MIC President and sole Indian Cabinet Minister for more than 28 years, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu announced that the Prime Minister has asked him to monitor all Hindu temples and submit a report on their status periodically.

He said the Prime Minister also wanted the MIC to forward to him and the Cabinet a list of temples that might have to be demolished for various reasons.

In declaring that the MIC “will completely take over” the sensitive issue of Hindu temples, several observations and questions are in order.

Firstly, is this an election gimmick until the next general election expected in March is over – when the various State Governments will again assert their untrammeled power and authority like the arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive demolition of the of the Sri Mariamman Temple at Padang Jawa in Shah Alam a few days before Deepavali?

Secondly, is there a total moratorium and halt on the demolition of Hindu temples, and if so, for what period – is it only until the next general election?

Thirdly, if Samy Vellu is now given additional responsibilities and powers by the Prime Minister on the question of Hindu temples in the country, he must thank Hindraf and he should ask the Prime Minister to release all the five Hindraf leaders under the Internal Security Act immediately and unconditionally – and they should be charged in court and be given their fundamental right of an open trial to defend themselves to any charges that the Attorney-General wants to prefer against them.

It is moot however that this latest announcement is going to reverse Samy Vellu’s political fortunes, who is akin to the Chinese saying of a “a rat running across the street with everybody shouting ‘smack it’”.

A Malaysiakini correspondent writing about the public booing of Samy Vellu when officiaiting the Astro’s ‘Aattam 100 Vagai’ (100 types of dance), an international modern Indian dance competition, at the Penang International Sports Arena (Pisa) on Sunday, entitled his report: “Writing on the wall for MIC supremo”.

Some 40 months ago, I had given Samy Vellu an opportunity to redeem himself, MIC and the Barisan Nasional Government by embarking on the process to check and arrest the long-standing political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious polarization of the Malaysian Indians in the country.

This was when I suggested to Samy Vellu that he get Cabinet approval for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on the Marginalisation of the Indian Community, with him as Chairman, to identify the problem areas faced by Malaysian Indians for over two decades which have denied them an equal place under the Malaysian sun, to be followed by a New Deal to restore justice and fair play to the Malaysian Indians.

I even wrote an official letter to Samy Vellu, dated 4th June 2004, which I handed to him personally in Parliament at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee of Selection.

Samy Vellu expressed great enthusiasm and full support for my proposal at the time and promised to raise it at the Cabinet – but nothing has come out of it. He has not breathed a single word about my letter and proposal in the past 40 months.

I do not know whether he had just thrown my letter into the wastepaper basket when I turned my back, but Samy Vellu had flunked the opportunity to end the marginalization of Malaysian Indians 40 months ago or he would not now be like “a rat running across the street with everybody shouting ‘smack it’”!

This is the letter which I gave Samy Vellu, which I am making public for the first time:

The offer of co-operation 40 months ago by DAP MPs to Samy Vellu, the MIC and the Barisan Nasional government, rising above party differences, to work in unison to end the long-standing marginalization of the Malaysian Indians was spurned and rejected.

What a golden opportunity lost – with Samy Vellu, Malaysian Indians and the nation as a whole all become the losers.

If the long-standing problem of the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians had been highlighted and addressed by a Parliamentary Select Committee 40 months ago, the feeling of neglect, alienation and despair would not have reached the stage where 30,000 Indians from all over the country braved hardships and threats to rally in support of the Hindraf demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 25 in a collective cry of desperation to be heard by the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional government.

Can Samy Vellu explain why he had spurned my proposal for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on the Marginalisation of the Indian community in Malaysia 40 months ago?