It was the Malaysia’s leading Masi Magam annual festival at the Sri Singamuga Kaliamman, Teluk Bahang hindu temple in Penang on 28/2/2010 which drew some 30,000 hindu devotees from especially all over Penang, Seberang Perai, South Kedah and North Perak. Our pro tem Secretary General P.Uthayakumar, National adviser N.Ganesan, Penang state HRP leader Kalai were all at the Human Rights Party stall. The police special branch set up shop right opposite our stall pretending to sell ice water and peanuts but monitoring and video recording with hidden video cameras. (See photos of Police SB). HRP was least perturbed.
One little boy was brought to our attention in our Panthal that he had lost his mum in the din of things. Gokulan as he told us, was in Std four, but still little. He looked bewildered when I first set eyes on him, but soon after we had contacted his father using the handphone number Gokulan gave us, he settled down with a little more confidence, to wait for his father to come and pick him up. His father showed up about an hour later and he told us how grateful he was. My response to him was that we do not need to be thanked , what we were doing on the larger plane as Hindraf made it our duty to take care of every little aspect of the future we were all struggling for – his son included.
With Shrimathi Sushma Swaraj - Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Parliament.jpg
With Shri LK Advani - The former Opposition Leader Shri and Shrimathi LK Advani and in the Indian Parliament.jpg
letter s. m. krishna 1.jpg
letter s. m. krishna 2.jpg
HINDRAF & HRP meets Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna at his Office on the 11/1/2010
New Delhi 11/1/2010 . This afternoon at 1.30 p.m the HINDRAF & HRP
delegation led by P. Uthayakumar met the External Affairs Minister of
India Mr. S. M.Krishna for about 30 minutes at his office at South Block,
New Delhi and lodged HINDRAF’s “Malaysian Indian Minority & Human Rights
Violations Annual Report 2009, Malay-sia Truly Racist”. (see photos below)
This 2009 report was also lodged with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh’s office. (see acknowledgement in letter below) Our letter dated
11th January 2010 titled “SOS : Malaysian Indian Minority Suffering
Serious Human Rights Violations, Malay Muslim Supremacy” was also
submitted to the Mr.S.M.Krishna and Prime Minister.
In the last three parts I have discussed the meaning of the term ‘Marginalization’, gave a concrete example in the life of Mariappan, discussed the basic historical events and the different ways in which unequal rights and unequal opportunities lead to economic marginalization.
In this part I am going to show how it is the specific policies of and conscious neglect ,wrapped up in a package of deceit, by the UMNO led Government that is at the root of this endemic and chronic economic marginalization of the Indians.
The direct causes of economic marginalization.
Unequal rights and unequal opportunities in the Name of NEP
In the last two parts I have discussed the meaning of the term ‘Marginalization’, its various manifestations, gave a concrete example of this marginalization process in the life of Mariappan and discussed the basic historical events that led to it. In this part I am going to talk about the five different ways in which the direct causes of economic marginalization - unequal rights and unequal opportunities contribute to economic marginalization.
A quick recap of the term economic marginalization: - Economically marginalized is
to be denied opportunities for participating productively in the economic development of the nation,
It is one thing to come up with a document like the Common Policy Frame (CPF) , it is another thing to realize it in practice. What really matters to the people is whether all the leaders of Pakatan Rakyat coalition really understand themselves, what is contained in that document with all its implications, and whether they really mean all of that.
Let me first first quote from Dato Zaid Ibrahim’s speech
“Pakatan rejects policies that allow for corruption and other financial crimes and abuse of power. In order to ensure sustainable growth, oppressive policies that had only enriched the few should be replaced with a policy that ensures that the poor are assisted regardless of race.”
Who is a Mandore?
Historically, a Mandore was a supervisor in the rubber estates, whose role was to ensure the estate bosses got their work done by the Indian rubber tapper – the daily paid wage workers. Besides just supervising to get the job done these Mandores also had the role of goading the workers on, on unpopular policies. They resorted to manipulation, force and deceit, in many cases to do this. Then, when dissatisfaction brewed and the workers began to speak out they also played the role of the spy for the master – telling on trouble makers. In many of these situations they connived with their masters because of their understanding of the nuances of the tappers lives and communities.
When the Police, the Political parties, the Courts all gang up against you when your rights are being taken away systematically from you, what do you do? When Politicians regardless of their hue or colour resort to manipulation and threats to carry out the usurpation of your rights what do you do? When the supposedly opposition parties, opportunistically work with the same police and courts that they themselves are having trouble with, attack and prevent the poor and marginalized from realising their rights what do you do?
What do you do?
What does one do?
I think the inevitable is about to happen, if it is not already happening.
Read on.
Human Rights Party (HRP) leader P Uthayakumar is all set to meet Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak this Sunday to find an amicable solution the Kuala Ketil graveyard controversy.
He is set to lead a group of Kuala Ketil residents and supporters to meet Azizan in Alor Star this Sunday morning.
Uthayakumar said he had already sent a letter early this week to the Menteri Besar office in Wisma Darulaman seeking an appointment with Azizan to discuss the issue.
It’s learnt that Azizan office had not replied to Uthayakumar, the HRP pro-tem secretary-general, on the proposed meeting.
However, with or without a prior appointment, Uthayakumar said he would go ahead with his ‘scheduled meeting’ with Azizan to once for all end the controversy.
The 4 Hindraf lawyers were arrested on that fateful day.
On that day, the main protagonist among the power elite, UMNO now began a phase of open assault on the Indian community. Before the 13th of December, they had operated in a behind the scene conniving relationship of the Tuan-Mandore type. Tuan UMNO and Mandore MIC. On the 13th of December 2007, all that changed. The Tuan’s hand lay exposed.
Before that day, they had used subtler and I daresay treacherous methods of
Lt Col (Rtd) Mohd Idris Hassan | Dec 11, 09 5:23pm
I refer to the Malaysiakini report Of noisy Indians and 'keling' blood: Utusan strikes again.
The attacking of fellow Malaysians by the mainstream media Utusan Malaysia because of their race is unwarranted and most uncalled for. I remember in the late forties when I was a little boy living in my hometown of Raub, Pahang.
I used to pass road gangs of Tamil labourers toiling in the midday's scorching sun from dawn till dusk. Armed with only picks and shovels, they would be hacking at solid rocks to carve out roads along the mountain side.
Posted on 07 December 2009 You belong to a racist party: Dr M to Nazri
Dec 8, 09 6:32pm
Malaysiakini
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who helmed Umno for 22 years, today lambasted Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz for being a member of that racist party.
The former premier is peeved with Nazri for describing the 84-year-old politician as a racist over his stand with regards to the National Civics Bureau issue.
When prodded for a reaction, Mahathir fired: “He said I am a racist, don’t ever say he is not because he knows everything very well. He belongs to a party which is racist… which is Umno.”
“Umno is a party perkauman and is meant only for Malays and nobody (else) can join.
Dec 8, 09 3:04pm
The deaths of two Malaysian civil service icons MS Sundram and MC Thuraippaah last week has prompted Human Rights Party chief P Uthayakumar to mourn the passing of that once glorious cloud.
Sundram, 87, was the former director-general of the Inland revenue department while Thuraippaah, 92, was the chief health inspector of the Malayan Railways. The duo passed away on Sunday.
In a statement today, Uthayakumar also recalled how in the 1960s, the very first Malaysian navy chief was an Indian, rear admiral K Tanabalasingam.
"No Indian Malaysian however capable will ever get to this position ever again," he said.
MARGINALIZATION OF THE INDIANS
AN ACCOUNTING OF HOW THIS HAS HAPPENED
ECONOMIC MARGINALISATION
Through these columns I intend to present a picture of the marginalization of the Indian poor in Malaysia and also try and put forth a coherent explanation of how it happened. I am going to do this in several parts. Part One was published a week ago. Here is Part Two. In this part I am going to lay out a picture of the phenomenon of the Economic Marginalization of the Indian poor.
Posted on 30 November 2009
Through these columns I intend to present a picture of the marginalization of the Indian poor in Malaysia and also try and put forth a coherent explanation of how it happened. I am going to do this in several parts. I am doing this to break the myth that what has happened to the Indian poor in the country is inevitable. That it all happened because they lack values, they lack religion, they watch too much Astro, they are basicaly violent and such other myths as our current day theoreticians both within the community as outside the community will have us believe.
Here is the first part.
First some basic information that will help us understand the story that will be presented a little better.
Rebuild duo's razed homes, CM urgedAthi Shankar
Nov 23, 09
4:56pmHuman Rights Party (HRP) national advisor N Ganesan has asked Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to rebuild the houses of two fire victims in Kampung Manis, Prai.
In a letter to the chief minister dated Nov 23, Ganesan pleaded the causes of A Muniandy, 57, and M Varatharaju, 44. Both men had lost their wooden houses in a fire last Wednesday.
The fire was allegedly caused by a power trip. The victims estimated that they lost RM30,000 worth of property each in the fire.
"The Pakatan Rakyat state government has often stated that it is a pro-poor government and its basic policy was to allot public funds and resources to meet people's basic needs.
A sea of aggrieved humanity descended to the center of KL on that historic day the 25th of Nov 2007, and there that day was born Hindraf . Even though it had existed as a loose grouping of just over 30 NGOs, the Hindraf we all recognize today was indeed born then.
It was more of a phenomenon than an organization even on that day.
The following is a letter that was submitted to the Penang State Government . The highlight of this letter is the issue of the responsibility of the State in cases like this. Is it just to give token help or should the State play a larger role in situations like this. There have been cases in the past where fire or Tsunami victims have been compensated for their loss by the Government. So, what is going to be the case here, we will wait and see. Our take on this matter is that the Government must help the rakyat in appropriate ways to get back on their feet.
HUMAN RIGHTS PARTY
NO.6, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar,
59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03-2282 5241 Fax: 03-2282 5245
Website: www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com
The Tamil school children who scored 7As in the UPSR exam – 817 of them, are part of the cream in the country. These children need to be nurtured and developed. They are the future leaders of this country. This should be nurtured and developed as part of the mainstream policy of developing Human Potential in the country. Ethnicity should not be a criteria for this.
The Government currently has the following programs for talented children and this information all is taken from reports in the Utusan Malaysia (UM) newspaper.
1. MARA Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) - there are 42 such schools throughout the country. Their intake is 5,100 per year. (Source UM – 19th Nov 2008 page 10.)
