PUTRAJAYA, May 19- The Indian Progressive Front (IPF) is confident that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will give due recognition to the party, following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) triumph at the 13th General Election (GE13).
IPF president Datuk M. Sambanthan (photo) said the prime minister who fostered the spirit of ‘nambikkai’ (trust) among members of the party which was a loyal supporter of BN, would fulfill his undertaking towards IPF.
“Although there was no IPF representative in the line-up of the new Federal Cabinet which was announced recently, we remain confident that the prime minister certainly has something for us.
“He keeps his promises, PM’s (prime minister’s) and BN’s promises are not empty promises, all are fulfilled. Before GE13, he (Najib) gave us new hope about recognition of our support towards BN,” he told Bernama here today.
Sambanthan, 48, said, the party which was founded by the late Tan Sri M. G. Pandithan in 1990, was loyal with BN for 22 years, having proven its undivided support for all government policies and efforts to turn Malaysia into a developed nation by 2020.
For the contributions of the party towards BN, the late Pandithan was appointed senator in 1995 by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
However, after his death in May 29, 2008, no leader from IPF had been appointed to a post in the government.
As such, Sambanthan, who is a protege of Pandithan, is confident that holding a government post would strengthen the position and image of the party and empower its 135,000 members to continue working hard, especially in attracting more Indian youths to support the BN government.
He said the hopes of IPF members towards Najib and the BN government was still high that the party would be given a chance to serve the Indian community and nation.
Touching on the appointment of Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy as deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Sambanthan said he respected the decision of the prime minister in his efforts to unite the Indian community.
