PBIS protem committee has no hidden agenda
KOTA KINABALU: The protem committee of Parti Bersatu India Sabah (PBIS) has no hidden agenda except to help the rakyat, especially the Indian community.
“We just want to help the rakyat like what we have been doing before,” said its protem president, Datuk V Jothi.
The former MIC Sabah liaison chairman pointed out that they want to continue helping the Indian community in Sabah therefore the setting up of a new platform through which to champion their issues and problems.
Jothi said this when asked to comment on the call by former Sabah MIC secretary Ron Ganasegaran for Sabah’s Indian community to reject the racebased party as he is of the opinion that the plan by former Sabah MIC leaders and members was unnecessary as the community’s needs could be addressed by any of the multi-racial parties in the state.
Ganasegaran, who was Sabah MIC secretary for three terms from 1999 to 2008, said an Indian party would only serve the interest of the few who were looking for political patronage and personal benefit.
Sabah, according to him has about 10,000 or so Indians who are either professionals, gainfully employed or operating businesses, and as such there was no need for a political party to represent them, he said.
Ganasegaran, a businessman, also alleged that the MIC leadership used the party as a platform for personal gains.
Jothi in a press conference to announce the setting up of PBIS yesterday, pointed out that it was Ganaseragan’s democratic right to express his opinion on the matter.
“That is their democratic rights, if they can do good to the community, why not? We cannot stop anybody. Everyone is entitled for their own opinions, I do not think it should be a problem.
“To me, it is very important that the community must benefit ... We must move forward (and) as long as we make things better, easier for everybody (it is good). I want to be transparent as we do not have hidden agenda. We just want to help the rakyat like what we have been doing before,” Jothi stressed.