00:00A former assemblyman has mocked Penang DAP's move to revive its Indian Affairs Bureau,
00:08labelling it as a desperate attempt to counter its dwindling support within the community.
00:13Former DAP man M Satis questioned if the Bureau would be able to offer tangible solutions
00:19or come up with policy papers to improve the lives of Penang Indians.
00:24He said it was unlikely that the Bureau would be able to influence key decisions in the
00:29state and claimed it would just organise programmes with no real impact on Indian welfare or development.
00:36Satis also claimed that the Bureau's revival was part of a strategy by Penang DAP to sideline
00:43some Indian leaders in the party.
00:46Yesterday, Penang DAP Deputy Chief Ram Kapal Singh said the Bureau's revival would serve
00:52as a platform to tackle issues such as welfare, education and unemployment for Penang's Indian population.
01:00Ram Kapal, who chairs the Bureau, said it would also develop targeted policies concerning
01:05the Indian community, besides hosting a series of Pongal celebrations in Penang.
01:11However, Satis, who was Bagan Dalam Assemblyman from 2018 to 2023, said the mention of the
01:18Pongal events as part of the Bureau's activities revealed its true intent as nothing more than
01:24an organising committee for cultural events.
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