Having finally regained his freedom
after 485 days behind bars for sedition, many are expecting Hindraf
leader P Uthayakumar to breathe fresh air into the lethargic movement
for marginalised Indians.
But anyone harbouring such hopes may be disappointed.
The
veteran activist, who in 2007 were among key leaders to mobilise some
30,000 to protest discrimination against Indian Malaysians, has told his
community to now set its sight on Pakatan Rakyat.
Having contested as an independent for the Kota Raja parliamentary constituency as part of Hindraf's plan to increase Indian Malaysian representation in GE13 and lost, Uthayakumar acknowledged their strategy was a failure.
"We accept the people's verdict. Like it or not, the overwhelming majority of Indians voted for Pakatan and it is a democratic decision we have to accept," he told Malaysiakini.
After going to jail exactly a month after GE13 for accusing Putrajaya of ethnic cleansing, Uthayakumar said he has given much thought about how the plight of the Indian poor could move forward.
"Every night I thought about it until I had a mental block. There is no other solution besides Pakatan.
"There
is no other option. BN is a forgone conclusion," he said, adding that
even fellow inmates were angry when his brother P Waythamoorthy (left) attempted to ally the Indian Malaysian movement with BN.
He added the majority of Indian Malaysians had voted for Pakatan and therefore, it is only appropriate that they turn to its top three leaders, namely Anwar Ibrahim, Abdul Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang.
Uthaya goes to Washington
However, Uthayakumar who said he read extensively about the US civil rights movement during his incarceration, stressed it is the non-Indian leaders in Pakatan who must take up the cause of the Indian poor.
As for himself, Uthayakumar said he will withdraw from the public spotlight for now.
"I will spend a few years in Washington DC to do research and lecture," he said, but added he is still unclear when he will depart.
Asked if this would be the end of Hindraf, Uthayakumar insisted that the movement will never disappear.
However, Uthayakumar said Hindraf's plan had failed during the last general election and he did not want to give any "false hope" this time.
"Now that I have been released, many people are thinking that I can perform magic or that they have some kind of hope. I cannot do that.
"For now, I will watch, see and learn. Put it this way: Sometimes, when we talk to our children, they don't want to listen. So we have to let them go to learn it the hard way. It is their democratic decision.
"If they succeed, I will the the happiest person as I also want to retire. I am feeling tired and exhausted," he said.
'Prison a symbol of Indian marginalisation'
Uthayakumar's move to take a breather may seem like he has been tamed by the cold hard walls of Kajang prison which he admitted was a "nightmare".
But he stressed that his incarceration reinforced his commitment to fight for the plight of the Indian poor.
"When I was released yesterday, the next in line (to be released) was a 39-year-old. His name was Rajagopal. He had gone to prison 29 times; that is how chronic the Indian problem is.
"His father is a Kuala Lumpur City Hall sewerage worker, his mother a sweeper and he has never received any education as the family had many siblings to feed," he said.
He
added that Indians made up almost a third of the total number of prison
inmates despite only comprising eight percent of the country's
population. Uthayakumar is of the opinion that poverty drives them to
commit crime.
Despite the seriousness of the problem, Uthayakumar lamented that Pakatan, which was helped by Indian Malaysians' discontent when it first came into power, had not taken concrete steps to address the issues faced by the Indian poor in states where it ruled.
Having called on Indian Malaysians to turn to the people who they voted for, Uthayakumar only had this to say to Pakatan leaders: "Do not sidestep the Indian poor issues, they are very critical, so please don't sidestep them".
However, he said Hindraf itself will not be taking any sides.
Asked if he will return to Malaysia after his sabbatical to pick up Hindraf's torch again if things do not improve, Uthayakumar merely replied: "I'll take it as it comes."
But anyone harbouring such hopes may be disappointed.
The
veteran activist, who in 2007 were among key leaders to mobilise some
30,000 to protest discrimination against Indian Malaysians, has told his
community to now set its sight on Pakatan Rakyat.Having contested as an independent for the Kota Raja parliamentary constituency as part of Hindraf's plan to increase Indian Malaysian representation in GE13 and lost, Uthayakumar acknowledged their strategy was a failure.
"We accept the people's verdict. Like it or not, the overwhelming majority of Indians voted for Pakatan and it is a democratic decision we have to accept," he told Malaysiakini.
After going to jail exactly a month after GE13 for accusing Putrajaya of ethnic cleansing, Uthayakumar said he has given much thought about how the plight of the Indian poor could move forward.
"Every night I thought about it until I had a mental block. There is no other solution besides Pakatan.
"There
is no other option. BN is a forgone conclusion," he said, adding that
even fellow inmates were angry when his brother P Waythamoorthy (left) attempted to ally the Indian Malaysian movement with BN.He added the majority of Indian Malaysians had voted for Pakatan and therefore, it is only appropriate that they turn to its top three leaders, namely Anwar Ibrahim, Abdul Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang.
Uthaya goes to Washington
However, Uthayakumar who said he read extensively about the US civil rights movement during his incarceration, stressed it is the non-Indian leaders in Pakatan who must take up the cause of the Indian poor.
As for himself, Uthayakumar said he will withdraw from the public spotlight for now.
"I will spend a few years in Washington DC to do research and lecture," he said, but added he is still unclear when he will depart.
Asked if this would be the end of Hindraf, Uthayakumar insisted that the movement will never disappear.However, Uthayakumar said Hindraf's plan had failed during the last general election and he did not want to give any "false hope" this time.
"Now that I have been released, many people are thinking that I can perform magic or that they have some kind of hope. I cannot do that.
"For now, I will watch, see and learn. Put it this way: Sometimes, when we talk to our children, they don't want to listen. So we have to let them go to learn it the hard way. It is their democratic decision.
"If they succeed, I will the the happiest person as I also want to retire. I am feeling tired and exhausted," he said.
'Prison a symbol of Indian marginalisation'
Uthayakumar's move to take a breather may seem like he has been tamed by the cold hard walls of Kajang prison which he admitted was a "nightmare".
But he stressed that his incarceration reinforced his commitment to fight for the plight of the Indian poor.
"When I was released yesterday, the next in line (to be released) was a 39-year-old. His name was Rajagopal. He had gone to prison 29 times; that is how chronic the Indian problem is.
"His father is a Kuala Lumpur City Hall sewerage worker, his mother a sweeper and he has never received any education as the family had many siblings to feed," he said.
He
added that Indians made up almost a third of the total number of prison
inmates despite only comprising eight percent of the country's
population. Uthayakumar is of the opinion that poverty drives them to
commit crime.Despite the seriousness of the problem, Uthayakumar lamented that Pakatan, which was helped by Indian Malaysians' discontent when it first came into power, had not taken concrete steps to address the issues faced by the Indian poor in states where it ruled.
Having called on Indian Malaysians to turn to the people who they voted for, Uthayakumar only had this to say to Pakatan leaders: "Do not sidestep the Indian poor issues, they are very critical, so please don't sidestep them".
However, he said Hindraf itself will not be taking any sides.
Asked if he will return to Malaysia after his sabbatical to pick up Hindraf's torch again if things do not improve, Uthayakumar merely replied: "I'll take it as it comes."
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