DAP national vice-chairperson M Kulasegaran joined in the lambasting of
Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy whose appointment as deputy minister in
the cabinet of Najib Abdul Razak drew broadsides from critics.
"This is probably the first time in the history of political protests that you have a leader who has fasted to get into the cabinet of a government infamous for its neglect of the cause that prompted the fast in the first place," cracked the re-elected MP for Ipoh Barat.
"At
least if he got into the cabinet at minister level, there's something
there. But he's got in as a deputy minister. All of us know a deputy
minister does not attend cabinet meetings and has no impact on policy,"
opined Kulasegaran (left).
Waythamoorthy was appointed a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, presumably to handle matters covered by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Umno and BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and the Hindraf leader days before the general election.
These matters generally relate to the alleviation of the plight of Indian plantation workers, the resolution of statelessness among Indians, and the provision of equal education and job opportunities to Indians.
These issues were part of a six-point blueprint for the Indian poor for which Hindraf sought to obtain the endorsement of Pakatan Rakyat in return for the movement's backing for the opposition coalition at the general election.
When negotiations reached a deadlock, partly over the Hindraf demand that Pakatan cede seven parliamentary and 10 state seats to the movement to contest at the polls, Hindraf, with Waythamoorthy commencing a fast to draw moral support, opened a channel of discussion with BN.
Three days before polling on May 5, Hindraf and BN inked a deal in which Najib pledged ameliorative action on four of the six demands in Hindraf's blueprint.
The dropped demands were for an end to police brutality and custodial deaths, and a halt to institutionalised racism.
'Hindraf goes easy with BN'
Commenting on the dropped demands, Kulasegaran, who has had his fair share of the demeaning epithet - "mandore" - Hindraf regularly hurled at Indians seen to be compliant with the reigning political order that discriminates against minorities, said:
"Isn't
it time Waythamoorthy explains why the two demands in their six-point
blueprint were dropped in the MOU Hindraf signed with PM Najib?"
"Hindraf pressed Pakatan hard in negotiations but they seemed to have gone easy with the BN, not demanding for seats to contest and shedding two demands that are critical for the alleviation of the plight of the Indian poor," declared Kulasegaran.
He said the MOU between Hindraf and BN was signed only days before the general election, "and so perhaps there was not enough time to explain why the two demands were dropped."
"But now that the election is over, I think the public is entitled to know why the two demands were dropped.
"If no explanation is given, people are likely to conclude that the primary motive for the deal was to enable some individuals to advance their personal career interests more than the collective interests of the Indian poor," asserted the DAP legislator.
"This is probably the first time in the history of political protests that you have a leader who has fasted to get into the cabinet of a government infamous for its neglect of the cause that prompted the fast in the first place," cracked the re-elected MP for Ipoh Barat.
"At
least if he got into the cabinet at minister level, there's something
there. But he's got in as a deputy minister. All of us know a deputy
minister does not attend cabinet meetings and has no impact on policy,"
opined Kulasegaran (left).Waythamoorthy was appointed a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, presumably to handle matters covered by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Umno and BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and the Hindraf leader days before the general election.
These matters generally relate to the alleviation of the plight of Indian plantation workers, the resolution of statelessness among Indians, and the provision of equal education and job opportunities to Indians.
These issues were part of a six-point blueprint for the Indian poor for which Hindraf sought to obtain the endorsement of Pakatan Rakyat in return for the movement's backing for the opposition coalition at the general election.
When negotiations reached a deadlock, partly over the Hindraf demand that Pakatan cede seven parliamentary and 10 state seats to the movement to contest at the polls, Hindraf, with Waythamoorthy commencing a fast to draw moral support, opened a channel of discussion with BN.
Three days before polling on May 5, Hindraf and BN inked a deal in which Najib pledged ameliorative action on four of the six demands in Hindraf's blueprint.
The dropped demands were for an end to police brutality and custodial deaths, and a halt to institutionalised racism.
'Hindraf goes easy with BN'
Commenting on the dropped demands, Kulasegaran, who has had his fair share of the demeaning epithet - "mandore" - Hindraf regularly hurled at Indians seen to be compliant with the reigning political order that discriminates against minorities, said:
"Isn't
it time Waythamoorthy explains why the two demands in their six-point
blueprint were dropped in the MOU Hindraf signed with PM Najib?""Hindraf pressed Pakatan hard in negotiations but they seemed to have gone easy with the BN, not demanding for seats to contest and shedding two demands that are critical for the alleviation of the plight of the Indian poor," declared Kulasegaran.
He said the MOU between Hindraf and BN was signed only days before the general election, "and so perhaps there was not enough time to explain why the two demands were dropped."
"But now that the election is over, I think the public is entitled to know why the two demands were dropped.
"If no explanation is given, people are likely to conclude that the primary motive for the deal was to enable some individuals to advance their personal career interests more than the collective interests of the Indian poor," asserted the DAP legislator.
all you know.........this waythamoorthy would have sold the indians in this country to najib and the gang..................the reason why waythamoorthy went on fasting was to get the attention / sandiwara........what was he doing in london all this while..........
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