KUALA LUMPUR: The cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is a big disappointment to the Indians in the country says former Penang deputy chief minister II P. Ramasamy.
"Apart from the appointment of two Indian as deputy ministers, there was no appointment of an Indian as a minister," he said in a Facebook post today.
"The only Indian Tamil V. Sivakumar was dropped as the minister of human resources. His replacement was not an Indian.
"Traditionally from days of the MIC in the BN, the human resources portfolio was given to an Indian. Under the present reshuffle, this portfolio has been snatched away from Indians," he added.
Ramasamy said the appointment of DAP lawmaker M. Kulasegaran as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) today was an insult as he was once human resource minister under the earlier PH government.
"His appointment or demotion as the deputy minister is clearly an insult just not to him but also the Indian community.
"I hope if Kulasegaran has the pride and dignity, he would reject his appointment as the deputy minister," added Ramasamy in his post.
Ramasamy added that if Anwar had respect for the Indian community, he would have appointed two full Indian ministers and that there are candidates in PKR and DAP who are qualified.
"Whatever happened to the promise made by Anwar in meeting with the MIC before the last state elections where he promised the MIC posts in the government," said Ramasamy.