S Samy Vellu's recent attack on Anwar Ibrahim points to the ever shrinking credibility of both Samy Vellu and MIC. Such undignified outbreaks clearly indicate that the legitimacy of both are facing an all-time low.

Samy Vellu accuses Anwar of acting in a racist manner in the Kampung Rawa incident of 1998. The truth however is that Anwar was the only government leader who dared to go down to the ground to help resolve the ethnic and religious tensions during the incident.

He did so even against the advice of the police and neither Samy Vellu nor a single other Umno leader was willing enough to brave being present at the site. Anwar insisted on meeting both parties in the conflict to negotiate a resolution to the crisis, no matter how difficult. His solution of finding a proper alternative site for the temple eventually succeeded in defusing the hostilities.

This attitude of fairness and justice is what informs PKR's approach to ethnic and religious relations in Malaysia, which emphasies dialogue and negotiation as opposed to the government's current strategy of using violence to suppress freedom of expression.

In pursuit of these ideals, PKR's multiracial platform allows Indians, Malays, Chinese, Ibans, Kadazans and others to sit at the same level to resolve Malaysian problems, rather than the multi-tiered BN system where certain parties are more equal than others and every problem is an racial problem.

Race-based BN parties can only score political points by demonising other races. Since Samy Vellu is too afraid to criticise Umno openly in any way, he is now desperately trying to deflect criticism to Anwar. This is a cowardly attempt to hide his own failure in standing up to the racist and corrupt excesses of Umno, which is largely to blame for the current plight faced by the Indian community and by all poor Malaysians.

Our ardent commitment to moderation and equality for all Malaysians has led Samy Vellu and MIC to accuse Anwar of being anti-Hindu while Umno simultaneously spreads thousands of leaflets saying Anwar has become too pro-Hindu .

The fact that BN cannot seem to agree on which is which can only mean that Anwar and PKR are holding firm to their dedication to a truly multiracial Malaysia.

The writer is PKR deputy secretary-general.