MALAYSIA'S top Indian politician, S. Samy Vellu, says he is not losing sleep over his community's biggest anti-government protest and denies he is out of touch with the increasingly agitated Indians.
Sunday's rally by thousands of people, who defied water cannon and tear gas to protest against racial discrimination, could pose a headache for the government ahead of early elections. Indians are traditionally seen as a vote-bank for the ruling coalition.
In an interview with Reuters, Datuk Seri Samy, the head of the main Indian party and Malaysia's longest-serving minister, branded protesters as 'troublemakers'.
The number of protesters was estimated at between 5,000 and 10,000.
'We have fought worse battles than this during elections,' the ebullient 71-year-old leader said.
'We don't worry about this. We are confident of winning the next elections handsomely,' said Datuk Seri Samy, the Works Minister and an architect by training.
'They (the protesters) are fighting to create problems. They are troublemakers,' added the politician, dressed in a smart black suit and red tie.
His Mercedes Benz was parked in the driveway.
He has been leader of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and a Cabinet minister since 1979. The MIC is a junior partner in Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
His friends regard him as the 'champion of Indians', but foes say he stands in the way of solving the socio-economic problems facing Malaysia's two million Indians.
The community, which forms 7 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million people, is in a parlous state, said a Hindu rights group which organised the rally.
It said that Indians lacked educational and business opportunities, and that government policies in favour of Malays had marginalised them.
The community's economic clout is a scant 1.5 per cent of national wealth, and even that is in the hands of a few top businessmen.
Many blame the MIC and Datuk Seri Samy for not solving their woes.
Sunday's protest, which also attracted Indian doctors, lawyers and other professionals, could be an eye-opener for BN.
A senior Umno leader said BN should study the grievances and try to overcome them.
Datuk Seri Samy took the criticism in his stride. 'I am a man on the job. There's always unfinished business,' he said.
But he gave no hint of when he would step down.
'I have been around for 29 years. At an appropriate time I will hand over.'
Sunday's rally by thousands of people, who defied water cannon and tear gas to protest against racial discrimination, could pose a headache for the government ahead of early elections. Indians are traditionally seen as a vote-bank for the ruling coalition.
In an interview with Reuters, Datuk Seri Samy, the head of the main Indian party and Malaysia's longest-serving minister, branded protesters as 'troublemakers'.
The number of protesters was estimated at between 5,000 and 10,000.
'We have fought worse battles than this during elections,' the ebullient 71-year-old leader said.
'We don't worry about this. We are confident of winning the next elections handsomely,' said Datuk Seri Samy, the Works Minister and an architect by training.
'They (the protesters) are fighting to create problems. They are troublemakers,' added the politician, dressed in a smart black suit and red tie.
His Mercedes Benz was parked in the driveway.
He has been leader of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and a Cabinet minister since 1979. The MIC is a junior partner in Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
His friends regard him as the 'champion of Indians', but foes say he stands in the way of solving the socio-economic problems facing Malaysia's two million Indians.
The community, which forms 7 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million people, is in a parlous state, said a Hindu rights group which organised the rally.
It said that Indians lacked educational and business opportunities, and that government policies in favour of Malays had marginalised them.
The community's economic clout is a scant 1.5 per cent of national wealth, and even that is in the hands of a few top businessmen.
Many blame the MIC and Datuk Seri Samy for not solving their woes.
Sunday's protest, which also attracted Indian doctors, lawyers and other professionals, could be an eye-opener for BN.
A senior Umno leader said BN should study the grievances and try to overcome them.
Datuk Seri Samy took the criticism in his stride. 'I am a man on the job. There's always unfinished business,' he said.
But he gave no hint of when he would step down.
'I have been around for 29 years. At an appropriate time I will hand over.'
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