‘Stop bickering about Zahid, start thinking about rakyat’

KUALA LUMPUR – Despite being urged by a few party members to step down as president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi continues to receive the support of many others, within and outside the party.

The latest to do so are more than 20 Indian non-governmental organisations whose representatives came forward to express their dismay at seeing Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) members arguing among themselves despite the fact that they are on the same side. 

Speaking to Getaran, the Malay-language sister portal of The Vibes, their spokesman Saravana Kumar said that all parties, including Umno members and elected representatives under the banner of the unity government, need to stop bickering and start focusing on strengthening the country.

According to him, the people’s well-being and the country’s rejuvenation need more attention, rather than looking for faults or weaknesses in the leader. 

“Stop politicising. The six-state elections are over. Stop all this arguing, because it is the people who will be affected,” he said. 

“We understand that there is bound to be dissatisfaction when the governing alliance records weak results. But wouldn’t it be better if the focus is directed to improving the quality of people’s lives?” he said. 

Saravana explained that the insistence on Zahid giving up his president post should not even arise, as Umno and BN’s colossal defeat is a shared burden.

Zahid ‘aggressive’ in fighting for Indian interests

Contrary to the assumptions of some quarters, Zahid is one of the government leaders who has been quite aggressive in fighting for the interests of the Indian community since he was appointed as deputy prime minister, Saravana said.

As rural and regional development minister, Zahid has also allocated various funds to solving local problems faced by the community.

Saravana stressed that endless political disputes will only thwart all agenda for improvement, thus opening up opportunities for various parties to dispute the unity government’s ability to lead the country.

“How long do you want to keep making this kind of insistence? The other parties have formulated a strategy to continue moving forward while the government itself is still plagued by internal conflicts.

“How can the government’s position be strengthened if members of their own party are fighting each other?” he said.

“Now the welfare of the people needs to be prioritised. What we fear is that the people’s fate will be neglected if all parties are only busy with politics.

“In the Indian community itself, there are too many problems surrounding us, including education, poverty, lack of identity documents and social corruption,” he said.

“...Many times, we are only looked at when we are needed for votes. As soon as the election is over, we are forgotten again. 

“If this is the case, when will the problems that have plagued the lives of the local Indian community end?” – The Vibes, August 20, 2023