1Malaysia concept will benefit all

The 1Malaysia concept by may be initially be bitter to swallow to some Malays but together with other races, they will reap its benefits, according to veteran MIC leader M Muthupalaniappan (left).

 He was commenting on the opposition by some Malays to the 1Malaysia concept promoted by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

 “In time they will see the wisdom of the unity plan,” he said. “Giving equal opportunity to all will spur the non-Malays to contribute greatly to the development of the country which in turn will benefit the country as a whole.

“Only those who cannot stand on their own feet will feel threatened by this concept to unite all Malaysians.”

Teething problems

As with all new programmes, Najib will initially face teething problems, said  Muthupalaniappan, but from what he could see, the 1Malaysia concept is gaining popularity and momentum among the various races.  

On the call by certain political parties for Najib to intervene in their internal disputes, which Najib had publicly said he would not,  Muthupalaniappan said all political parties should put their houses in order without asking for help from other party leaders.

As to the various Indian parties that are emerging and overwhelming the Indian community, Muthupalaniappan said all these parties are formed based on individuals looking out for their own political survival and are not targeted at uplifting the economic status of the Indian community.

Muthu quoted on the wisdom of the first Prime Minister of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman who had stated that if there are four Chinese present, they would unite and work together to form businesses. Whereas if four Indians are present then each will try to form a political party on their own and become  individual leaders.

"The moral of the story is that the Indian community in the country is weak as it are not united in the fight to improve its economic status," he said.

Muthupalaniappan also warned MIC to wake up and select good leaders who are transparent and dedicated to the welfare of the community.

Otherwise, many more Indian mosquito parties will emerge in the political arena and get political mileage out of the weaknesses of MIC, he added.