From one Punjabi to another: The concern over no Indian Tamil minister is legitimate, my dear Gobind Singh

From one Punjabi to another: The concern over no Indian Tamil minister is legitimate, my dear Gobind Singh

Letter to Editor


NEWLY minted Digital Minister Gobind Singh is not an Indian. His race is Punjabi and his nationality is Malaysian.

By definition, an “Indian” means a citizen of India. Colloquially, at least in Malaysia and Singapore, an “Indian” means a Tamil person. So, either way, it proves that Gobind is not an Indian.


Unlike his elder sibling Jagdeep Singh Deo who was prepared to be called a Hindu after his appointment as the Deputy Chief Minister ll of Penang by citing the pre-Merdeka Hindu Endowment Ordinance, Gobind did not declare that he is an Indian as a justification of his appointment.

All he said is that it is a non-issue that no Indian is appointed as a minister because the current cabinet is capable of benefiting everyone regardless of their race, religion, etc.

I agree with Gobind. Any human can take care of another human. But why until today, the Penang Chief Minister (CM) has to be always Chinese? Is DAP ready to appoint the first non-Chinese CM of Penang?

When they do that, then they can talk. In the meantime, let us continue to make racial-based appointments.

You see, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad appointed three Indian ministers in 2018. One from PKR (Dr Xavier Jayakumar), one from DAP (M. Kula Segaran) and one wildcard entry (Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy).

In 2022, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar (PMX) appointed only one Indian minister in V. Sivakumar from DAP. But after the cabinet reshuffling, zero Indian minister is appointed by PMX. So, the concern of the Tamil community is legitimate.

Nevertheless, let us not blame Gobind or the Punjabi community. We are known for assisting others for their benefits, even by sacrificing ourselves if necessary. Check any historical records.

Instead, blame Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its component parties for dashing Indian hopes – slowly but surely. – Dec 15, 2023



Dr Shamsher Singh Thind*
Bukit Mertajam

* A PhD holder in criminology from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Bukit Mertajam-born Dr Shamsher Singh Thind is a lawyer and member of the Urimai (United Rights of Malaysian Party) interim council.