President of MIC refutes Mahathir's comments on Malaysian Indians

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad does not have the right to speak about loyalty, said Tan Sri Dr SA Vigneswaran reportedly. 

Vigneswaran, who is president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), reportedly explained that there is no need to entertain Mahathir's recent controversial statement that Malaysian Indians are not completely loyal to the country. 

Speaking at a Ponggal celebration near the MIC building yesterday, Vigenswaran said that loyalty is a concept alien to Mahathir as he was not loyal to UMNO, Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan which appointed him as Prime Minister in 2018. 

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The president of MIC told media reporters that he does not want to comment on a person who doesn't understand the meaning of loyalty, and to ignore Mahathir as the political party has other work to do. 

When asked if MIC would take any action, Vigneswaran reportedly said it was up to the government to do so, adding that the MIC subscribes to the Federal Constitution and that Indians are loyal to the country. 

Vigneswaran also questioned the status of the statesman accorded to Mahathir. This is especially since he had not shown himself to be a leader for all races, according to Vigneswaran. 

Mahathir is currently facing backlash for his recent untoward comments towards Malaysian Indians. 

In an interview with Thanthi TV, a Tamil news channel in Chennai, Mahathir said that Malaysian Chinese and Indians are not completely loyal to the country. 

During the interview, Mahathir said Malaysia belongs to the people who founded the country, and that all races should identify as Malays.

This comes in the form of total assimilation with the Malay culture and the expectation that Indian and Chinese citizens have to speak the national language, Bahasa Melayu, at home instead of their mother tongue, according to Mahathir. 

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