Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today could not resist but to take a dig at his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In his officiating speech at the MIC annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Najib claimed he has done plenty for the Indian community.

Citing the time even before he became premier, Najib said he had initiated a cabinet committee on Indian affairs during Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's premiership.

"This was to improve the position of the Indians because I realised if there was no intervention and political will, Indians would be neglected, marginalised and left behind.

"Even though my father, grandfather are not from Kerala, I am called the father of Indian community development," he told the 5,000-strong MIC delegates at the Putra World Trade Centre, to applause from the crowd.

While Najib did not name Mahathir, it is widely known the latter's ancestors originate from Kerala, India.

Earlier, Najib cited surveys from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School and PricewaterhouseCoopers, among others, which purportedly claim Malaysia is the best nation in attracting foreign investment and is set to be the 24th biggest economy in the world in 2050 respectively.

"These are reputable organisations. I want to ask you, with all these validations, does it sound like we are a failed state, a bankrupt state as claimed by the opposition?

"The opposition lie and they confuse us, they want to sow the seeds of hate and they are not being constructive.

"The question is, what have they done for the Indian community compared to what BN has done, especially since I took over the country's leadership?"

‘Opposition no blueprint’

The opposition, he further pointed out, does not have a blueprint for the Indian community.

"Only the BN government has it. This is a work in progress, it will take time for this blueprint to be fully implemented, so give us a chance," he said.

The Malaysian Indian blueprint was launched in April earlier this to address the woes of the community.

Najib, in his speech, also related how he stood his ground in appointing an Indian to head the Customs Department, T Subromaniam (photo).

The prime minister said he received a petition telling him not to do so.

"I said no, he's the most senior, he's qualified. I stood my ground; the director-general of Customs is an Indian Malaysian, this is the reality."

Najib said he even had to tell the Yang di-Pertuan Agong that Subromaniam has to be appointed to the post.

"It's only fair. We should not deny the right of an Indian to become director-general when he is already a senior. We must always stand for a fair and just government."

Subromaniam was appointed as Customs director-general in March this year.

‘Appeal to all races’

Meanwhile, Najib in his speech also addressed MIC's wish to be fielded in seats it had contested before.

"I know, but the prerequisite is that you have to produce winnable candidates, candidates who have appeal and are accepted by all races, because the reality is that there are no seats in which the majority are Indians.

"MIC must appeal to all communities, not only to Indians," he added.


Meanwhile, Klang MP Charles Santiago criticised Najib for declaring himself as the "father of Indian development".

"In a hurry to take a dig at Mahathir, Najib has forgotten his pledge of being the prime minister for all Malaysians, when he singled out the Indians despite not hailing 'from Kerala'.

"We need a prime minister who strives for the development of all Malaysians and creates opportunities for all his citizens.

"And Indians under Umno - even under Mahathir -suffered because of the Malay first policy," he said.

Ultimately, the DAP lawmaker said ultimately, those who suffer severe poverty are those from the bottom 40 percent of the economic ladder and they comprise people of all races.