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Thousands of Indian Malaysians packed the Cheras badminton stadium in Kuala Lumpur in a show of support for Barisan Nasional (BN) and MIC this evening.
Since afternoon, busloads of people were ferried to the stadium amidst heavy police presence for the event themed ‘An evening with the prime minister’.
The crowd, which numbered around 15,000, were kept entertained by singers belting out inspirational Tamil songs from the yesteryears.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation when he appeared, announced in his speech later that a public holiday will be declared for the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya for the Thaipusam festival.
“If there is no public holiday, the whole of Kuala Lumpur will be jammed up. So might as well give a public holiday,” said the premier, whose announcement was met with a roar of approval.
At present Thaipusam is a public holiday in Negri Sembilan, Perak, Penang, Johor and Selangor.
Abdullah, who was accompanied by his wife Jeanne, said this was the biggest MIC gathering he has attended.
“I am overwhelmed by the Indian community’s support for BN,” said the premier, who also praised MIC president and Works Minister S Samy Vellu.
“I want to tell you the truth, Samy Vellu has been fighting for you in the cabinet,” he said.
Describing MIC as an “old friend”, Abdullah said BN will help the party if it is plagued by problems.
Apart from this, the prime minister also announced that he will set up a “high-powered committee” to tackle hardcore poverty among all races.
Abdullah said the government aims to eradicate hardcore poverty by 2010 and vowed that no race will be left behind.
“We will fight for all races. That’s my promise to you. I don’t want our children to lose out on education because of poverty,” he stressed to another round of thunderous applause.
‘Stay united’
In his speech earlier, Samy Vellu said the Indian community has always been a strong supporter of BN.
“Only MIC can, only BN can represent the Indians in this country. Nobody else can,” said the veteran politician.
The MIC president also cautioned the Indian community not to fall prey to certain quarters who wanted to sow seeds of disunity.
“These quarters claim that the government has not done anything for the Indians over the past 50 years. They aim to break the community’s trust and support for BN.
“But I am convinced that the community will not be easily swayed,” said Samy Vellu, who also enthralled the crowd by belting out a Tamil song on the importance of unity.
Admitting that there are problems in relation to the community, especially in the public delivery system, Samy Vellu said MIC has asked the premier to form a special mechanism, not only to monitor, but also ensure that the Indian community benefits from the opportunities provided by the government.
“MIC is confident that our prime minister will ensure that in the next 30 months before the Ninth Malaysia Plan ends, the government machinery will resolve the problems faced by the community,” he added.
Samy Vellu also praised Abdullah as a leader who feels for all races and creeds. “His ears are always open to hear and solve the people’s woes. He is our leader, he is the leader of all Malaysians.”
For the critics and detractors, the MIC president had this to say: “We only attack from the front, we do not attack from the back. We only speak the truth.”
He also stressed that the party’s election machinery is prepared to face the general election which is expected to be called soon.
MIC has pushed itself into overdrive by organising numerous events following the mass street rally organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) on Nov 25.
Since then, the party has come under intense criticism for allegedly failing to uplift the Indian community and protecting its rights.
Hindraf has also accused the government of marginalising Indians in the country and subjecting them to persecution, charges which have been vehemently denied.
Five Hindraf leaders have since been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly being a threat to national security.
Also present at today’s event were Women, Family and Community Development Minister Sharizat Abdul Jalil and Federal Territories Minister Zulhasnan Rafique.
YennaMike Says : What was the real purpose of the gathering - show support to PM...emm, how much was spent for this event and where did all the funding came from. Is it worth spending that much to "Show" support to PM...?. The final "Show" is down to "Rakyat" during the next Election.
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