We expect `more good things’ from Malaysian PM: Samy Vellu
July 13th, 2009 - 3:11 pm ICT by IANS
Kuala Lumpur, July 13 (IANS) Senior Malaysian Indian leader S. Samy Vellu has welcomed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s several gestures towards the Indian community and has expressed the hope that “more good things” would follow.
“It has to be a continuous process and we have to work hard to eradicate poverty among the Indian community,” said Vellu, who heads the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) that is part of the ruling coalition.
He was complimenting Razak who completed 100 days in office Sunday.
Vellu, a former minister, said Razak’s “rating among the Indian community is good and encouraging”, New Straits Times reported Monday.
He hoped “more goods things” would follow from the government.
Vellu also welcomed Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s announcement to speed up the approval for Malaysian citizenship, entry permit and birth registration, adding that this had always been a big problem for the community.
“Every day, we have 20 to 40 people coming to us regarding their birth certificate or identity card problems.”
The MIC claims to speak for the two-million Indian origin population.
Razak last week granted a five-fold increase in the funds meant for promoting entrepreneurship among the Indian community.
Vellu did not mention it, but Razak’s gesture on the first day in office was to release two detainees of the banned Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf). He later released the remaining three Hindraf detainees.
Held under the serious charge of sedition, the five — M. Manoharan, S. Kengadharan, Ganabatirau, Vasanth Kumar and P. Uthaya Kumar — were serving two-year jail terms under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA).
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Tags: birth certificate, birth registration, detainees, gesture, gestures, hindraf, home minister, indian leader, indian origin, internal security act, jail terms, kuala lumpur, malaysian indian congress, manoharan, najib tun razak, new straits times, origin population, samy vellu, sedition, vasanth
