FORMER DAP stalwart Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is hopeful that Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will seize opportunity from his madden official visit to India from Aug 19-21 to address ethnic violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh with his counterpart Narendra Modi.
Pointing to Hindus who continue to face persecution and threats of genocide, the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council said the Indian authorities are in a good positum to give Anwar who has yet to protest against the attacks against Bangladeshi Hindus a good briefing on the matter.
“India is up to date on the developments in Bangladesh,” the former Penang chief minister II told FocusM.
“Sadly, Anwar who is recognised globally as a staunch champion against Palestinians genocide in Gaza by the Israelis has yet to condemn at least on humanitarian grounds the violence against the ethnic and religious minorities in Bangladesh.”
Although the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has yet to confirm Anwar’s first official trip to Anwar since his appointment as Malaysia’s 10th PM, the Indian media are rife with news of his meeting with Modi “to strengthen India-Malaysia ties in strategic, trade and defence cooperation, and discuss major developments in Bangladesh, Gaza and Iran”.
Anwar was in Delhi in 2019 as a member of the previous Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration when he had advocated stronger bilateral ties between India and Malaysia.
“Even if the taking up the issue of the human rights in Bangladesh has no local traction, Anwar who represents the multi-racial and multi-religious population of Malaysia should register his protest with the interim government in Bangladesh led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus,” insisted Ramasamy.
“Anwar should not display his hypocrisy by condemning human rights in some parts of the world and not in other parts. Human rights is universal and whoever denies these rights must be condemned.”
On a similar note, the former Perai state assemblyman also hit out at his former party DAP and PKR which he accused as having turned a blind eye on rising concerns of ethnic cleansing incidences in Bangladesh.
“This is especially so with the Chinese and Indian leaders who are keeping mum over the violations of human rights in the country. I suppose they are afraid to openly display their sympathies and concerns of the minorities in Bangladesh,” lamented Ramasamy.
Meanwhile, s coalition of 35 NGOs led by the Global Himan Rights Federation (GHRF) will stage a protest at the Bangladesh High Commission in Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, Kuala Lumpur tomorrow at 11am.
“The atrocities and genocide committed against the Hindu community include murders, burnings, hangings, rapes and killing of women. House, businesses and Hindu temples have been vandalised, looted, torched and destroyed, leaving a trail of devastation and trauma in their wake,” claimed GHRF president S. Shashi Kumar.
“We would also urge and demand for the UN (United Nations) to intervene as the newly formed government under Muhammad Yunus has failed to control the situation and the lives of this innocent minorities.” – Aug 14, 2024
Main image credit: The Indian Express
