1,000 Indians voice support for Pakatan

(Malaysiakini) Hindraf splinter group Malaysian Indian Voice (MIV) today held their first Hindraf-inspired rally, dubbed Indian Rights Action Force (Indraf) 2.0 in Brickfields today, with more than 1,000 packing a hall to voice support for Pakatan Rakyat.

Entitled ‘Unity Road with Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya’, the rally was co-organised by a coalition of pro-Pakatan groups and individuals, such as National Indians Action Team (Niat) chairperson Thasleem Mohamed and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy under a newly-setup Indraf protem committee.

Pakatan bigwigs graced the event, that is believed to be Pakatan’s own way of attempting to replicate Hindu rights group Hindraf’s mass mobilisation of the Indian community in 2007.
The event began at about 3pm with the singing of the national anthem, while the cheering crowd waved flags of the Pakatan parties.

They also displayed banners with their 10-point demands, which  among others read ‘Hindraf will never bury the voice of Indian unity’, ‘The government should plan and implement a comprehensive policy for retirees’, and 'The government should put in place relevant measures to preserve and develop Tamil schools, language and literature’.

The MIV leaders, many of whom are Pakatan members, heaped praises on the opposition pact in their speeches and repeatedly urged the attendees to support Pakatan.

MIV chairperson V Raidu (at podium), in his speech, commended Pakatan for successfully resolving a list of longstanding problems affecting the Indian community within four years of their administration in four states.

He also announced that the Selangor government has approved 120 sites for Indian temples.

“Let us be united to bring change and take over Putrajaya,” he said to a roar of applause.
In between relay of speeches by more than 10 speakers from Pakatan and MIV, some periods were devoted to the singing of a Tamil motivational song and the chanting of “Long live Pakatan”, “Long live Indraf”, “Long live MIV”.

Among the Pakatan leaders who attended the rally were opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu.
'Gov't must provide appropriate affirmative aid'
R Kengandharan, who was an Internal Security Act detainee under Hindraf, noted that a rightful government must provide appropriate affirmative aid to an underprivileged group, but that was not the case with the BN government.

“If you have four children in a family and one is handicapped, then extra attention must be given to the handicapped one,” he said.

He added that the Indian community has “wasted 55 years” with MIC and the time has come to clamour for change.

Meanwhile, Mohamad, or fondly known as Mat Sabu, in his speech accused the government of stirring up racial sentiments again as the general election looms.

He said the demonisation of Bersih’s Malay supporters as backing a Hindu woman is a clear instance that shows Umno cannot abandon racial politics.

“But this is not a racial issues, this is about people’s rights. We will not waver but continue to strive to change the politics of this country,” he said.

The three-hour rally concluded with a round of cheers for Pakatan and a replay of the motivational song.

Non-Malay Muslim can be PM: Nik Aziz

MACHANG, May 26 (Bernama) -- The question of race need not be disputed for a person to become a prime minister provided he is a Muslim, said PAS Spiritual Leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Nik Aziz said the leader must be from among Muslims because he would be heading the government and leading Muslims in the country.

"Okay to be non-Malay, so long as he is a Muslim. How to lead Muslims if he is not a Muslim? Will a democratic nation give the post to a communist?

"And in the same vein, will a Communist country accommodate a democratic leader? No such thing! A Communist country will be helmed by a Communist, a democratic country will be led by a democratic leader," he said.

"So, a Muslim nation must be led by a Muslim, regardless of race."

He said this to reporters after opening a Kelantan Pas Ulama Congress at the Labok Dewan Ulama Headquarters, here, today.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh, prior to this, was reported to have said that he would continue his fight to ensure a non-Malay could became a prime minister of the country on the basis that there was no law against it.

Malaysia’s Kelantan demands Islamic designs in Buddhist building

A controversy is brewing over the proposal for the construction of a Buddhist building here after the PAS-led state government ruled that new buildings should include Islamic designs to reflect the state capital’s status as an Islamic city.

State Local Government, Culture, Arts and Tourism committee chairman Takiyuddin Hassan said developers must incorporate some Islamic elements in their plans or the proposals would be rejected.

“We will ensure development will be based on Islamic principles and features,” he told a press conference here.

He claimed the ruling was well-accepted by the majority of developers, including non-Muslim developers.

“I do not see it as an issue or something that could cause religious tension, as it only involves architecture and design,” he said.

“They have accepted the new ruling well.”

Takiyuddin was commenting on an appeal by the Kelantan Buddhist Association for the state government to approve its building, to be constructed with Chinese features at Jl. Sultan Zainal Abidin here.

It is understood that the association had been told that its building design should have dome-shaped motifs, which have created a controversy in the Chinese media.

In an immediate reaction, Kota Baru MCA division chief Tan Ken Ten slammed the directive, which he said was an infringement of the rights of non-Muslims in the state.

“The ruling is an extreme attempt to impose one’s beliefs into other people’s culture or religious beliefs,” Tan said.

“The PAS government must be mindful that Malaysia is a multi-cultural and multi-religious society that respects the differences of each community. It should appreciate this diversity which makes this country unique,” Tan added.

State MCA Youth chief Gan Han Chuan said the Kelantan government was showing disrespect towards the non-Muslims with its new policy.

“With the new directive, PAS is trying to create discord by destroying the harmonious relations between the communities that had been built by the Barisan Nasional over the years,” he added.

“One can only wonder what type of archaic policies PAS will introduce if Pakatan Rakyat manages to take over the Federal Government,” Gan said.

Indian Kashmir, "unknown arsonists" set fire to a Catholic church

by Nirmala Carvalho

Main entrance burned, the rest preserved thanks to intervention of a security guard. Two assailants unknown. The pastor of Holy Family: "We are concerned, it is a premeditated attack." The President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) calls for the intervention of chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir to protect the Christian community in the state.

Srinagar (AsiaNews) - An "planned" attack, with the clear goal of "scaring to death the Christian community. The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir must act to ensure security for the faithful and places of worship", says Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), reacting to AsiaNews to the arson attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Srinagar, two days ago. The main entrance was completely destroyed, but the timely intervention of a security guard prevented the fire from degenerating. Cameras captured two attacker who targeted the Church in the evening (20.30 hours the local, ed) their names are still unknown. All Christian communities in the valley of Kashmir have expressed solidarity with the Catholic Church.

The films show two men taking advantage of the temporary absence of the security guard. In those moments, the attackers threw petrol and other flammable material at the front door, then set it on fire. Fortunately, the guard came back in time to stop the fire to spreading: the entire building structure is made of wood.

Fr. Mathew Thomas, pastor of Holy Family, told AsiaNews: "What happened to us is very worrying. Watching the video, you understand that it is a premeditated attack, and that the two attackers were well aware of what happens in church. At the end of January, my bike was burnt, we have not found out why, nor who the culprits were. It was clear that even then, the goal was the church. On two other occasions, the Virgin has interceded for us. May She protect us and save us forever. "

"What happened - said the president of the GCIC - is not an isolated case. I think the persecution suffered by Rev. CM Khanna over baptising young Muslims, or the couple arrested while at the market. With these gestures, the Muslim community is trying to intimidate the Christian minority. But there are not even 400 Christians in Srinagar: I appeal to Omar Abdullah, chief minister, a Muslim who studied in Christian institutions. He must protect the entire population of Srinagar, including minorities. "

The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir (the only Indian state with a Muslim majority, ed) attended Burn Hall School, a prestigious Catholic institution directed by Fr. Jim Borst, Dutch missionary, for years accused of proselytizing.

Uthayakumar: Give poor Indian students places in UiTM too

P. Uthayakumar

‘Rabully’ – a new term coined by P. Uthayakumar, the de facto leader of Hindraf simply means ‘Racist Bully’. Uthayakumar used this term in a letter dated 25 May 2012, which he sent to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Higher Education.

He was alluding to a report in Berita Harian dated 22 May 2012, with the heading “UITM tawar 10,000 tempat pelajar gagal ke IPT”, in which the government announced that some 10,000 below average Malay Muslim students will be offered places in UiTM.

Berita Hairan, 22 May 2012, page 2

If the government advocates 1Malaysia – why not offer 10,000 places to below average, poor Indian students too, he asked.

“Affirmative action, in any part of the world, should be catered to on a need basis and never on the majority or a ‘rabully’ basis.” He said, “Please don’t be a Rabully because ethnic Indians are only 8% and they are the most vulnerable community in the country.”

Uthayakumar also referred to Utusan Malaysia’s news report dated 22 May, titled ‘10,000 pelajar miskin (Melayu Islam) ditawar masuk UITM – bagi mengikuti Program Pra Diploma menerusi program Mengubah Destinasi Anak Bangsa (MDAB)’.

Utusan Malaysia, 25 May 2012, page 26

Picking on the term ‘Anak Bangsa’, he felt that this means  all ‘bangsa’ included, no segregation of races. Thus, he said, it is pertinent that, under the Prime Minister’s much touted 1Malaysia, out of the 200,000 places in UiTM, the government should also include at least 10,000 poor Indian students.

“Article 12 of the Federal Constitution specifically states that there shall be no discrimination in the intake of Institutions that is funded by the government.” He said, “We regret to point out that even 10% foreign Muslims are taken into UITM but never the fifth and sixth generation Malaysian born poor Indian.”

Most Malaysian Chinese, he said, can afford to send their children to private universities or colleges. This leaves the poor Indian segregated from the national mainstream higher education system.

Through the Hindraf looking glass

They want villains to hate and heroes to cheer - and they don't want explanations that do not give them that. - Thomas Sowell (Dismantling America)

COMMENT Some people, Indians mostly, ask me, why I bother writing about Hindraf? I realise this question points more to a particular class mindset and political alliance allegiance rather than to any genuine interest on the part of the persons asking the question.

Hindraf's latest strategic move to field candidates in Pakatan Rakyat-controlled areas has resulted in the usual flame war between Hindraf and Pakatan proxies with accusations of racism and mandore-ism as a convenient stand in for any rational discussion and of course that P Uthayakumar has been bought over by Umno. I'll leave the rumour-mongering to the experts.

I make it a point to touch base with my favourite status quo agitators via the Human Rights Party (HRP) website, and I suggest that anyone interested in learning more about the entity that supposedly speaks for ‘working class' Indians and the issues they face should make it a point to look up this site to discover for themselves how Hindraf and the HRP (at this point in time the two are interchangeable) view the Malaysian political and social landscapes.

There, I'm known as a "classical pseudo [multiracial] Indian" - I assume the writer meant "classic" - "who will never be chief of Navy but calls Hindraf racist".

The fact that I never once called Hindraf racist, in fact I defended Hindraf against such allegations in every one of my comment pieces, escaped the writer of the piece but seeing as how the writer chose only to publish a snippet of my comment piece and a paltry one Malaysiakini comment against the piece, is just further evidence of how Hindraf intentionally builds rhetorical straw men in lieu of any rational discussion.

Many Pakatan supporters are aghast that Uthayakumar and Hindraf are choosing to exercise their democratic right by fielding candidates in the upcoming general election or rather are aghast that Hindraf is fielding candidates against Pakatan, which just goes to show you that for some Pakatan supporters democracy is a one-way street, that street being the way to Putrajaya and the banishment of Umno.

Meanwhile, because of their lack of traction with Umno, Hindraf for whatever reason is hoping that Pakatan-controlled areas would be more amenable to their particular brand of politics.
This of course is amusing because they have labelled Pakatan just as racist and vile as Umno-BN but yet believe they stand a better chance of gaining some support from whatever racial mix residing in those areas.

And by advocating that Indians abstain from voting ("it's an option") even if they (Hindraf) lose, either Umno (with a proven record of systemic discrimination) or Pakatan (which according to Hindraf is no better) would win. So what exactly is the game plan here?

A throwback to old racial formula

However what is missing from the polemics from both sides is the acknowledgement of the differing political ideologies underpinning this political and racial feud.

I would argue that Hindraf is a throwback to the old racial formula that BN continues to perpetuate. Although Hindraf/HRP and its adherents claim to speak for all Malaysians, a cursory glance at their propaganda organs or representatives tells another story.

And the story focuses on the disenfranchisement of the Indian community mixed up with constant polemical references to the "bi-racial (1Malaysia) Malay and Chinese", "others" who perpetuate the systemic discrimination that Indians face in Malaysia.

Those of us who are critical of the movement are labelled as "mandores" or "elites" (if Indians) who did nothing for the community since independence or thereabouts, or just plain racists, for non-Indians.

This kind of slagging off is common whenever any critical discussion of Hindraf occurs. The comments section in Malaysiakini is filled with this kind of nonsense with the term "hero" used to describe those that Hindraf supporters have decided "did nothing" for the Indian community when an examination of a post-colonial, Indian community reveals a complex narrative poisoned with systemic discrimination but also a period of vibrant growth sustained mainly by the efforts of the community itself.

These racial taunts or an appeal to emotions coupled with Hindraf's own ‘demands' for the Indian community and the response they hope to get (this last bit is the important part of the equation), is a fairly common strain of minority groupthink found across the world.

Thomas Sowell* gives a conservative perspective of the American experience in ‘Black Rednecks and White Liberals', the passage which I reproduce here:

"The general orientation of white liberals has been one of 'What can we do for them?' What blacks can do for themselves has not only been of lesser interest, much of what blacks have in fact already done for themselves has been overshadowed by liberal attempts to get them special dispensations - whether affirmative action, reparations for slavery, or other race-based benefits - even when the net effect of these has been much less than the effects of blacks' own self-advancement."

And let's not forget that Hindraf claims to represent ‘working class' Indians, which is not as convenient as it first seems. If the Malay demographic is changing because of external influences, I assure you the same is happening to the Indian/Hindu demographic.

So while Hindraf's agenda may not be racist but rather a restatement of a political ideology (which failed us mainly because of the corruption of Umno and its partners) we as a nation subscribed to pre-Pakatan, this does not mean that the movement itself is free from racist members. You want to see the worse of Malaysians, just read the flame wars concerning Hindraf.

So while I dismiss Hindraf's claims of a class-based approach to the ‘Indian issue' as disingenuous since nothing in their rhetoric or deeds backs up this claim, I don't think anyone should dismiss their race-based approach as racist simply because the general orientation of oppositional politics has shifted from that of a race-based approach to a supposed class-based ethos.

So how does Pakatan deal with Hindraf?

Hindraf is getting nowhere with BN. The possible consequences of blackmailing Pakatan could be either Hindraf does manage to get representation in Parliament or deny Pakatan that chance, thereby proving their political worth to BN. If the outcome is the former, how does Hindraf intend to work with political parties which it has labelled as racists?

Depending on the outcome of the elections, in the wet dreams of Hindraf supporters, they believe Hindraf in Parliament could be kingmakers, but the reality is they would probably end up as whipping boys.

The question is, if Hindraf manages to do for the Indian community (and their best bet for the time being is the federal reach of Umno) what MIC (and according to Hindraf, everyone else) has failed to do, what then are the ramifications to the so-called multiracial platform that Pakatan supporters subscribe to?

Understand now, that Hindraf is speaking the same race-based language as Umno. When Uthayakumar laments the fact that Pakatan won't give them the seats they need even though it is less then MIC, it demonstrates that for some, certainly for Hindraf, Pakatan is merely a stand-in for BN. In other words for some, Pakatan speaks the same language as BN but merely uses a different dialect.

And because the DAP has done such a sterling job presenting itself as a multiracial party, you still have large swathes of the non-Chinese voting population sceptical of the inclusiveness of the DAP.

Make no mistake, I think Pakatan and its partners have been doing the best job that they can by pushing their class-based agenda but at the end of the day all that effort has been hampered by the malfeasances of the federal government and their own internal bickering.

And the lure of a race-based solutions to problems is hypnotic. It makes everything easier when you can come up with formulas that appeases various communities but would seem arbitrary in any other context.

And for years this worked for us. For years we got the government we deserved embroiled in our own petty communal concerns and by the time we realised we deserved something better, we were too deep in the rabbit hole of our own racial preoccupations.

So how does Pakatan deal with Hindraf? The glib answer would be, hope they aren't as influential as they seem to think they are amongst the voting Indian population.
It's difficult to claim the moral high ground when the reality is that nearly every issue be it education, the economy or culture is still viewed through a racial/religious lens but neatly camouflaged in the ‘new' multicultural/racial spin of Pakatan.

The only way to render any type of race-based philosophy obsolete is to ensure that the class-based approach is not only done but seen to be done and so far either because of lack of political will or being sidetracked by the machinations of Umno or both, Pakatan has a lot more to do in fulfilling this expectation.

*Anyone familiar with the works of Sowell would be having a good chuckle seeing as how I'm quoting him in a piece sympathetic to class-based solutions to problems.

---

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Hunger strike at Brickfields

 

(Malaysiakini) Seven Malaysians associated with the Effingham Tamil School in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya have commenced a drastic hunger strike in front of the water fountain in Little India, Brickfields.  The Return Effingham Land Action Team (REFLAX) have been holding candle light vigils every Saturday night for the past 14 weeks, seeking the return of 3 acres of school land which they alleged have been grabbed by the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) which is a component party in the Barisan National Federal Government.  The members of REFLAX decided to hold this drastic hunger strike as a last resort to compel the return of the 3 acres land for the future expansion of the school.

 

After a brief prayer ceremony  witnessed by YB Sivarasa, MP for Subang and YB Manogaran, 

MP for Teluk Intan, the hunger strike officially started at 8.20 am.

 

YB Sivarasa, MP for Subang giving his blessings to the hunger strikers

 

YB Manogaran. MP for Teluk Intan giving his blessings to the hunger strikers

 

Manivanan, the Chairman of the Return Effingham Land Action Team (REFLAX) in the coconut breaking ceremony to show the sincerity of the hunger strike

 

On hand to show support for the hunger strikesr was YB Xavier Jayakumar, Selangor Exco.

 

The hunger strikers all seated: LtoR Palanivelan, Nathan Ramalingam, Tamilavasan, M Telai Amblam, Loganathan, R Suresh Kumar & S Balakumaran

In a drastic hunger strike, no food or drinks are taken during the duration of the strike and all the seven participants have vowed to stay on the strike until the MIC expressly agree to return the 3 acres of land back to the school.

Within minutes of the commencement of the hunger strike, enforcement officers from the City Hall of Kuala Lumpur were on hand and informed the organisers that even though they are allowed to sit at the fountain they are not allowed to built tents or other structures.  The Chairman of REFLAX, Manivanan appealed to the officers to allow for the tents to be erected on humanitarian grounds as they are used as a protection from sun and rain.