A friend of mine texted me yesterday, on how Indian Malaysians were being stopped by road blocks as far as Melaka as the police heightened security prior to the HINDRAF Assembly tomorrow. Just now he showed me the photographs of the incident. Utterly shocking.
I disagree with some fundamental aspects of the demand made by HINDRAF – particularly on the Federal Constitution and Article 153. Instead, HINDRAF should focus on the abuses made by the BN government and fight for the plight of all poor Malaysians, instead of a particular community.
Yet, whether one agrees with their demands or not, they have a constitutional right to assemble. At the same time, the reason there is such a stir among the Indians is that they have genuine grievances, and which all Malaysians should take heed.
The Indians, I argued in a piece written for Malaysiakini in 2001, are the worse lot as they do not have the political power of the Malays nor the commercial clout of the Chinese. While a sizable portion of Indians make up the professional and commercial classes, the bulk are still rooted in the estates. Hidden away from the country’s development, many are stuck in a vicious cycle where poor facilities, lack of role models, alcoholism, domestic violence, gangsterism and ultimately poverty ensure that each generation remains at the bottom of the social ladder.
Campaigning in Ijok in May 2007 gave me the opportunity to see the degree of deprivation afflicting Indians in the estates.
In 2003, the Economist observed, while the Indians make up 8% of the population,
…they make up 14% of its juvenile delinquents, 20% of its wife and child beaters and 41% of its beggars. They make up less than 5% of the successful university applicants.
The Indians control 2% of the national wealth, and by removing the richest 5 individual Indians from the equation, the picture becomes even more depressing. In 2003, one in twelve Indians did not attend primary school.
The biggest letdown among the Indian community is their political representatives, the MIC. The MIC has evolved into a personality cult that sustains its support through a feudal character, ensuring Indians remain as the most loyal community to the ruling coalition. The Indian middle class and professionals are driven away from the party due to its nature, and thus the party consists of mostly working class members. The loyalty is almost absolute – polling even suggests that when they are unhappy with the way things are in the country, they still overwhelmingly support BN.
Part of MIC’s weakness stems from the distribution of Indian voters, which results in no Indian-majority constituency in the country. The MIC therefore receives seats through the BN-power sharing concept in areas where Indians make substantial minorities – mostly in Penang, Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. Nevertheless, in BN-style politics this means that they are at the mercy of UMNO and have little chance to fight for a bigger share of the cake.
I just finished reading The Last Mughal, an account on the life of Bahadur Shah II. What was striking (and ignored by present-day Hindu supremacists in India) was that in the Indian mutiny of 1857, the rebellious sepoys who were largely Hindu appealed to the Muslim Bahadur Shah to lead the uprising against the British. When some extreme Muslim sepoys sacrificed cows near a Hindu temple in Delhi during Eidul Adha, they were severely punished by Bahadur for insulting their fellow Hindu subjects.
If only Muslims and Hindus today could relive that legacy of tolerance.
There are rumours that there might be agent provacateurs planted in the assembly to cause violence tomorrow. I pray that I’m proven wrong.
I’m very sure that the Police are going to spill some HINDRAF blood tomorrow. I am so afraid that Malaysia is/has become the new apartheid Africa. The appalling use of racial profiling by the Police just goes to show that we are indeed a society that is living in a racist/corrupt regime. I pray for the safety of the rally members.
November 24th, 2007 at 8:33 pmThe NST gave conflicting reports of reactions from MIC. Samy was quoted on 21st Nov’ “Malaysian Indians are free to join the demonstration planned by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) if they believe its claims are true” whilst the MIC Sec Gen Datuk S Subramanian (NST 20th Nov) called on the “Indian community to stay away”
And the Police were jumping the gun and reacting too fast in hauling the Hindraf leaders to court. They accused them of uttering seditious words in Tamil at a forum and don’t even have a transcript of the Tamil speeches and rely on a translated copy certified by the police themselves and not yet verified by an independent party. The joke is that they can’t even list out the seditious words in the charge sheet. More details and pictures of the charged atmospheres at the Klang court on Friday at
November 24th, 2007 at 8:53 pmGo H E R E
I went for a ride into KL (yes, wearing yellow) to check out the roadblocks leadin into the city. At 5.30 pm, there was a roadblock next to the Damansara Toll where the jam was caused by the police closing off two lanes ostensibly to check on potential demonstrators heading into the city a day early. This was the same type of roadblock near the Sg Besi toll plaza and Federal Highway yesterday. The irony of it all was the police personnel manning these roadblocks didn’t even check any vehicles and were just chatting among themselves – the sole objective then of these roadblocks was to cause massive traffic jams and inconvenience the rakyat so that people will blame any group even thinking abt demonstrating to immediately throw that idea out of the window. Instead of garnering support or sympathy from the masses, such groups will be seen as troublemakers and rabble rousers that disturb the peace and serenity of our society. After all, it is their fault that the authorities have to take such measures. Let the people realise that actions to show dissension and protests like illegal assemblies and marches are unnecessary and selfish. “Menyusahkan orang lain saja” – a cardinal sin in our culture – right? Malaysians do not rock the boat and turn against those who do…Remember Jebat?
It is Saturday night and the city is relatively quiet. Let us hope and pray that while we may not agree with HINDRAF, no one would want to see a demonstration of power and heartlessness unleashed on unarmed, peaceful citizens. If there is violence tommorrow – it means that the authorities would like to ground in the message into national consciousness that disagreement and dissension will NOT be tolerated. The PM is also not in the country..
November 24th, 2007 at 9:58 pmChildren who will be attending a Tamil primary school in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, in the near future may mistake their alma mater for a horror movie set.
This is because the school is slated to be constructed in the midst of not one, but numerous cemeteries several times its size.
Shuddering at the thought, Bukit Jalil estate resident V Loudesmary said she does not understand how the authorities can imagine children going to school under such circumstances.
http://poobalan.com/blog/
November 24th, 2007 at 10:24 pmMIC Sec Gen Datuk S Subramanian (NST 20th Nov) called on the “Indian community to stay away”
…………..
Even semi value don`t listen to him. At the MAIKA AGM he was a laughing stock, walking around with his supporters who were bleeding.
November 24th, 2007 at 10:28 pmThat`s what happens when in the MIC.
Type your comment here.
November 24th, 2007 at 10:35 pmbelive me or not,I can see the wind
of change happening in this country.
If this goverment is responsible to its citizen,then it should call the organisers to stop the rally and dialouge with them rather then confront them.
Just imagine if there is bloodshed on the 25th rally.
What will be next,this society will become extrimist
Majority doesn’t count then.
We have seen that in Sri-Lanka,
Iraq,Lebanon.
I am shame with the goverment politician,they are poor in world
history.
Finally everyone of us are going to suffer,wheather you are majority or minority.
Not a hindu supremacist but, for hindus, the best mughal was the well known Akhbar, not his son Aurangazeb which is better appreciated by certain people because of his iconoclasm, and his destructions of hindu temples. I know this because when i was a high school student in klang, i was able to read a religious magazine of my classmate which extolled Aurangazeb and his activities such as banning “deviant practises and music and destructions of icons”.
November 24th, 2007 at 10:41 pmI really feel so very sad
To note the situation so bad
Knowing what these folks had
Nothing more than 150-year old fad
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng
November 25th, 2007 at 12:51 amhttp://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Sun. 25th Nov. 2007.
A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures – and that is the basis of all human morality.
November 25th, 2007 at 2:07 amJohn F. Kennedy
Talking about constitutional rights, isnt it also the rights and duty of the majority peace-loving-citizens to demand that the poice and govt prevent these idiotic demos???
What if, finally, the Malays also took to the street protesting against the British for bringing in immigrant labourers into the uni-ethnic Malay States and depriving them of their sole claim to the state; and being deprived and black-mailed for agreeing to award citizenship rights to the immigrants in lieu of Merdeka arrangements???
November 25th, 2007 at 11:15 amType your comment here.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:04 ammaaf la saya puya english is that not good…apa yg berlaku sekarang berpunva dari sikap kerajaan sendiri terutama mic.mereka tidak mabik berat pasal maalah rakyat keturunan india secara seriois begitu juga dengan umno mereka juga berpura pura ambik berat paal org melayu.aagenda melayu semua tu gimik politik pak lah saja. jadi kitafikir la bersama masih releven ke kerajaan bn sekarang
Dont point fingers to others for your mistakes.
I have lots of Indian friends who use brain,education and patience to fight rather than provoking the uneducated to attend such rally.
If you work in the real estate for 3 generations, blame yourself for not educating youself and your generation to think out of the box.
Stop blaming kerajaan, police, other races etc2.
‘Congratulations’ BERSIH, HINDRAF, u guys ‘berjaya’ buat orang takut utk datang ke Malaysia.
-Annoyed-
November 26th, 2007 at 12:27 pmI WAS TOTALLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT TO WHAT THEY HAVE DONE YESTERDAY.RALLY SHOULD END UP PEACEFULLY BUT THE GOV MESSED UP AND CREATES BIGGER PROBLEM.THIS SHOWS ALL THE BN POLITICIAN ARE UNEDUCATED AND UNABLE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS IN AN EASY WAY.INSTEAD USING PEOPLES MONEY TO SEND ASTRONOUTS UNREASONABLY,THEY SHOULD THAT MONEY FOR PEOPLES WELFARE AND COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT.BY SENDING AN ASTRONOUTS TO THE SPACE WHAT’S THE POINT AND WHAT HAVE ACHIEVED!!!!.SO PLZ DON SUPPORT THIS STUPID BN GOVERNMENT AND DON’T GET CHEATED ANYMORE.WAKEUP MALAYSIANS WAKEUP
November 26th, 2007 at 3:53 pmType your comment here.
November 26th, 2007 at 4:07 pmi just like semua org tau saya punya bset friend dulu di sekolah menengah tkt 4-5 ada lah org india…nama dia tanalinggam..kami sungguh rapat takde rasa syak wasangka saya lebih selesa berkawan dengan dia dari orang melayu sebab kami faham memahami tapi now kita lihat la apa sudah jadi dengan masyarakat kita…
Saudara Nik Nazmi,
Saya adalah penyokong kuat Parti Keadilan Rakyat dan PAS.
Daripada tragedi HINDRAF semalam, tiba-tiba saya tergamam apabila PAS dan PKR menyokong mereka.
Persoalan:
1) Antara wadah perjuangan HINDRAF dan DAP adalah mempertikaikan hak orang Melayu. Jadi, jika PKR menang dalam pilihanraya dan membentuk kerajaan, adakah PKR akan melucutkan status istimewa kaum MELAYU dan bumiputra?
2) Mengapa PAS khasnya menyokong HINDRAF dan DAP? Sedangkan dengan terang-terangan mereka MENOLAK Negara ISLAM dan mahukan Negara SEKULAR.
3)Bukankah menyokong aktivis yang berbentuk perkauman ini akan menyebabkan KETEGANGAN KAUM di seluruh Negara? Ini sangat berbahaya.
Saya harap pihak PAS dan PKR dapat menjelaskan perkara ini dan saya juga berharap agar PAS dan PKR tidak terperangkap dengan agenda mereka kerana ia akan menyebabkan kerajaan BN(Barang Naik) itu memainkan isu ini. Ia akan merugikan kita.
Saya memang tidak menyokong BN tetapi saya juga tidak mahu Hak Orang MELAYU tergadai seperti yang terjadi di Singapura. Saya Harap perjuangan PAS dan PKR mesti jelas dan tidak sesekali tersasar dari landasan akibat ingin menjaga hati mereka yang membuat pertikaian ini.
Saya hormat bangsa lain tetapi bangsa lain pon perlu hormat pada orang MELAYU. Hak Orang MELAYU tidak boleh dipertikaikan lagi seperti mana yang tercatat didalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
Ini negara Malaysia dan juga masih Tanah Melayu.
Kita Negara ISLAM dan TUannya adalah MELAYU ISLAM..
Diharap saudara Nik Nazmi dapat mengulas perkara ini.
Sekain
November 27th, 2007 at 1:45 amI totally disagree with HINDRAF’s demands. It’s gravely exaggerated, preposterous & racially motivated as opposed to the BERSIH rally. Pls refer to Rocky’s post: http://rockybru.blogspot.com/2007/11/why-i-didnt-walk-yesterday.html
the rally is just a publicity stunt by the leaders for their own personal agenda. i hope the indian majority will not let themselves to be manipulated again, the way have been used by MIC all these years.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:47 amAll i can say that the ruling party now are making use of us indian, malay or chinese.
If u think people going to the rally is nonsense, think again, in this world , not everyone is so gifted and not everyone has the same personality,
Thats why some educated, knowleadgeable, able to guide, people fight for the rights of these people, no matter whats their purpose,
November 27th, 2007 at 2:01 pmSaudara Anak Melayu,
KeADILan jelas di dalam komitmennya terhadap mempertahankan Keluhuran Perlembagaan.
1. Perkara Dasar KeADILan ke-10 menyebut:
“Menjamin, berasaskan prinsip keadilan, kedudukan kaum Melayu dan Bumiputera di Sabah dan Sarawak digunakan semata-mata untuk meningkatkan status sosio-ekonomi mereka yang miskin dan terpinggir, dan keperluan yang saksama dibuat untuk golongan miskin dan terpinggir bukan Melayu dan bukan Bumiputera, ke arah mencapai keadilan untuk perpaduan nasional.”
Kenyataan Datuk Seri Anwar juga cukup jelas di dalam isu HINDRAF ini:
“Tetapi saya saya menyeru kepada HINDRAF agar mereka mengambil pendekatan yang lebih sederhana dan bertanggungjawab di dalam menyuarakan ketidakpuashatian mereka, khususnya di dalam soal Perlembagaan, khususnya Perkara 153. HINDRAF sepatutnya menumpukan perhatian mereka kepada kerajaan BN yang bertanggungjawab di atas salahguna kuasa yang telah menindas kaum India yang miskin, dan juga pada masa yang sama gagal menyelesaikan masalah semua rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira kaum, warna kulit ataupun agama.”
2) Saya rasa soalan tersebut baik diajukan pada pimpinan PAS.
3) Persoalan ke-3 ini ada sebahagiannya sudah dijawab di 1). Kita perlu faham, ada isu dan ketidakpuashatian tulen yang mendasari masalah ini. Dengan berinteraksi dengan mereka, kita dapat pada masa yang sama menyampaikan mesej yang jelas bahawa isu ini harus dilihat sebagai masalah bersama, dan bukan hanya masalah kaum India. Sekiranya kita langsung tidak mengendahkan masalah ini, golongan ekstrem dan perkauman akan terus dapat menggunakan ketidakpuashatian ini untuk matlamat mereka.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:07 pmType your comment hekita tak boleh abaikan begitu saja masalh kaum india ni.kalau ramai anak mereka jadi gengster sapa yg suasah kita semua juga kan.adalah lebih baik kerajaan halau org indonesia yg dah ramai dah di malaysia ni cuba la kita pergi taman sri muda di s/alam kita akan rasa takut dengan kahadiran mereka.dari kita membela org indon baik kita cuba selesaikan masalh kaum india sedang kan mereka rakayat malaysia.sya rasa satu hari akan terjadi pergaduhan yang amt dasyat kalau seasana sekarang tak di kawal saya harap semua kaum jgn la emosi sangatbaik kita duduk semeja dan berunding jgn harap ahli politik nak tolong kita.tengok la gelagat pas cukup la bukan saya sokong umno tapi pas suka ambik kesempatan .
November 27th, 2007 at 5:20 pmSaudara Nik NAzmi,
Terima kasih kerana sudi membalas komen saya.. =)
November 28th, 2007 at 11:53 amI’m a Malay and one of my best friends is Indian (to be specific, of Ceylonese descent). She is hearing impaired, as is her mum (the most wonderful 70 plus year old woman in the world who is like a mother to me) and had been taking care of her mum since her dad died more than ten years ago. If you don’t know her, you’d think she was ‘normal’; ie not disabled because she is an excellent lip-reader. We met when we were both sub-editors at an English newspaper. The instant she met me she said she knew we would be friends. She is now teaching English to hearing impaired students at one of the most successful university colleges in Malaysia. She never thought of herself as disabled and never felt sorry for herself. She put herself through college and has an ICSA qualification. She is now married with one beautiful child. She is an amazing soul. I have been to visit Batu Caves during Thaipusam with her and her mother and she comes over for Raya. There are some things that she doesn’t like about the Indian community – like being very choosy who they marry their kids off too (must have masters, phd, etc) and men who drink too much – just like there are some things I don’t like about the Malays – like being ‘dengki’ or jealous of the success of other Malays and going to the ‘bomoh’, etc. Whatever it is … whatever race or religion … we have to begin with ourselves.
December 1st, 2007 at 9:40 pmSo the dust has setteled after the Hindraf “Assembly”. Malay friends are worried that the memo to be submitted will take away their rights.
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:51 amI suppose fear is what keeps the population to vote the same government for the past 50 years. I am sure the Indian (actually Malaysian Tamils/Hidus) has no intention to grab power. They want the public / the world to be aware of what is happening. I am sure not many Malay/Chinese friends have ever been to Tamil Schools. These schools are also in the same situation as the ‘illegal’ temples. Many Tamil schools are ‘Bantuan Modal’(Partially aided) which means the schools only get partial financial help because the land the school is built is not owened by the Education Ministry. (Bantuan Penuh – fully aided schools is fully owened by the government) This is very sticky and pathetic issue. Please don’t suggest to close them down to end the problem. Students studying in different languages does not make them to be diverse. Unity will not be hindered by the language. Teach everyone their neighbour’s (other races) culture and bleives. Reading the various text books will definately give you a better picture why many youngsters do not respect other races.
Walk into any government offices and see for yourself why Indians feel discriminated.
Even the PM says that there are many Indian docters, lawyers and so on. Yes, there are many such people. Why do you think majority of Indian families have only two children. Their educational cost is so high they have to save thoughout their life. I am sure all the races do the same.
Harmony and unity can be achieved in many ways. I don’t think any race want the whole economic cake. Everyone knows that sharing is best for everyone.
Today, the country suffers from something different. Those in power are righteous. Whatever they say should be accepted by everyone.
The Indian reps in Parliment do not have the freedom to discuss freely about the problems of the comunity. If they talk, the may lose their right to represent their constituency. They have to be unified. How do you expect the community to voice their grieviences.
Try the so many hotlines already online. It is only eyewash.
Everything said and done by those outside the government is wrong or anti Malaysian.
Hindraf’s memorundum maybe not acceptable to everyone. But the government should not find ways to reject it outright. This is a cry of a community to make the government aware. Being a responsible government, it should accept it. Don’t have to agree to everything. But look at the situation objectively and remedy the situation.
Many perfectly acceptable and avoidable issues are just brushed off like this in the name of party unity. What matters is whether what is said is true or not. It does not matter who says it.
If it is really the case as Hindraf says it is, its really shameful for Malaysia to be calling itself a multicultural society which respects its ethnic groups. I always thought of Malaysia as a free, broadminded society but the recent events have forced many like me to put Malaysia among countries which restrict ethnic groups and disallows the same rights as other citizens of the country.
Malaysia needs to correct this, take steps for integrating all groups in the mainstream and tell the World that this was rather an unfortunate isolated event. If not done immediately, it would certainly cast a shadow on the number of inbound tourists, especially from India, which incidentally forms one of the largest groups.
December 4th, 2007 at 12:00 amDear Anak Melayu,
you said…”…Kita Negara ISLAM dan TUannya adalah MELAYU ISLAM..”
So are you saying that if Malay Muslims are the Lords, than am I right in assuming that you are implying that non-Malay and non-Muslims are serfs or servants in this country?
I am not contesting the fact the Malays are indegenious to Malaya, or the fact that Islam is the official religion. Does that imply that you have more right in this country than I do merely because of your skin colour and religion? Are you not advocating discrimination and racism?
I am an ‘anak Malaysia’, just as much as you are!
December 5th, 2007 at 10:14 amI think the issue is that the Malays, including myself, must always look at the main rule of an Islamic government: Justice for all.
The five basic principles are (in no particular order of importance):
1. The right to live – everyone is equal in the view of God.
2. The protection of religion – ANY religion. Not just Islam. For example, no temples must EVER be demolished without at least negotiating for a replacement, and when it is agreed, must be done in the most beautiful and respecful manners such as allowing the followers themselves to dismantle it.
3. The protection of lineage – family institution is of utmmost importance. Broken families, such as those found in many low-income Indian families in the country must be addressed. Education is the key. Children are the seeds of our future.
4. The protection of wealth – everyone can own and those who can’t must always be helped.
5. The protection of the mind – depression due to suppression must be avoided. Freedom must be given to voice out opinions. Fear must be abolished.
We don’t upheld these. So we’ll have problems.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:09 pmMalaysian police is right in its argument about HINDRAF’s association with global terrorism.
HINDRAF is inspired and remotely controlled by India’s Hindu militant group called RSS. The traces of their criminal saga was at the peak by killing Mahathma Gandhi. After that RSS orchestrated plenty of communal riots through out India targeting Minorities and dalits.
An American research centre has placed India’s ultra-nationalist Rashtrya wayamsewak Sangh (RSS) on its terrorist list. The East Virginia-based Terrorism Research Center (TRC) is closely connected to the American government and many of its directors and researchers have closely worked with US administrations and have taken part in research and planning for the US administration. In the list of in India, the TRC has placed RSS under no. 21. It appeared on 9 September 2004 on the group’s website under the caption “Known Terrorist Groups Operating in India“.
December 8th, 2007 at 3:20 amRead more about it at:
http://escapefromindia.wordpress.com/
#26 Escape from India says that Hindraf is a terrorist group… what a joke. Please just imagine if the tables were turned. What if Indians were 60% of the population in Malaysia and the Malays were 10%. Would the Malays stand idle if the majority gave preference to their own people in jobs and education? Would the Malays tolerate their mosques being demolished? Would the Malays be wrong to protest their injustice?
I am not Malaysian but simply a passer by on the internet. But I will tell you that it is wrong for ANY group to discriminate against Muslims (Malays) and it is just as wrong for ANY group (including Malays) to discriminate against Hindus (Indian Malaysians).
What a hypocracy that you can justify people in Palestine fighting and protesting for their rights yet in your own country of Malaysia you discriminate and then label the group as terrorist because they simply want to protest.
Last time I checked Hindraf was not blowing up innocent people, or destroying government buildings. They simply want to protest injustice. This angers you so much that you will use whatever means necessary to quiet them (including labelling them as terrorists).
January 29th, 2008 at 7:43 amhi,
November 19th, 2009 at 12:25 amindia ke melayu ke cina ke, semuanya rakyat malaysia, kenapa kita tak sehaluan, untuk banteras, jenayah yang makin berleluasa,
bila kita sibuk bergaduh sesama sendiri, penjenayah lagi gembira,untuk melakukan jenayah yang lebih berat,bersatu teguh bercerai roboh, memang betul pun peribahasa ini,,