Press statement – Malaysian Indian and modern day slavery at the hands of UMNO.

The latest custodial death toll of the Malaysian Indian just moved a notch up with the death of P. Babu in Jempol. The endless death in police custody of the Malaysian Indian has no boundary for the unfounded power that the PDRM wield under the UMNO led government.

Imagine? P.Babu, a young orphan, attended willfully for an enquiry and he ends up beinf murdered in police custody.

All the talk of One Malaysian and the stage drama conducted by Najib in visiting Chennai and Thaipusam is nothing but a charade for the voters’ bank. Similarily those who dance to his tunes including those Malaysian Indians who are totally nonchalant in ending the policy driven slavery of the Malaysian Indians at the hand of UMNO is similar to what the segregated African had to go through the Apartheid system from 1948 to 1994.

The poverty stricken Malaysian Indians are in similar position today in an indirect slavery, through the policies and underhand powers that UMNO supports in maintaining the slavery of the Malaysian Indians in police custody as well as the socio development of this segment through their mandores.

The significance of poverty stricken Malaysian Indian is always played down for the stigma that is created whether it is from UMNO or the opposition as they are only visible when the vote bank counts. It is a foregone conclusion that Pakatan is not the kind of force that can challenge UMNO hegemony when the MB of Selangor was conveniently sidelined in Batu Caves and all that they could do is brood in media and play politics rather than to take measures to prevent such events that they should have foreseen.

The problem here lies not with UMNO, but the inefficient and ineffective PAKATAN, UMNO has its own problem driven by greed and power and therefore weak in her stand. However the PAKATAN coalition seems to be equal partners as they fail to reach out to the poverty stricken Malaysian Indians to address their problems but rather diddle around without a direction in their political ploys.

The death in custody of a Malaysian Indian is a national issue irrespective of origin, but nobody seems to focus on it except that what we normaly see, a statement or two by the leaders then everything dies off as another political playground reigns. Only if the Pakatan can stay chained and focused, will they have the chance to make the difference for the majority of poverty stricken Malaysian Indians and in whole for the masses.

The death of P.Babu will soon become another brutal episode for UMNO to celebrate its slavery of the Malaysian Indians and PAKATAN to play politics similar to what happened to Francis Udayappan, Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock, and Gunasegaran.

The Premier of Malaysia, Najib should be ashamed of himself, as he goes wooing the Malaysian Indians yet in his backyard, his dogs ie the PDRM continues its unbridled slavery through their policies against the poverty stricken Malaysian Indians with the murder of P. Babu in police custody.

P. Waytha Moorthy

Hindraf- Chairman