Najib to seek explanation over Samy Vellu's remark

Malaysian deputy PM to seek explanation over Samy Vellu's remark
Malaysia Sun
Saturday 19th April, 2008
(ANI)

Kuala Lumpur, Apr 19 : The Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, has said he would ask Malaysian Indian Congress president Samy Vellu to explain his remarks that he would seek international support if the Malaysian Government continued to ignore the Indian community.

"I do not know. I will have to ask him what he meant by that. In terms of government policy, it is a fact that we have been giving fair and equal consideration to all races in the country," new straits times online quoted Najib, as saying.

"Whatever is needed by the Indian community, we are prepared and willing to consider it but all this must be done in the context of consensus under the BN," he added.

Najib further said that the government was ready to look into concerns raised by all races.

"We will look into concerns made through applications, proposals and others but definitely not in the form of threats," he said.

Talking about stopping of publication of a Tamil daily, Najib said the decision not to renew the publication was made by the Home Ministry and not the cabinet.

"It is a decision for the ministry to make and was not discussed in the cabinet," he said.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar had said the vernacular newspaper's permit was not renewed as it had breached guidelines governing the publication of newspapers in the country.