Gobind slams Gerakan, says he, Kula and Xavier raised Zakir Naik in Cabinet

SHAH ALAM: Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo (pic) has hit back at Gerakan for criticising Indian leaders in Pakatan Harapan for supposedly lacking the will to convince the Prime Minister to extradite Zakir Naik.

“Gerakan should ask itself, what it has achieved in government all these years. What did it do? It failed the people and this is the reason why the people rejected them,” he said.

“Our position is different – we speak up in Cabinet meetings, we express the views of the people and when this became an issue, we went to the Cabinet, all three of us and we spoke out about it,” the Communications and Multimedia Minister said.

Gobind said he, Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran and Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xavier Jayakumar had raised the issue of the controversial Muslim preacher in a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (July 11).

“We have discussed it. The (Cabinet) position taken is that once there is a request (by the Indian government), it will be considered on its merits and a decision will be made accordingly,” he said.

“As far as I am concerned, if India or another country is able to make out the case that warrants a person to be sent back, the government should act accordingly,” he said after the launch of Pos Malaysia’s integrated parcel centre (IPC) here on Thursday (July 11).

Gerakan had earlier criticised Pakatan’s Indian leaders for being unable to keep their promises to deport Zakir, claiming that they had a lack of will and power.