PENANG Hindu Endowment Board chairman R.S.N. Rayer has urged the Indian community to accept Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's public apology with an open mind, describing it as a sincere act of statesmanship and a historic first by a sitting Malaysian prime minister.
Rayer said Anwar had openly apologised during a speech at an event in Negeri Sembilan yesterday, acknowledging that some of his previous remarks concerning Hindu temples had offended members of the Indian community.
"The Prime Minister has openly apologised to the community while delivering a speech at an event in Negeri Sembilan yesterday," Rayer, who is also the Member of Parliament for Jelutong, said.
He noted that no previous serving prime minister had publicly apologised to the Indian community despite longstanding grievances, including those highlighted during the Hindraf movement under the previous Barisan Nasional administration.
"This is historic as no sitting Prime Minister has done so in the past although the Indian community had raised many grievances, especially during the Hindraf rally movement under previous Barisan Nasional government," he said.
Rayer said Anwar's gesture of placing his hands together while apologising reflected the sincerity of his remarks.
"Anwar even put his hands together as a gesture to show his sincerity in apologising to the Indian community for his inadvertent remark made in the past on Hindu temples.
"The Prime Minister has clearly offered an honest, conscientious, and sincere apology."
The Jelutong Member of Parliament described the apology as a quality befitting "a true statesman", adding that Anwar understood and appreciated the longstanding support the Indian community had given to the Reformasi movement.
"I think Anwar realises and appreciates the overwhelming support of the Indian community to his 'Reformasi' movement in the past, eventually resulting in him becoming the present Prime Minister of this country and his statements made after becoming a Prime Minister which may have offended the community."
Rayer also highlighted a series of initiatives introduced under the MADANI Government, saying they reflected Anwar's commitment to improving the welfare and socioeconomic standing of the Indian community.
He said allocations for programmes benefiting the community had increased from RM100 million to RM150 million, while AIMST University had received RM76 million in financial assistance over the past three years and TAFE College RM20 million.
He added that the government had also allocated RM200 million for the maintenance of non-Muslim places of worship.
Rayer further noted that the Indian community is represented in the Federal Cabinet by Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Deputy Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
Calling for reconciliation, Rayer urged the community to move forward.
"It's therefore time to forget and forgive and realise that the Prime Minister has been magnanimous in his apology," he said.
He added that the MADANI unity government represented the best path forward for both the Indian community and the nation. - July 30, 2026
