Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department M Kayveas came under fire today for asking the nine ministers who signed a memorandum calling for the revision of religious laws to resign.

Short of calling him outrightly ungrateful, The Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) expressed disappointment with the deputy minister's short-term memory.

"(He) has forgotten that it was not long ago that he was desperate for a seat in the last general election. The sacrifice made by of the nine ministers saved him..." said its executive secretary M Paramasivam in a statement.

"It was the MCA, MIC and Gerakan ministers who campaigned with their party members and enabled him to win in the (last genera) election.

"How can a man forget this in such a short term?" he asked.

In the 2004 elections, Kayveas, who helms the People's Progressive Party (PPP), had won the Taiping parliamentary seat, previously held by Gerakan, after the latter had allowed him to contest there.

Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik was one of those who signed the memorandum.

Retract statement

Meanwhile, Paramasivam said Kayveas had hurt the feelings of non-Muslims in this country by choosing to criticise instead of supporting the move to protect their interests.

"MHS calls on him to withdraw his statement and apologise to the (nine ministers)," he added.

Yesterday, MIC president and Works Minister S Samy Vellu, who was one of those who signed, also took Kayveas to task over the matter.

"Who cares about him?..He is not a minister," responded an enraged Samy Vellu when asked to comment.

The ministers have since withdrawn the memorandum after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made it clear that there will be no changes to the laws.