PKR will hold a mass rally at the National Registration Department (NRD) headquarters in Putrajaya next month to pressure the federal government to solve the issue of stateless Indians in the country.

NONE PKR vice-president N Surendran announced that the rally will be held at 10am on Dec 5, in front of the NRD, with Pakatan Rakyat leaders, civil society groups and “thousands” of stateless Indians present.

“We will go to the NRD, and we will insist they immediately resolve all the clear cases on-the-spot. We need clear answers on-the-spot.

“We will go there with tents, we will go there with food and provisions, and we will not move until the federal government gives the solution to this problem,” Surendran today a press conference today.

The human rights lawyer stressed that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and the government still have time to resolve the problem, and the rally would be the Indian community’s last resort to highlight the problem to the authorities

“Najib and the government cannot blame us if we bring thousands to Putrajaya because we have been left with no choice,” he said, adding that the party was now mobilising people for the rally.

Sidelining Indians: ‘Deliberate attempt by Najib and BN'

PKR legal bureau chief Latheefa Koya, its human rights and legal bureau deputy chairperson S Jayathas as well as several Indians facing citizenship problems were also present.

najib umno mca mic gerakan bn coalition parties 250707 Despite the government and MIC having repeatedly said that the number of stateless Indians was only between 10,000 and 20,000 people, Surendran insisted that the number was way larger, around 300,000 people.

He accused the BN federal government of deliberately and systematically marginalising Indians in this country.

“We have highlighted cases like this many times. This is not the first time… The government knows it, so why is it continuing to do this?

“And I say this is a deliberate attempt by the Najib and the BN government to marginalise the Indian community and to the extent of denying proper education to young Indians.

“This is a serious allegation and I’ll stand by it. I challenge the government to deny it,” Surendran added.