Kula denies labelling Malays ‘pendatang’
KUALA LUMPUR: Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran has refuted a recent news report claiming he allegedly labelled Malays pendatang, or immigrants.
Saying he was quoted out of context, Kulasegaran also denied claiming that Indians were the original inhabitants of Malaya.
In a statement yesterday, the Ipoh Barat member of parliament said the “slanderous” report was manipulated by certain quarters to fan the flames of racism.
“Last week, I attended a Hindu event in Nilai, Negri Sembilan, where I said we shouldn’t label a certain race as immigrants because all of us live together in Malaysia.
“During the event, which was conducted in Tamil, I never once talked about the Malays. Allegations that I called the Malays immigrants are mere slander and lies. What I said was that the Indians have been in Malaya since 2,500 years ago. Hinduism was introduced by the Indians in Malaya.
“The discoveries made at the Lembah Bujang archaeological site, especially in Sungai Batu in Kedah, confirm this,” he said on his Facebook page.
In a report published on Friday, Kulasegaran was quoted as saying that various Hindu temples were discovered in Lembah Bujang, Kedah, which was proof that Hinduism had long existed in the country. The report was based on a video recording uploaded on YouTube, which showed Kulasegaran delivering a speech in Tamil.
In his statement, Kulasegaran said based on the archaeological discoveries, it was unfair for Indians to be labelled immigrants.
He said this was because Hinduism was one of the earliest religions practised by the people of Malaya and Nusantara, or Malay archipelago.
He said Buddhism also flourished in the region until the advent of Islam in the 15th century.