MULTIRACIAL PKR’S nomination of Najwan Halimi as an election candidate is a slap in the face of Indian voters.

Party president Anwar Ibrahim named Najwan, who is under fire for racist remarks, as a candidate for the Kota Anggerik state seat in Selangor.

Najwan has made the news for disparaging Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) as an “Indian estate party” and Sivaranjani Manickam, the party’s candidate for the Meru state seat.

On Saturday night, Anwar named the Shah Alam PKR deputy chairman for the seat despite protests from several people, saying that he, as the party president, had the final say on the matter.

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader also brushed off Najwan’s remarks as a “mistake”. 

PKR has failed to take any disciplinary action against Najwan over his insensitive comments.

This does not bode well for PKR, a party with a large number of Indian members.

Selangor also has a large population of Indian voters, whose support may be crucial for PKR and PH in the face of Perikatan Nasional’s Malay agenda.

Anwar’s disregard for the Indians shows his ignorance.

This is disgraceful for a multiracial party like PKR, whose government leaders are warning people against race-baiting.

It appears that PH leaders will only punish the opposition and the public for disregarding the warnings.

PKR had the chance to walk the talk by dropping Najwan from the candidates list but chose not to take it.

Najwan, who has apologised for his racial slur, is unlikely to learn anything from the episode now that he is allowed to stand for election.

The Kota Anggerik seat he will defend is a Malay-majority consituency. His offensive behaviour will probably have minimal or no impact on the Malay electorate.

Nevertheless, PKR, as a party, has disrespected Indians by choosing Najwan as a candidate.

The clear winner here is Najwan, who has secured himself a seat in the August 12 state elections and the backing of the party president and the prime minister, to boot.

As for the Indians, they continue to suffer racial attacks after voting in a new reform government. – July 24, 2023.