Letter To Editor
NEWLY-appointed Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has remarked that the apparent lack of Tamil Hindu representatives in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s (PMX) reshuffled cabinet is no cause for concern even before the first day of his job.
This clearly shows Gobind’s highest level of ignorance and stubbornness. The DAP deputy chairman should keep his mouth shut, stop mocking and speaking on behalf of Tamil Hindus.
Tamils are native to India and Sri Lanka whereas Punjabis are native to India and Pakistan. Both have distinct cultural differences and speak different languages. There are even some Punjabi Sikhs calling for separate homeland in India.
Gobind is a Punjabi Sikh. Most Punjabi Sikhs don’t like to be called Indians. Most Punjabis in Malaysia do not consider themselves as Indians.
As such, how could Gobind represent the Tamil community in the cabinet? He does not even know the problems faced by the Tamil community in the first place. The Punjabi politician has hardly any support among Malaysian Tamils but would always depend on Chinese community vote bank for his own political survival.
It would be impossible for the newly minted Digital Minister to look beyond his party and represent all 2.75 million Indians or to take up their issues and plights such as Tamil education, Tamil schools, temples, huge backlog of stateless cases and various community issues to be addressed in the cabinet.
Gobind should respect sensitivities of the 97% of the Tamil-speaking community in the country. He should not try to score brownie points by using unsavoury language to put the Tamil community down.
In a multi-racial country, Gobind should focus more on respecting the Tamil community. He can love his race but respect others, too.
The cabinet reshuffle announced by PMX is a disappointment to Indians in the country, especially the Tamil community.
Apart from the appointment of deputy ministers, there was no appointment of a Tamil minister. As we know, the deputy ministers are not involved in the policy making process.
Traditionally since independence – from the days of MIC in the Barisan Nasional (BN) government – there were Tamil ministers in the cabinet. During sixth premier Datuk Seri Najib Najib’s era, there were two Tamil ministers in the cabinet.
Under the present reshuffle, the cabinet position has been snatched away from the Tamils. – Dec 14, 2023
M.V. Anand
Puchong
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main pic credit: Gobind Singh Deo’s Facebook
