Prime Minister Najib Razak is going all out to cultivate Hindu votes, as can be seen from his larger-than-life appearance at Batu Caves, notes Anil Netto.
After the Christmas tea-party hoo-ha, Najib has gone out of the way to make his presence felt at Batu Caves with a bang.
(Wonder what his special officer Hardev Kaur, who had advised the church to remove all religious symbols from the rostrum where Najib was supposed to speak at the Christmas tea-party, would make of this…)
Last year, on Thaipusam eve, Najib also turned up at the same venue, becoming only the second PM to visit the site after his father. But a giant replica of him became an issue – as did the authorities’ refusal to allow the Selangor MB to speak at the same venue.
I still remember the old days when it was Samy Vellu who used to be feted on such occasions. How times have changed.
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Amazing what a calendar chockful of upcoming elections can do. The premier probably realises he has his work cut out for him in drawing the minorities back to the BN-fold.
But such larger-than-life appearances have led to murmurs among some of the faithful. It’s a shame that the figure of a politician should loom large over what is essentially a deeply religious and spiritual occasion.
Anil Netto is treasurer of Aliran.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
this just show how egoistic this guy is….
Waste of money…
A giant cut out of Najib is ridiculous and a waste of money. If he really was sincere about his partication then he could’ve opted for something low key. Yes, this is disrepectful but what’s mind boggling is how the Hindu community allowed (or maybe they were forced?) this in the first place. Seriously guys…it’s time to weed out religion for politics..there needs to be a clear seperation.
Looking at how he is glorified, it does seem to me that maybe there should not be any issue with the so called degoratory term used in ‘Intelok’. The author may have merely been circumspect in his choice of words.
What ever he does will not help?
The Indian community need to wake up that Barisan/MIC has neglected us for too long. Wake up and choose the right candidate.
Why Najib cut out ? Najib cut out larger than the other god statue. Total disrespect to Hindus. Najib should understand that this is a religious function and not a place to spread his political agenda. Why Najib went to Thaipusam ?. If he wants to appreciate the hindu culture, he should visited quietly. Why temple administration sucking up to ruling government.
Isn’t it disrespect to have a towering cut-out of a mortal so much larger than the surrounding statues of gods? And what made him deserve the ‘humongous’ garland on such a religious day? Butter must have been on sale for these people to butter him so generously.
Manusia kalau sudah benci hatinya juga tertutup terhadap apa saja walaupun towards people with good intentions
What do you mean, fadhi by ‘benci’? I agree with you it is wrong to ‘benci’ good intentions but surely it is not wrong to ‘benci’ bad intentions. I guess you are implying we should not ‘benci’ Najib for trying to curry favour (or is it flavour?) with the devotees thronging Batu Caves on such an auspicious occasion but tell me, don’t you see something like an attempt to portray himself… by putting up his huge image beside the gold colored statue that it manages to overshadow? What good intentions are you thinking about?