KUALA LUMPUR – Prominent Indian political figures in the country have raised concerns about the recent cabinet reshuffle, pointing out the conspicuous absence of Tamil Hindu ministers.
Former Klang MP Charles Santiago lamented the lack of Tamil Hindu ministers in the reshuffle, adding that this meant there would be no representation for the Indian community at the cabinet level.
“We have to admit that the reality here is that leaders only speak for their own race, which is why leaders should be appointed to represent their respective races,” he told Scoop.
With this, Anwar has to shoulder greater responsibility to speak on behalf of the Indian population during cabinet meetings, Santiago added.
“Although there are now three Indian deputy ministers, it is crucial to recognise that their influence may not be as robust as that of a minister’s.
“It is common knowledge that ministers, who convene regularly with the prime minister, particularly during the cabinet meetings every Wednesday, have the exclusive opportunity to address issues and pose questions directly to the prime minister.”
Santiago underscored his argument by noting that the formulation of government policies and decision-making only engaged ministers, not deputy ministers.
Echoing similar sentiments, former veteran DAP leader P. Ramasamy said the new cabinet line-up made it evident that the Madani government does not care about the Indian community in the country.
“The line-up is a big disappointment despite the appointment of three additional Indian deputy ministers. They are not ministers. They are not involved in the policymaking process.
“There is no use, even if we have 10 deputy ministers; it would not be the same as having one minister representing the Indians.”
He added that the Human Resources Ministry has always been led by an Indian minister appointed from MIC since its inception.
“Is Anwar’s government now taking that too away? So that in the future, there will not be any Indians in the cabinet?”
Anwar had faced backlash when former human resources minister V. Sivakumar was the only Indian appointed as a minister in his previous cabinet, notwithstanding the fact that the Indian community is the third-largest race in the country.
This time around, the prime minister has appointed three Indian deputy ministers, and Sivakumar, the only Indian minister, was dropped and replaced by former deputy finance minister II, Steven Sim.
The three deputy ministers are M. Kulasegaran (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk R. Ramanan (Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development), and K. Saraswathy (Unity).
Ramasamy felt that Kulasegaran should not have accepted the deputy minister post.
“It is considered a demotion for a former senior minister and leader of the government to be appointed as a deputy minister. It is a shame not only for Kulasegaran but for all (members) of the Indian community in the country.”
Meanwhile, Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar said newly minted Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has bigger shoes to fill as he is the only Indian minister in the new cabinet.
The former MP also said the onus is now on Gobind to represent some 97% of Tamil-speaking Indians in the country.
“He must now look beyond his party and represent all 2.7 million Indians, bringing their issues and plight to the cabinet to be addressed.
“This is because lack of support and attention to the minorities in the country could lead to social issues such as poverty and crime, which in the long run will affect the country as a whole. We need to look at issues on a global scale; there is no room for factional politics.”
Yesterday, Gobind told a press conference at the DAP headquarters that the cabinet line-up was more than capable of addressing issues faced by citizens of all walks of life.
“I don’t think this is going to be an issue. Rest assured, not just me, but all leaders in the unity government are well aware of problems that exist (among the local population).
“We have many leaders from all segments of society who continuously remain informed of problems (faced by society). As we’ve always done, we’ll discuss these problems and find recommendations on how to solve them,” added Gobind, who is also DAP deputy chairman. – December 13, 2023