GEORGE TOWN, Nov 29 — The newly formed Indian-based United for Rights of Malaysian Party’s (Urimai) success will depend on its struggle to end discrimination against Indians, said its interim council chairman P. Ramasamy.

He said the party will also ask the government to open up employment in the public and private sectors and the reduction or eradication of the quota system of entry to public universities and the matriculation programme.

He said they will also ask for decent public funds for the community instead of only RM130 million for the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra).

In terms of the economy, he said discrimination of permits, licenses, and others against the Indian community must be stopped and reviewed.

"These are some of the steps that the new party will take to address the Indian question,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page today.

He said the hard work now is in getting the support of Indians in the country.

"Unlike the existing ethnic Indian political parties and the pretentious multiracial ones, Urimai wants to provide a form of political representation and leadership that will go beyond other forms of political representation.

"Whether the new party will engage in coalition building will be decided at the appropriate time,” he added.

The pre-launch of Urimai was held in Kuala Lumpur on November 26.

Ramasamy said the new party's formation had received both criticism and support.

"The party has not been officially registered, but ordinary Indians have welcomed the new party,” he said.

He said the party will function as a political movement pending registration.

He said some segments of the middle and upper-middle-class Indians have rejected the new party saying that there are too many Indian parties and that he wanted to be an instant president.

"Interestingly, the more they attack the party, the more I think that my friends and I are on the right path,” he said.

He said he will not take it for granted that Urimai will succeed.

"It will be up to the Indian community to render it as effective or not,” he said.