IN a sarcastic broadside to his predecessor, Najib Razak today declared himself the “father of Indian development” even though he is not from Kerala, the birthplace of Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s ancestors.

The prime minister said he suited the moniker as he took great interest in Indian affairs in Malaysia. Indians form 7% of Malaysia’s 32 million population.

“Although my father or grandfather isn’t from Kerala, I am known as the father of Indian development,” he said at the MIC general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. The MIC is a member of Najib’s ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

Dr Mahathir has been a strident critic of Najib since the 2013 general election, accusing the prime minister of exchanging cash for votes despite BNl losing the popular vote and failing to regain its two-thirds parliamentary super-majority.

Dr Mahathir’s grandfather, Iskandar was from Kerala. He married Siti Hawa of Johor, who bore him a son, Mohamad, Dr Mahathir’s father,in 1881 in Penang. 

Najib made the remarks as a reminder of the opposition’s treatment of Indians. There are at least six Indian-based political parties in Malaysia with most of the ethnic Indian lawmakers coming from the opposition benches.

He has been wooing the Chinese and Indian minorities these past few weeks, fuelling speculation that the general election could be held as early as this year. The Najib government’s mandate expires next August.

Najib told the 2,000 MIC delegates in attendance that the economy was improving and that a PricewaterhouseCoopers report had forecasted that Malaysia would be one of the 24 largest economies in the world by 2050. 

“Does it sound like we are a failed state? A bankrupt state? The lying opposition claims this to confuse us; they want to plant the seeds of hatred. They are not being constructive. 

“The question is, what have they done for the Indians compared with what BN has done, more so after I took over the leadership of the country from Abdullah Badawi. 

“With his permission, I initiated cabinet committee on Indian affairs to further develop the Indian community because I realised that without intervention and political will, Indians would be neglected, marginalised and left behind.” 

Najib said he also prioritised Indians in the selection of the new director-general of Customs.

“I do not mind telling you, even the appointment of the new director-general of Customs was difficult. I received petitions not to pick an Indian for the post. I said no, he (T. Subromaniam) deserves the post because he is the most senior. I stood my ground.  The director-general of Customs is a Malaysian Indian. This is the reality,” he said. – September 24, 2017.