BN Sesak Nafas: Kaum India Bersatu Sokong Ambiga

BN berisiko kehilangan sokongan masyarakat India selepas gesaan ‘Gantung Ambiga’

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 Julai — Barisan Nasional (BN) berisiko kehilangan sokongan masyarakat India yang penting bagi memenangi pilihan raya umum akan datang, selepas serangan terhadap Datuk Ambiga Sreevasan ketahap kemuncak minggu lalu apabila ahli parlimen Umno, Datuk Mohamad Aziz mencadangkan agar dia digantung kerana menderhaka, kata pimpinan MIC kepada The Malaysian Insider.

Akhbar-akhbar Tamil di negara ini menghebohkan berita dan analisis mengenai kenyataan di parlimen ahli parlimen Sri Gading dan ini mencerminkan populariti pemimpin gerakan reformasi pilihan raya – Bersih.

Ini menyebabkan kebimbangan pemimpin BN yang bekerja keras bagi mendapatkan kembali sokongan daripada 1.8 juta masyarakat India di negara ini, yang membentuk tujuh peratus daripada jumlah populasi penduduk dan juga pengundi.

Tegas MIC, presiden parti, Datuk G. Palanivel terpaksa bertindak segera bagi meyakinkan masyarakat India bahawa parti tersebut tidak menyokong kenyataan ahli parlimen Sri Gading selepas isu ini heboh menjadi berita utama.

"Kenyataan tersebut menjejaskan sokongan pengundi India, yang sokongannya lebih cenderung kepada BN, " tegas Palanivel walaupun akhbar komuniti telah dipenuhi dengan berita tersebut.

Ketika perbahasan hangat di Dewan Rakyat Selasa lepas, Mohamad mencadangkan bahawa Ambiga digantung kerana menderhaka dan memainkan peranan semasa perhimpunan Bersih 3.0 pada 28 April lalu, yang menyaksikan kekecohan di ibukota.

Kenyataan pemimpin Umno itu telah diberi “pengiktirafan “ dengan tersiarnya berita di muka depan kebanyakan akhbar-akhbar berbahasa Tamil dan artikel berwarna dengan respon keras yang sama keadaannya beberapa bulan sebelum pilihan raya 2008 dimana lebih 30,000 masyarakat India berarak menentang apa yang dikatakan ketidakadilan polisi BN.

Sebelum ini, masyarakat India seringkali dilihat sebagai undi "simpanan tetap" bagi BN tetapi perarakan yang dianjurkan oleh Hindraf - kini diharamkan -berjaya meniupkan semangat kaum minoriti tersebut yang telah lama ditinggalkan oleh pembangunan.

Peristiwa besar (demo Hindraf) yang berlaku seiring dengan perhimpunan Bersih pertama bagi menuntut reformasi pilihan raya lewat 2007 dikatakan punca kepada keputus an teruk parti pemerintah pada pilihan raya 8 Mac 2008.

Perhimpunan Bersih mencetuskan penyokong anti-Bersih yang telah mengadakan pelbagai jenis tunjuk perasaan di luar rumah Ambiga. Dalam salah satu bantahan di hadapan rumah pemimpin Bersih tersebut, peniaga mendirikan gerai burger walaupun Ambiga seorang Hindu dan vegetarian. Dalam protes berlainan, “senaman punggung” dilakukan diluar pagar rumah beliau oleh tentera veteran.

"Kami khuatir ... kerana PM telah melakukan banyak perkara dan kami bekerja keras selama ini. Kadangkala, apabila kenyataan seperti ini dikeluarkan, sudah tentu ia akan menyentuh sensitiviti pengundi India" kata Setiausaha Agung MIC, Datuk S. Murugesan kepada The Malaysian Insider.

"Saya tidak fikir masyarakat India menyokong perhimpunan Bersih ... tetapi kerana (Mohamad) melakukan serangan peribadi, simpati masyarakat kepada Ambiga telah meningkat, "katanya.

Akan tetapi MIC - parti komponen BN berasaskan kaum India, percaya bahawa pentadbiran Najib telah berjaya menarik kembali sokongan masyarakat India kepada parti pemerintah.

"Perdana Menteri (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) telah tampil ke hadapan dalam menguruskan hal-ehwal masyarakat India secara langsung menerusi pelbagai polisi, sama ada melalui NGO, kumpulan atau kuil.

"Masyarakat India telah kembali menyokong BN. Akan tetapi kenyataan seperti ini ... isu-isu daripada orang BN, telah banyak menjejaskan usaha baik Najib,” kata senator dari MIC, Datuk Daljit Singh kepada The Malaysian Insider.

"Ayat yang digunakan oleh dia (Mohamad) tidak logik sama sekali. Dia boleh menggunakan perkataan seperti 'denda atau hukum dia (Ambiga)' ... Tambahan pula, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur telahpun menuntut ganti rugi daripada Bersih, "katanya.

Beliau menegaskan bahawa walaupun kemarahan meluas terhadap Bersih dan Ambiga, ramai di kalangan masyarakat India melihat bekas pengerusi Majlis Peguam itu sebagai "seorang yang berani".

"Dia tidak berjuang untuk apa-apa yang tidak masuk akal. Dia tidak meminta pampasan daripada kerajaan atau apa-apa - dia cuma tuntut pilihan raya yang bebas dan adil, di mana ia sama dengan perjuangan BN dan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya," kata Daljit.

Beliau setuju dengan pendangan rakan-rakan anggota parti bahawa Ambiga, walaupun sebagai pengerusi bersama Bersih 2.0, gabungan yang menganjurkan perhimpunan Bersih, bukanlah satu-satunya orang untuk dipersalahkan dalam huru-hara pada 28 April.

"Mengapa dia (Mohamad) tidak jadikan (Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim) sebagai sasaran? Beliau juga berada di sana .

“Ambiga telah melalui secukupnya," katanya lagi.

Palanivel, dalam satu kenyataan minggu lepas, juga menggesa Najib dan pemimpin BN untuk menghentikan serangan terhadap Ambiga, beliau juga setuju dengan Daljit bahawa pemimpin tersebut bukanlah penganjur tunggal perhimpunan Bersih.

"Mengapa Ambiga dijadikan kambing hitam?" soal beliau.

"Mengapa tidak “orang-orang ini” tidak meletakkan gerai burger dan melakukan senaman punggung dihadapan rumah pemimpin Bersih yang lain?

Ahli Jawatankuasa Kerja Pusat (CWC) MIC, S. Vell Paari telah berkata sepatutnya Mohamad yang perlu digantung kerana kekurangan pengetahuan am.

Anak kepada pemimpin MIC yang paling lama memegang jawatan presiden, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu dipetik di Tamil Nesan Khamis lalu berkata, "Saya rasa apabila beliau (Mohamad) masih muda, seseorang mesti telah jatuhkan beliau dalam apa-apa cara dan dia telah terhantuk kepalanya. "

Pada hari berikutnya, harian yang sama petik kenyataan Presiden Malaysian Hindu Sangam, R.S. Mohan Shan telah menuntut supaya Mohamad keluarkan kenyataan umum meminta maaf, kerana ini boleh mencetuskan ketegangan kaum.

"Adakah Datuk Ambiga telah melakukan jenayah pembunuhan yang dia harus digantung? Ini adalah satu perkara yang patut ditapis, " kata Ketua Komunikasi MIC Pahang R. Gunasekaran.

Media lain memetik cabaran Datuk Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim, Pengerusi Badan Kebangsaan Bertindak Hak-Hak India (Niat) kepada Mohamad untuk mengulangi ucapannya di luar Dewan Rakyat, di mana dia tidak ada kekebalan parlimen.

"Jika dia tidak mengulangi ucapannya di luar, ia menunjukkan dia hanya menyalahgunakan keistimewaan dengan menyalahkan pemimpin NGO yang dihormati dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak sivil, " beliau dipetik dalam Free Malaysia Today.

Susulan oleh arahan Timbalan Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Mohamad telah menarik balik kata-katanya itu, tetapi adalah dipercayai bahawa kejadian ini mungkin telah buka semula luka lama masyarakat India yang selama ini pentadbiran Najib telah berjuang untuk pulihkan sokong. -TMI

Indian community unites for Ambiga

There is an old joke about unity within the Indian community.

During British rule in Malaya, the British ruler was asked: How do you manage the three distinctively different races in Malaya? He answered: “It is simple. To the Malays, I give them government jobs and they are happy. To the Chinese, I give them all the business licences they want and they are happy. For the Indians, I approve all the associations they want to form. They will fight among themselves and they will never come back to me for anything.”

The Malaysian Indian community has so many diversified views on issues and there are so many NGOs representing the Indian community on various sectors. These NGOs often clash among themselves and, on most occasions, face internal squabbles.

Indians are also politically divided through several political parties despite being a minority community.

However, during the last one week, surprisingly all the Indian NGOs and political leaders alike were united in their common stand in defending Bersih leader S Ambiga on the remarks passed against her by the Sri Gading MP Mohamad Aziz.

For the last one week, the Tamil media were flooded with press statements by notable Indian personalities, political leaders and Indian NGOs who came out in full force defending Ambiga and demanding action against Mohamad for his remarks. It was a rare moment for the Indian community to witness such a unity in recent times.

This prompted even Mohamad to credit the Indian community for coming out united in their stand in defending Ambiga.

Even MIC supports Ambiga

Even MIC president G Palanivel voiced his objection on the remarks by Mohamad and warned the Umno-BN leadership that they will fail to get the Indian votes in the 13th general election if the attacks on Ambiga continue.

He was concerned that while MIC and Prime Minster Najib Tun Razak were working hard to convince the Indian community to vote for BN through their various initiatives, there were elements like Mohamad, who derailed their plans by making racially slanted remarks.

Another MIC leader, M Saravanan, despite being a deputy minister, also slammed the government for making Ambiga popular with its actions.

Ambiga’s stupendous rise in popularity has clearly affected and dented the political image of MIC, which now fears she could become their real threat in the election, only if she decides to campaign openly against BN.

In 2008, MIC had to convince the Indian voters to vote for BN despite the five Hindraf leaders being held under ISA. The MIC then failed miserably in its mission.

This time when MIC was happy that there were no such issues, the government’s attacks on Ambiga have put the party in another dilemma.

Will Ambiga contest?

Ambiga has even started attending Indian-based functions and has begun interacting with Indian- based NGOs. Recently, she attended a Tamil community function in Klang and was given a grand reception.

She received thunderous applause during her appearance on stage but was ridiculed by some in the Tamil newspapers later for her lack of proficiency in speaking in Tamil despite it being her mother tongue.

It is believed that in addition to the Pakatan Rakyat parties, many Indian-based NGOs are lining up to invite her for their functions.

This has put MIC and other Indian leaders in BN component parties like Gerakan and PPP in a quandary. Instead of highlighting the BN policies and future plans for the betterment of the Indian community, every other day they are forced to defend the government.

With the Indian community’s total attention and focus now on Ambiga, the question that looms in everyone’s mind is whether she will contest in the forthcoming general election.

Although she has denied the prospects of contesting in the 13th general election, political sources believe that the continued attacks on her may force her to choose a political platform to continue her public role after the polls. Pakatan parties would be more than willing to accommodate her for a parliamentary seat.

Recently, there were some reports that she might be fielded as a common independent candidate for the Bersih movement in one of the seats in the Klang Valley and that the opposition would let her win by not fielding any candidates against her, paving the way for her to be elected as an independent candidate and to be the voice of Bersih in Parliament.

Alternatively, she may choose to campaign for the opposition without contesting for a seat. In such an event, without any doubt, she would sway a bulk of the Indian votes away from BN.

RJ Rajah is an observer and writer on politics and social issues with a keen interest particularly in Malaysian Indian affairs.