Hindraf-Human Rights Party (HRP) has issued an ultimatum to Pakatan Rakyat to back out and allow the Indian-based party to take on BN in straight fights in 15 parliamentary seats and 38 state seats in the next general election.
In a letter sent today to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Hadi Awang, HRP pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar said that if Pakatan does not heed HRP's call, the opposition coalition will find itself in three-corner fights in the constituencies.
In return for giving way to HRP, pledging support and providing machinery assistance to HRP, Pakatan will get “unequivocal support and cooperation in all the other 207 parliamentary and 538 Pakatan state assembly constituencies” to win back the lot of ambivalent Indian voters.
“We have shown magnanimity in throwing our lot behind (Pakatan) in the 12th general election, now we ask you to return that favour.
“We hope Pakatan will not field candidates in these (constituencies) to become the spoiler and cause three-cornered fights against our common political enemy (Umno-BN),” he said in the letter.
Wanted: Ijok, Lembah Pantai, Padang Serai
Speaking at a press conference in HRP headquarters in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Uthayakumar said that the seats chosen had significant proportions of Indian voters and include seats currently held by Pakatan Rakyat such as Padang Serai in Kedah, Ipoh Barat in Perak, Kota Raja in Selangor and Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur.
They are also eyeing Sungei Siput, Perak, currently held by socialist party PSM central committee Dr D Jeyakumar.
He added that 15 loyal Hindraf activists have been short-listed as candidates.
“They have been tried and tested, have been part of Hindraf since day one, won't jump ship to another party and are as strong as PAS candidates,” he said.
When asked why HRP chose not to back Pakatan candidates in these chosen constituencies, Uthayakumar said that this is because the issues faced by the Indian poor in these areas have not made their way to Parliament under the present MPs.
“Yesterday, in his tweet to Anwar, (Padang Serai PKR parliamentarian) N Gobalakrishnan said that Indian poor in Ijok are sharing drinking water with ducks, even though water is under the jurisdiction of the Selangor Pakatan government,” he said.
'We'll join Pakatan if…'
However, HRP does not rule out the possibility of contesting under the Pakatan banner if they fail to register themselves as a political party with the Registrar of Societies by the next general election.
“We have given all the documents required by ROS on Nov 25, but whether we are registered or not we will contest…the worst case scenario is that we will contest as independents.
“MIC is given at least nine parliament seats and 20 state assembly seats on a silver platter. Why can't we be allocated some, too?” he asked.
When asked if this means that HRP is interested in joining Pakatan, party advisor N Ganesan (in photo, next to Uthayakumar) said this will only happen if the coalition is willing to incorporate into their mission HRP's goal of getting the working class into the mainstream.
“The ball is now in (Pakatan's) court. In a one-on-one (contest), we stand a better chance of beating BN than Pakatan (in these constituencies),” he said.
Parliamentary seats that HRP demands is:
In a letter sent today to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Hadi Awang, HRP pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar said that if Pakatan does not heed HRP's call, the opposition coalition will find itself in three-corner fights in the constituencies.In return for giving way to HRP, pledging support and providing machinery assistance to HRP, Pakatan will get “unequivocal support and cooperation in all the other 207 parliamentary and 538 Pakatan state assembly constituencies” to win back the lot of ambivalent Indian voters.
“We have shown magnanimity in throwing our lot behind (Pakatan) in the 12th general election, now we ask you to return that favour.
“We hope Pakatan will not field candidates in these (constituencies) to become the spoiler and cause three-cornered fights against our common political enemy (Umno-BN),” he said in the letter.
Wanted: Ijok, Lembah Pantai, Padang Serai
Speaking at a press conference in HRP headquarters in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Uthayakumar said that the seats chosen had significant proportions of Indian voters and include seats currently held by Pakatan Rakyat such as Padang Serai in Kedah, Ipoh Barat in Perak, Kota Raja in Selangor and Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur.
They are also eyeing Sungei Siput, Perak, currently held by socialist party PSM central committee Dr D Jeyakumar.He added that 15 loyal Hindraf activists have been short-listed as candidates.
“They have been tried and tested, have been part of Hindraf since day one, won't jump ship to another party and are as strong as PAS candidates,” he said.
When asked why HRP chose not to back Pakatan candidates in these chosen constituencies, Uthayakumar said that this is because the issues faced by the Indian poor in these areas have not made their way to Parliament under the present MPs.
“Yesterday, in his tweet to Anwar, (Padang Serai PKR parliamentarian) N Gobalakrishnan said that Indian poor in Ijok are sharing drinking water with ducks, even though water is under the jurisdiction of the Selangor Pakatan government,” he said.
'We'll join Pakatan if…'
However, HRP does not rule out the possibility of contesting under the Pakatan banner if they fail to register themselves as a political party with the Registrar of Societies by the next general election.
“We have given all the documents required by ROS on Nov 25, but whether we are registered or not we will contest…the worst case scenario is that we will contest as independents.
“MIC is given at least nine parliament seats and 20 state assembly seats on a silver platter. Why can't we be allocated some, too?” he asked.
When asked if this means that HRP is interested in joining Pakatan, party advisor N Ganesan (in photo, next to Uthayakumar) said this will only happen if the coalition is willing to incorporate into their mission HRP's goal of getting the working class into the mainstream.“The ball is now in (Pakatan's) court. In a one-on-one (contest), we stand a better chance of beating BN than Pakatan (in these constituencies),” he said.
Parliamentary seats that HRP demands is:
1. Padang Serai (Incumbent: PKR - N Gobalakrishnan)
2. Batu Kawan (DAP - Ramasamy)
3. Sungei Siput (PSM - Dr D Jeyakumar)
4. Ipoh Barat (DAP - N Kulasegaran)
5. Bagan Datoh (BN - Ahmad Zahid Hamidi)
6. Cameron Highlands (BN - SK Devamany)
7. Hulu Selangor (BN - P Kamalanathan)
8. Kuala Selangor (PAS - Dzulkefy Ahmad)
9. Klang (DAP - Charles Santiago)
10. Kota Raja (PAS - Siti Mariah Mahmud)
11. Rasah (DAP - Anthony Loke)
12. Teluk Kemang (PKR - Kamarul Baharin Abbas )
13. Alor Gajah (BN - Fong Chan Onn)
14. Tebrau (BN - Teng Boon Soon)
15. Lembah Pantai (PKR - Nurul Izzah Anwar)
2. Batu Kawan (DAP - Ramasamy)
3. Sungei Siput (PSM - Dr D Jeyakumar)
4. Ipoh Barat (DAP - N Kulasegaran)
5. Bagan Datoh (BN - Ahmad Zahid Hamidi)
6. Cameron Highlands (BN - SK Devamany)
7. Hulu Selangor (BN - P Kamalanathan)
8. Kuala Selangor (PAS - Dzulkefy Ahmad)
9. Klang (DAP - Charles Santiago)
10. Kota Raja (PAS - Siti Mariah Mahmud)
11. Rasah (DAP - Anthony Loke)
12. Teluk Kemang (PKR - Kamarul Baharin Abbas )
13. Alor Gajah (BN - Fong Chan Onn)
14. Tebrau (BN - Teng Boon Soon)
15. Lembah Pantai (PKR - Nurul Izzah Anwar)
Book lauch tonight
Tonight, Uthayakumar is also due to launch the second book that he wrote during his 514 days of detention under the Internal Security Act.
Entitled 'Nov 25 Hindraf Rally 2007', the 400-page book is his personal account of the events leading up to the historic rally that saw some 30,000 people take to the streets protesting discrimination against ethnic Indians, and his experiences under the ISA.
HRP has since built a 'replica' of Uthayakumar's Kamunting cell at its headquarters as a memorial, including a dummy of the lawyer dressed in his prison uniform.
“This book tells you the story of Hindraf. We have printed 1,000 copies each in both (English and Tamil) and will print more depending on sales,” the author said.
Entitled 'Nov 25 Hindraf Rally 2007', the 400-page book is his personal account of the events leading up to the historic rally that saw some 30,000 people take to the streets protesting discrimination against ethnic Indians, and his experiences under the ISA. HRP has since built a 'replica' of Uthayakumar's Kamunting cell at its headquarters as a memorial, including a dummy of the lawyer dressed in his prison uniform.
“This book tells you the story of Hindraf. We have printed 1,000 copies each in both (English and Tamil) and will print more depending on sales,” the author said.
1 comment:
I think this is the best reply to HRP and this reply " Never before in the history of this country has so many Indians turned up as state assemblymen and parliamentarians than after the last election as members of Pakatan-based parties" should be pasted on uthaya's ass.
And it should be pasted on his ass for a long long time.
-sourced from Malaysiakini / "Uthaya not keen on a united Malaysia" by FT (Toffee)- Rozario
P Uthayakumar - Hero or Zero?
Read this letter in follows:
***
P Uthayakumar has to wake up to the reasons for Tamil marginalisation and then see if he is really a champion of the marginalised or is he trying to be the champion of Indian marginalisers, attempting to outdo S Samy Vellu and the BN.
Uthaya is no better than Samy Vellu. In the first place he is not in Pakatan so how can he make demands? He is threatening to play spoiler with his racial party, the very kind of politics that Pakatan is trying to get rid off.
I think parties in the HRP mould should be discarded; let them go to BN, or go on their own and let them face the brunt of their own folly.
The problems of the Indian community lie within the community itself, every Samy, S Subramaniam, and Uthaya can claim to represent the community, and they come out with numbers of 'supporters', and each of them espouses to champion the "Indian cause."
The funny thing is many of Samy's supporters are Subramaniam's supporters and also Uthaya's supporters too, and to understand this better you have to take a close look at what happened in Kampung Buah Pala. These so-called politicians thrive on the ignorance of the Tamils.
Uthaya demands that the Indians be given the same kind of rights that were accorded to the Malays by the NEP, I say Malay and not bumiputera because if one takes a close look at the native population of this country, the natives (Orang Asli) seem to be in worse shape than the Malaysian Indians.
It is not only the Indians who are marginalised, the Senoi, the Jakun, the Negrito, the Dayak, the Iban, the Kadazan and all the other real natives of this country are far more marginalised than the Indians so what is this marginalisation that these champions of the Indian cause are talking about?
I am not saying that there is no marginalisation amongst the Indians, there is, but are they the only ones marginalised?
In the first place will Uthaya show me one constituency where the Indians make a majority? There is none, and knowing this the Tamils should be the last people wanting to play the racial card. This man is plain stupid.
Never before in the history of this country has so many Indians turned up as state assemblymen and parliamentarians than after the last election as members of Pakatan-based parties.
They were chosen on merit not on their race, and they won, and instead of seeing the light here Uthaya decides he will be Samy Vellu's successor in screwing up the Tamils.
I keep saying Tamil, because he cannot expect to represent anyone else other than the Tamils. I have talked about this before, the reasons for Tamil marginalisation, and it is so clear it is the type of Uthaya/Samy politics that is the cause of this.
Uthaya is not keen on a united Malaysia; he can't get one with these kinds of demands. He is only bent on demanding and disturbing, I think he needs the MIC and the BN and that is where he should be.
Go suck up to them again, let them whip the hell out of his community, because he knows that that is what will happen if he decides to go it alone. To him it looks like a "never mind as long as I land up with the goodies it is okay," that seems to be his mentality.
If the Tamils can't read the game, blame yourselves and only yourselves.
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