PETALING JAYA, Aug 29 — It was not unreasonable of Senator P. Waythamoorthy to voice concern over the recent police killing of five suspected gangsters in Penang but the deputy minister must learn a better method of raising issues in the government instead of pointing fingers, analysts have said.

They said Waythamoorthy’s (picture) current spat with his government colleagues over the shooting was a clear reflection of the struggle faced by former antagonists in learning how to work with one another now that they bat for the same team.

The analysts agreed that the vocal former activist must be reminded that he now wears the hat of deputy minister, apart from his role as a leader of Hindu rights NGO Hindraf.

“You have to realise that the mode of operation of an NGO compared to being in government are two very different things.

“When you are heading an NGO, you focus on highlighting issues and when you are in government, you work on the solution,” political analyst Khoo Kay Peng told The Malay Mail Online.

Khoo said Waythamoorthy’s outburst over the police’s handling of the August 19 shooting was understandable as there was currently no mechanism for the deputy minister to pursue the implementation of the five-year blueprint inked recently between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Hindraf to uplift the Indian community.

This is where both Waythamoorthy and the government need to start communicating and working on setting out a clear direction to implement the blueprint, he added.

“This is something that Waytha has to rethink his own method (sic)… but on the other hand, the government has to also look at the implementation of the Hindraf blueprint.

“Since 2006 (Hindraf) has voiced out about Indian youths’ involvement in crime and put the blame on Umno. Because of that, perhaps Waytha should be assigned a job to address this issue,” he said.

Hindraf, which Waythamoorthy had at one time led with his brother P. Uthayakumar, has had a tenuous relationship with the government over the years.

The NGO had organised one of the biggest rallies seen in the country in 2007 to protest against the marginalisation of Indians in Malaysia, and was later declared an illegal organisation by the government.

Both sides eventually reconciled in the months prior to Election 2013, with the blueprint signed and endorsed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself.

Social researcher Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria agreed that Waythamoorthy needs to learn how to work within the confines of government, but also criticised the backlash from the deputy minister’s colleagues, especially the Home Ministry, for missing the point.

“The matter was not really questioning a Cabinet decision but concern was expressed (in) the way the shooting was carried out and also the explanation given, i.e. ‘that the weapons were related to 10 murder cases’.

“Within a wider democratic space there must be some avenue for expressions of views. This might enable better check and balance.

“BN and especially the police and Home Ministry are big enough to face such questions and statement of concerns (sic),” he said.

Denison however said that the onus lies on Waythamoorthy to start communicating openly with all government agencies and not simply point the finger when issues arise.

“The deputy minister and his office have to do more with solving the issues and not just raising questions. Within Putrajaya, Waythamoorthy’s office will have to find ways and means to resolve issues,” he said.

Waythamoorthy came under fire from his government colleagues recently after he raised questions over the police’s account of the killings, which happened at pre-dawn shootout at an apartment building in Penang.

Among his harshest critics were Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who both told him to quit if he was unwilling to toe the government line.

The deputy minister however shrugged off the calls, saying that he will continue to stay in government in the interest of the Indian community.