming disapproval and rejection of Perkasa's policies,speeches and politics.

Yet in the crucial Hulu Selangor by election , BN has fielded a young MIC politician who not only does not criticise Perkasa, but has even defended Perkasa.

If Kamalanathan does not have the courage to call a spade a spade and denounce Perkasa's extreme and right wing politics, can the Hulu Selangor voters expect him to be a voice of the people in the Parliament?