PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim is ‘lovely’ to the Indians only because the general election is just around the corner but it is all mere ‘ sandiwara ’ (show).

This accusation was leveled by MIC president S Samy Vellu in a sharply worded statement lashed out at Anwar for failing to act for Indians when the latter was in the cabinet.

“He is lovely because the general election is just around the corner. This is what we call in Malay a ‘sandiwara’. He seems to be putting up a very good show and smiling a lot these days when he sees the Indians.

“I don’t know when he started to develop such good habits whereas his old habits were totally different when he was deputy prime minister and finance minister.

“When he was on top, he never looked at the Indians, let alone resolve their problems.

“When he was education minister he never looked at the plight of Tamil schools. When he was youth and sports minister he never promoted Indian youth,” Samy said in his statement.

Samy - who is also works minister - said that Anwar had even threatened the Hindus to accept the government’s stand in the 1998 Kg Rawa temple issue in Penang.

“He (Anwar) threatened the Hindus there to accept whatever he said, otherwise he said no temple bells will be sounded in Penang. This is what he is,” Samy asserted.

In March 27, 1998, there was a tense stand-off when Muslims emerged from Friday prayers in an adjacent mosque and marched in numbers to the Sri Raja Raja Madurai Veeran temple in Kampung Rawa.

Muslims in the area had complained that the temple - which was planned for expansion - rang their prayer bells too loudly and the antagonism resulted in a clash between hundreds of Hindus and Muslims.

Following this, four people were injured, other Hindu temples and Muslim mosques were attacked and nearly 200 rioters were arrested.

The dispute was later settled when the state government provided an alternative site for the temple in Jalan SP Chelliah.

You blew your chance

In his trademark sarcasm, Samy Vellu said Anwar would be lying if he denied that the former had fought for the Indians.

“He (Anwar) was in the cabinet with me. He knows I have fought for the Indian community. If he dares to deny this fact, I will call him a liar,” he said.

“He can show candy and draw 4,000 spectators but showing candy alone will not settle problems of the Indian community,” he said further.

Anwar was the deputy prime minister and finance minister until he was dismissed from both the government and Umno by the then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad on moral and corruption grounds in 1998.

Samy Vellu stressed that the Indian community and their future has and will always be vested in the hands of Barisan Nasional.

With his verbal daggers pointed at Anwar: “You had your chance and you blew it,” Samy added.

The minister’s scathing comments against Anwar comes the wake of the Indian crisis sparked by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) after their rally on Nov 25 drawing 30,000 people to hit the streets.

While the community’s attack has been on MIC failing to secure adequate rights for Indians, the opposition has come out in support of the cause.