Bersatu Man Chides Pm Over Political Ponggal Speech

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A Bersatu associate wing leader today condemned Anwar Ibrahim for using the national Ponggal celebration as a platform to hit out at his political opponents.
This comes after the prime minister reportedly spoke about an investigation against a ‘Tun’ for allegedly stealing public money during the event held on Saturday in Klang, Selangor.
In a statement, Vasantha Kumar Krishnan, who is the Bangi Bersatu associate chief, said the celebration should be a stage for Anwar to address the plight of the Indian community in Malaysia instead of launching attacks on his adversaries.
“What does Anwar’s revengeful speech against Tun Mahathir and Tun Daim have to do with the Ponggal festival?
“Anwar is clearly in a vengeful mode that he didn’t realise the Ponggal celebration is not a political stage,” he said, referring to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.
“Anwar should have used the stage to speak about the vision for the Indian community and inform the people about government policies to help the Indians who are being left behind in the economy, education, and job opportunities.
Bangi Bersatu associate chief Vasantha Kumar Krishnan“Clearly he does not care about the people’s problem, including the Indians, who are suffering from the high cost of living,” Vasantha added.
Vasantha was one of five Hindu Rights Action Force leaders detained under the now-repealed Internal Security Act in 2007.
He resurfaced recently in Bersatu’s associate wing and spoke up over the lack of PN Indian candidates for parliamentary seats in Selangor during the 2022 general election.
During the national Ponggal celebration on Saturday evening, Anwar reportedly told the audience that investigating prominent figures is not an easy feat for authorities in the country.
Hence, he urged the people to support the government in its efforts to go after everyone involved in stealing from the country.
“We will go after all the scoundrels. I don’t care who. Some people got angry when we want to take action against (corruption), saying the prime minister is being harsh. This is rather odd to me because they should be supportive instead.
“Do you know that it is not easy to investigate the ‘Tuns’?
“If we were to investigate ordinary folks like a village chief, or a school teacher, it would be easier. But I want to investigate the rich, the prominent figures.
“Do you think this is easy? It is not. We want to protect this country against looters,” he said, as reported by Berita Harian.
- Mkini

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