MP SPEAKS | I was there together with Karpal Singh, newly appointed Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang and other central executive committee (CEC) members when the deputy chief minister’s II (DCM II) post was decided at the 2008 CEC meeting.

It was mooted that the post be created for an "Indian".

The establishment came about after the strong support from the Indian community which helped sweep DAP into power in Penang and elsewhere.

Then chief minister Guan Eng agreed to the proposal and took the issue to the government to get it ratified accordingly.

However, when one is appointed to a government post, you cannot just serve one race.

Some have conveniently also forgotten the principles on which the DAP was formed and its objectives.

The Rocket symbol stands for all races.

Divisive

No one race is more equal than the other using the race issue to fire up emotions and capitalising on it is very easy.

We should not follow Perikatan Nasional leaders who harp on race and religion, which has served to be divisive in our country now.

We cannot tolerate leaders who go against the fabric of what this nation was built on.

We are richly diverse even within the Indian population. We comprise various ethnicities, languages, religions, and cultures.

We must uphold inclusivity in governance and public service, representing and serving all citizens' interests, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or background.

Implying that a post is reserved for one particular group contradicts the essence of inclusivity.

When a leader singles out specific ethnic or religious groups, it can lead to feelings of exclusion and marginalisation among those not included.

Detrimental

This can foster animosity and resentment, which are detrimental to social harmony.

The DAP has been formed as a multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-racial party.

That was the basis on which Malaysians joined DAP with a dream of a better Malaysia.

Let’s not be carried away by some who love divisional politics, which is damaging and irrelevant to a strong Malaysia.

M KULA SEGARAN is Ipoh Barat MP.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.