Written by Chua Sue-Ann, The Edge
Hindu Rights Action Force’s (Hindraf) legal adviser P Uthayakumar on March 7 declared that his newly formed Human Rights Party (HRP) has “no choice” but to take their battles into their own hands instead of relying on the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition.
“We have announced that the Human Rights Party will go on our own. We are here to fight our own battles. We have no choice... We are not with Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional. We are on our own,” said Uthayakumar, who is HRP’s pro tem secretary-general.
Uthayakumar launched the HRP in July, 2009 to champion the rights of marginalised groups, particularly that of the Indian community.
He played a key role in leading Hindraf’s mammoth rally in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25, 2007 to protest against the federal government’s alleged marginalisation of Indians, and had spent over a year under Internal Security Act (ISA) detention with four other Hindraf leaders.
Speaking to reporters after a short demonstration in front of PKR’s headquarters here on March 7, Uthayakumar reiterated that the HRP was eyeing about 15 parliamentary seats and 38 state seats to contest in the next general election.
He named several “Indian-majority” seats the party was targetting, including the Batu Kawan state seat in Penang, Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat in Negri Sembilan, Padang Serai parliamentary seat in Kedah as well as the Seri Andalas state seat in Selangor.
To questions, Uthayakumar said there was no issue of “splitting” the Indian votes and repeatedly maintained that “the people will decide”, without elaborating on his strategy. If HRP does not receive its registration as a political party before the next general election, its candidates would stand as independents, Uthayakumar said.
Uthayakumar on March 7 led a demonstration by about 100 people, claiming to be residents of PJS1 near Old Klang Road in Kuala Lumpur, to submit a memorandum to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
According to the memorandum, the residents were demanding land for the relocation of a Hindu temple currently located in the area.
Uthayakumar also slammed Anwar, Khalid and other PR leaders, for their purported “unwillingness” to meet him to discuss Indian community issues.
However, Anwar, Khalid and other PR leaders were attending Selangor PR’s convention in Shah Alam on March 7.
“PR has completely disappointed everyone. They say they are multiracial but in practice, there is no multiracialism,” Uthayakumar said, adding that PR must address issues instead of “playing wayang kulit” and “pushing it” to exco members of Indian descent.
Met later, Uthayakumar’s former comrades in the Hindraf movement and fellow ISA detainees, K Vasanthakumar and V Ganabatirau ticked off Uthayakumar for protesting against PKR on March 7.
Vasanthakumar urged Uthayakumar to refrain from “playing gutter politics” and questioned whether the latter truly represented the Indian community as claimed.
Ganabatirau added that Uthayakumar’s protest against PKR on March 7 was a “cheap publicity stunt” to “create the impression of chaos” against the embattled party which has lost three members of parliament in the last few weeks.
“The spirit of Hindraf is there. We believe our goals can only be achieved through Pakatan Rakyat,” Ganabatirau said.
written by Singa, March 08, 2010 14:29:25
I can see you are a hypocritical, scared and hopeless arsehole of a man !!!!! You have no hope. QED
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written by temenggong, March 08, 2010 13:54:52
I understand that about 4,000 voters have re-registered so far, with change of MyCard and all that. That means it works and the voters are responding. They have two years to move 135,000 more people to bring about a reasonable realignment in electorates. As I said, the idea is not to win any seat, except to create a change in the electorate composition, and thus to create a stampede effect during elections. The idea is not to split the Indian votes but on the contrary to split the malay and chinese votes in those specific areas! Got that!
Uthaya may have grandiose ideas but it worked in 2007, in 2008, and it is working now - already proven. If HRP is so insignificant with unrealistic ideas, a mosquito group, why bother with them at all? But I am aware that they have the manpower, as well as the financial resources, and international support to carry out what they are doing till it's logical conclusion - a regime change.
Pakatan cannot bring about any more change in the peninsula, perhaps they can win just another 5 or 10 more seats. This is not enough for regime change. There has to be another major change in the electorate and HRP can bring about this with their strategy of another stampede. Pakatan has simply to sit tight and do nothing.
This 'political novice' as you say, was Anwar's lawyer in 2000, so he knows Anwar very well, and knows how to deal with him.
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written by ganbing, March 08, 2010 12:35:39
I assume Uthaya knows that to re-register in another constituency you have to change your MyKad to reflect your new address. So he is asking Indians to uproot themselves and relocate to Indian majority areas just to fulfill his political dreams. This is his "gerrymandering" strategy.
Ask yourself how many Indians are going to do that? In any case Indian votes are badly split and he does not command the majority of Indian support.
The political reality is that no Indian party can survive outside a coalition. There is no Indian majority seat in Malaysia which can be won by Indian votes alone. This why IPF, MUIP, MMSP, KIMMA are all clamouring and begging to join BN and why PPP still remain in BN despite being treated like dirt.
Your leader is a political novice who is full of grandiose dreams but completely out of touch. He may also be suffering from some dementia. However I grant it to him that attacking PR to pull the anti-BN Indian votes to his own party is a sound strategy although it mislead the Indians and turns him into an Umno mandore.
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written by temenggong, March 08, 2010 12:00:37
People should read their book before commenting.
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written by ganbing, March 08, 2010 11:58:33
Who is going to build the schools and staff them with teachers, Uthaya? Do you think the Ministry of Education allow anybody to build vernacular schools as they like? If so there should be double the number of Chinese schools now instead of cramming 50 pupils to a class. In any case Tamil schools retard the Indians but that's another story.
Will building more Hindu temples solve the Indian problems by divine help?
Indian marginalization can only be solved by a holistic reform of race based policies which can only happen under PR but I don't expect a low class, low intellect, rabble-rousing race champion with totally no vision to realize this. Go back to being a small time lawyer and help Indians Uthaya, at least you can do more good there than hindering the route to a better Malaysia with fair treatment for all races.
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written by ganbing, March 08, 2010 11:44:54
On the other hand he could be a vain glory seeker trying to promote himself by leveraging on base instincts of race and manipulating the emotion of the Indians. A low class gutter politician trying to be a race champion like Samy Vellu.
Whatever he is, Uthaya does not have the interest of the Indian community in mind. Send this fellow and his racial politics to the gutter where they belong. Better still, send him to BN. Podah!
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written by JJFoo, March 08, 2010 10:49:55
Hasn’t he realised that the only way for any minorities to achieve fair treatment is to fight for equal rights for all Rakyat?
He isn’t stupid, just insincere. Another case of one little Indian thinking about selling off thousands of other little Indians. Just as Samy did.
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written by mountain man, March 08, 2010 09:44:54
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written by orangkampong, March 08, 2010 09:30:06
you are a hopeless by goner,useless bugger
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written by Pegasus, March 08, 2010 09:14:11
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written by Stupid me, March 08, 2010 07:55:38
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written by mukhan, March 08, 2010 07:09:19
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written by Aria, March 08, 2010 06:49:49
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written by singhkris, March 08, 2010 06:25:18
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written by Better My, March 08, 2010 06:18:30
We thank you for your pioneering work that has led to what it is today. You should continue to celebrate with our journey to PutraJaya. Instead, you have these Indian grievances that you put ahead of the national opposition goal of forming the alternative government.
Do you think the chinese have no grievances and demands as well? Do you think the PR leaning malay dont have their own demands too? Dont the Sabahan want their demands of local issues, etc.? Thse wil be discussed in time after alternative government formation as Malaysian for Malaysia.
First and foremost, we have step into Putrajaya. All your currrent protests/new party formation only jeopardize our chances by splitting whatever Indian votes there are, and if the mob gets in again, your future protests wil get you ISA'ed - we may not be able to support from outside next time.
United we stand, divided we fall. elementary, Uthayakumar.
Or you on the $take?
Get the F in line, man, before this gets more out of hand.
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ISA kills Indians. We have stopped listening to you. For Malaysia.
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written by storm62, March 08, 2010 02:41:51
if i happened to meet this bastards and a snake, i shall spit on them and take the snake for a hearty meal before sending them back to where they belong.
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written by truthbespoken, March 08, 2010 02:33:52
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written by rocky, March 08, 2010 01:59:14
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Re written by ganbing, March 08, 2010 11:58:33
Uthayakumar claims that 90% of the Indian problems can be solved by the state giving land for Tamil schools and Hindu temples. Let us examine this bit of rubbish.
I can't say it better. good one.