NO Malaysian Indian or Orang Asli should vote for Barisan Nasional, prominent lawyer and human rights activist Ambiga Sreenevasan said today, as the ruling coalition has failed to uplift these marginalised communities.

The former Malaysian Bar president urged voters from these groups to send a strong message to BN, which she acknowledged had made some effort to improve their lot but were still “wholly inadequate and insincere”.

“Closer to the election, we have seen an Indian blueprint and some work has been done. But the statistics are very worrying and one wonders how we allowed the Indian community to slip into the drastic situation that we see them in today,” she said in a press statement today.

She said BN’s efforts to uplift the Indian community mostly began just before the election.

“Unless a strong message is sent, Indian Malaysians and other marginalised communities will not be taken seriously.

“That message must be sent in the 14th general election by denying BN the vote and the mandate to govern. 

“Not one Malaysian Indian or Orang Asli vote should go to Barisan National,” said Ambiga, who is also former Bersih 2.0 chairman. 

Among the problems facing the Indian community, Ambiga said, were stateless Indians who are unable to obtain citizenship despite being born here, lack of access to scholarships and university placements, and the poor conditions of Tamil schools.

She singled out cases of deaths in custody, which also involved other Malaysians but noted that it was particularly stark for the Indian community.

“No real effort has been made by BN to put an end to this problem; it is a grave concern for the community, but BN is simply uninterested,” she said.

Ambiga, who who has been going on the stump for various Pakatan Harapan candidates, also noted that Indians comprised the highest percentage of gang members in Malaysia despite making up only 8% of the population.

Many Orang Asli, she added, were still living in appaling conditions and in fear of losing their ancestral lands and livelihoods, while their children still found it difficult to attend schools.

“How can we tolerate this?” – May 6, 2018.