INDIAN COMMUNITY DOES NOT ELECT BASED ON SKIN COLOUR - RAMANAN

NIBONG TEBAL, June 21 (Bernama) -- PKR deputy information chief 1 Datuk R. Ramanan said the Indian community will not choose election candidates based on skin colour.

Instead, he said what is important to the community is that the candidate should be visionary and show great concern for the people.

"If you ask me, we, the Indian community, do not look at skin colour ... as long as the candidate is from a good party, very caring and has the right intentions for the people, we will always support them," he told reporters after attending the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit's (MITRA) meet-and-greet session with the Indian community in Sungai Bakap here today.

Therefore, he hopes that the Indian community will give victory to the Unity Government candidate in the Sungai Bakap state by-election on July 6, as he has a down-to-earth personality.

Ramanan, who is also the Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, emphasised that the government has done a lot to help the Indian community move forward, including providing development and business funds through MITRA, Tekun Nasional, Bank Rakyat and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM).

Taking the example of funds under Bank Rakyat, Ramanan said that RM50 million has been allocated through the Bank Rakyat India Entrepreneur Financing-i Scheme (BRIEF-i) to empower the community's economy.

"So as a team (in the Unity Government), we are not afraid or worried about securing Indian votes because many efforts have been made," he said.

He expressed regret over the actions of some individuals who incited the Indian community by using the issue of halal certification in BRIEF-i applications, describing it as an attempt to create racial sentiments.

Recently, in a viral video on TikTok, an Indian man claimed that he failed to obtain a BRIEF-i loan for his business simply because he did not have a halal certificate, resulting in his application being rejected.

-- BERNAMA