KUALA LUMPUR: Former minister P. Waytha Moorthy has joined the chorus of voices lambasting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over his statement claiming that Malaysians of Indian and Chinese descent were "not entirely loyal" to Malaysia.
Waytha, who was former Hindraf chief, said non-Malays had made significant contributions to the nation's economy.
He said 89 per cent of Malaya's income in 1956 relied on rubber and tin exports, largely managed by the Chinese and Indian communities.
He referred to the Federation of Malaya's financial report of the time, which saw a reliance on labour imported from India for rubber plantations and from China for tin mines during the colonial era.
"British Colonial Office records showed that nearly three million Tamils were recruited to work in the rubber industry and participate in constructing roads, railways, and government buildings, including hospitals.
"Can you imagine if the Indians and Chinese had left Malaya then?" he said in a statement today.
Waytha said the Tamils had sacrificed plenty, noting that a million of them, brought into Malaya by the British, had 'perished on Malayan soil'.
"Hundreds of thousands more died due to malaria, dengue, snake bites, and wild animal attacks while toiling for its economic growth.
"Many Indians were malnourished and had a short life span. Hence, there was a need for more imports of labourers to replenish Tamil workers who had died."
He added that the British and the nation's founding fathers did not advocate assimilation of the three races when discussing Malaya's independence.
Instead, he said, the consensus was that all three races would unite for the collective progress and prosperity of the nation.
Waytha's remarks came on the heels of Dr Mahathir's comments made during an interview with a Chennai-based Indian satellite television channel Thanthi TV recently.
Dr Mahathir said these communities still harbour a sense of identification with their respective countries of origin.