Referring to the celebration of the day when good triumphed over evil according to Hindus, the Klang MP said Deepavali was also a symbol of welcoming all things good.
“We just celebrated an anti-kleptocracy campaign in Petaling Jaya, attended by thousands of Malaysians and PH leaders, who want an end to the evil that has taken root in Malaysia.
“We called for the weeding out of corruption, money politics, crony capitalism, racism, hate and xenophobia in exchange for a transparent government that believes in good governance.
“In retrospect I feel that the scores of Malaysians at the protest rally in Petaling Jaya last Saturday had celebrated the significance and spirit of Deepavali in advance,” Santiago said in a statement.
He also criticised Barisan Nasional leaders whom he said believed they could never be defeated.
“Some BN leaders assume that they will remain in power forever through manipulation and unscrupulous strategies such as using preventive laws to nab opposition politicians and activists, keeping a lid on dissent, indulging in play of religion over politics, corruption – in short, massive abuse of power.
“If the demons who symbolised passion for greed and power were defeated according to what Hinduism teaches us, so will those in BN who are greedy for money and power,” Santiago said.
“Like in the Deepavali celebration, we hope to see Malaysians cheering when the Barisan Nasional government falls, just like the loud voices that rang true for the victory of good over evil,” he said, before wishing all Malaysians of the Hindu faith a “Happy Deepavali”.