PKR Bayan Baru chairperson Sim Tze Tsin has denied allegations that the division he heads lacks Indian representatives.

Sim (right) has also reproache protest in pakatan 2nd convention 191210 sim tze tzin d a group of protestors who turned up at the second Pakatan Rakyat Convention in Kepala Batas yesterday, claiming the division has only one Indian committee member .

R Raju had led the protest about 3.40pm.

Sim said the division, which held its polls in September, has five Indian committee members.

“What is more important is that anyone (from any race) can and will fight for the rights of the Malays, Chinese, Indians or others,” he said, accusing Raju of lying.

“The division has also organised many activities for the Indian community and has set up a library, so it has never marginalised anyone,” he added when asked to comment about the protest.

Sim, however, did not rule out the possibility of the protest being planned by his political rivals, using race and religion as a tool to create problems within the division.

He also could not confirm whether Raju was a division member, but welcomed any disgruntled members to write in and arrange a dialogue with him so issues can be resolved immediately.

Aggressive attitude

Sim refused to comment on the allegedly aggressive attitude of  PKR Youth members against the protest, saying he had not witnessed the incident.

“PKR respects freedom of expression but this freedom is still subjected to certain limits,” he added.

protest in pakatan 2nd convention 191210 r raju Sim was referring to an incident yesterday afternoon when 10 people claiming to  be Bayan Baru division members staged a protest outside the Millennium Hall compound, where the convention was held.

The 10 protestors, led by Raju ( right ), were displaying a banner silently when a group of mostly PKR Youth members chased them away.

The banner held up by the  protesters about 10 metres from the venue displayed words saying 'Anwar loves (a heart symbol lay between the two words) Azmin, step down', hinting at the possibility of a ‘special relationship’ between the duo.

Azmin is PKR deputy president, following a fierce fight with former lawyer Zaid Ibrahim for the post in the party polls which were concluded recently.

Zaid, who was then Federal Territories PKR chairperson, has left the party and now heads the new Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air.

Speaking to the press, Raju claimed that the Youth members had yelled at him and called him a liar, before a shouting match ensued between.

Raju then left the area together with the protestors, but said a man wearing a shirt with the PKR Youth logo followed him, with his fist clenched.

Another unidentified man later intervened and tried to mediate between them.

“I just wanted to express my views that Indians are under-represented in PKR,” said Raju.

“Why doesn’t the party allow more participation from Indian members within the leadership to strengthen it?”

PKR has been plagued by allegations that it is anti-Indian or anti-Tamil.

Despite the appointment of well-known human rights activist and lawyer N Surendran as a vice-president, leaders like Padang Serai MP N Gobalakrishnan still ferl that the party is not doing enough for the community.