Will Perkasa back the MIC candidate in Hulu Selangor?

Now that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has confirmed that the BN candidate for the crucial Hulu Selangor by-election will come from the MIC, will Perkasa support an Indian candidate?

S Murali, chairman of PKR Bandar Kinrara Section 1, posed this question to the Malay rights pressure group which declared that it will support only an Umno Malay candidate.

Najib, the BN and Umno chief, urged everyone in BN to give full support to the MIC candidate, whom he will name soon, to ensure victory in Hulu Selangor.

"Will Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa's head honcho and champion of 'Ketuanan Melayu' campaign for MIC or support PKR?" asked Murali.

"If Ibrahim cares for the rights of Malays, he should now support PKR which is expected to name a Malay candidate for the by-election. Will he do that? I doubt it," he said.

Murali said Ibrahim perpetually condemned the rights of the Indian and Chinese communities in the country and the by-election is a test for Perkasa.

"Will it support Umno-BN and campaign for the MIC candidate or disappear from the scene. We'll wait and see," said Murali.

Land problem left unresolved by Palanivel

The Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Zainal Abidin Ahmad on March 25.

The nomination of candidates is on April 17 and polling day April 25

In the 2008 general election, MIC deputy president G Palanivel, who was a four-term MP for the constituency, lost by 198 votes to Zainal.

Meanwhile, Murali urged Palanivel to resolve the Sungai Belata estate land problem which has been outstanding for more than 15 years.

"Palanivel must fulfil promises he made to Sungai Belata estate workers in 2007 to give 11.57 acres of land lots to 64 families when he was the Hulu Selangor MP," said Murali.

"Currently, the Selangor government is looking into the problem in an attempt to resolve it, but it does not mean Palanivel can absolve himself from it," he added.

by FMT