KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries Coalition (MAICCI) allegedly claimed that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent playing-up of racial sentiments is a diversion tactic, amid recent corruption investigations on high profile individuals.
MAICCI president, Datuk Seri N Gobalakrishnan, said the former prime minister who led the country for 22 years previously, clearly aims to create an agenda to make the Malays uneasy with the non-Malays.
"I challenge him (Dr Mahathir) to prove his statement (regarding the Indian community's lack of loyalty). I feel that when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) started taking action against the 'big guns' (prominent figures), he wanted to create a diversion by stirring up racial ethnic tension so that he and his family won't be bothered by the investigators... he (Mahathir) is clever," he said after the MAICCI Ponggal Festival and the launch of the Women Entrepreneurship programme (Wes) at the MAICCI House, here yesterday.
Gobalakrishnan expressed disappointment over Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement alleging that the Indian community is not entirely loyal to Malaysia.
He added that he believes the statement is sensitive and potentially could cause chaos and ethnic tension among the multiracial community.
Also present at the event were Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Deputy Minister Datuk R Ramanan, and Wes Chairman, Hemala Sivam.
Recently, a satellite TV channel in India had an exclusive online interview with Dr Mahathir, where he claimed that the Indian community in Malaysia is still not entirely loyal to the country because they are still "bonded" to their home country.
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Gobalakrishnan said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has already said that Mahathir's statement is unacceptable and must be stopped.
"This (statement from the Prime Minister) is very appropriate. The country's top leader has responded, so we don't need to pursue the matter because we won't gain any benefit from it," he said.
Anwar previously told the people not to entertain backdated thinking like Dr Mahathir's, describing it as damaging to the country.
The prime minister said he sees the insulting statement deliberately made to divert public attention from the government's national transformation efforts.