The People’s Parliament Haris Ibrahim is not going to walk in the Hindraf rally, here’s why …
Last night 2 Indian gentlemen approached me and asked me to lend support for the Hindraf rally on Sunday.
I apologised to them and said I could not lend support to this initiative, not because I do not support the call to alleviate the lot of the Indians in this country, but because the Hindraf call is only to address the economic and social neglect of the Hindu / Indian community, and not the fate of all underprivileged, deprived and marginalised Malaysians, regardless of race.
And make no mistake, there are underprivileged, deprived and marginalised Malaysians of all races, without exception, in the country.
The Hindraf call, to my mind, is as chauvinistic and communal as is the UMNO call to defend ‘ketuanan Melayu’.
Both stand in the way of any earnest effort to forge a nation of a single people.
That is what I stand for and that is what I will walk for.
Justice and equality for all people.
Haris is absolutely right for not participating in this rally, for the fact that as long as we continue to have this chauvinism mentality in us, Malaysians will never learn to see beyond skin color and continue to put the blame on other races when things become unfavorable to certain group.
Certainly, the way forward is that, we must fight for a Malaysia with justice and equality for all Anak Bangsa Malaysia.
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Why I will walk this Sunday
Posted on November 24th, 2007 by nat
It’s not because I really like rallies.
I find them too hot or too wet, hell to get to, and liable to get me arrested.
Been there, done that, wasn’t fun at all.
I’ve been reading a lot about the spectrum of responses towards Hindraf, and it’s been really engaging.
I’ve searched my soul, and I now know what I must do.
I now know that if I don’t stand with my brothers and sisters on Sunday, I will never stand with them.
Why are they marching?
Let’s start by examining Bersih.
How many actually came because they felt strongly about ink and postal votes?
How many came because they’re pissed off as all hell about our country going to shit?
Now let’s look at Hindraf.
How many of us have any idea what it’s like to be a poor Indian in ?
I remember the Ijok campaign, and our walkabouts in the Indian tapper villagers.
I’ve been to , and what I saw in Ijok wasn’t much better.
When you’re small, you become a punching bag. It’s just about as simple as that.
Are the Indians all a bunch of victimised saints? Not any more than the Chinese, Malays or any other group are.
But they have it worst around here. There’s little doubt in my mind around that.
They’ve been pushed around, kicked, insulted, made fun of and neglected.
Remember Khairy’s remark about newspaper vendors and the PM’s speech?
What that really symbolises is that in , you can kick an Indian and get away with it.
And now they have said “Ya basta!” – Enough!
The community will no longer take this abuse lying down.
Why Hindraf?
Many have expressed their ill ease with a Hindu-centric movement whose approach borders on racism.
I am sympathetic to this objection. I rather doubt that all the sentiments expressed throughout shockingly well attended Hindraf rallies throughout the country espoused the ultra-sensitive and nuanced views that would appease those like me.
No, it probably went more something like: “They (by which I basically mean the Malays) are bitchslapping us, and it’s time we fought back!”
I agree, that’s really not the best way to move forward.
Still, it seems to be the only way things are moving at all.
The popularity of Hindraf clearly points to one thing: a lack of credible Indian leadership that is truly voicing the feelings of the community.
If you have doubts about this, check out any of their rallies.
That MIC has failed and betrayed the Indians hardly bothers exposition.
I will be perfectly honest. Hindraf shows that the opposition has probably failed the Indians as well.
DAP has made some inroads, but they know which side their bread is buttered. KeADILan and Pas seem to have their hands full in their efforts to swing the decisive Malay middle ground – without which quite honestly, all other efforts are futile.
I’m not making excuses. We should be doing more, and we aren’t. Electoral reality has simply put Indians off the map of most.
So, when a group of people wearing a civil society hat step up and really articulate a community’s plight just by speaking from their hearts, that community responds in astounding strength.
Unlike the Chinese, the Indians have so much less to lose.
Something I read and saw the truth of when I attended the solidarity gathering for arrested Hindraf rulers: “The Indians are losing their fear.” (See Malaysiakini)
All they needed was for someone to lead them where they’ve long wanted to go. Since no one else dared or bothered, Hindraf filled the vacuum.
Race: Politics and Principles
Haris Ibrahim’s intelligence is outweighed only by his warmth, which is eminently more important.
He is not attending on Sunday for moral reasons, objecting to the racialist approach taken by Hindraf.
Anwar Ibrahim as well has given qualified support to the rally, feeling that some of the demands and articulations expressed by the group are too extreme, albeit well founded in terms of being based on real exploitation and marginalisation of the community.
Again, I can also agree that yes some temples are built illegally, and yes, like any other community, racism rears its ugly head among the Indians often enough.
Are these reasons for us not to go?
I thought a fair bit about this (while turning over in my head the threat of seeing the inside of the lockup again).
My conclusion is this: If we were to wait for another mass rally that will take a more mature, universalistic approach to race relations while actually having an impact in calling attention to the horrific living conditions facing Indian Malaysians today, we will wait forever.
I expect attendance well in the five figures.
Let’s be honest, no other group is going to pull those numbers in defence of minority rights in .
If we don’t stand with them now, we will never stand with them.
We may not agree now, but if we don’t come out when it matters the most, we will never get a chance to dialogue.
We will never get a chance to speak from a position of credibility about the need to unite, and to look beyond parochial interests.
It has been said that the Hindraf approach opens the door for BN to introduce their hoodlums and engineer violence on the scale of May 13, thus plunging the opposition and civil society back some twenty years.
Well, that will certainly be easier to do if there are no Chinese or (especially) Malays standing with the Indians that day.
And the march is not going to be called off; it would be idiotic to suppose so.
So, are we going to walk the talk about multiracialism?
Are we who like to quote Voltaire’s “I may disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it” actually going to do anything to defend the right to assemble?
Or are we going to criticise the cops from the comforts of our homes and leave our Indian brothers and sisters to feel just how hard a baton or pipe feels when it comes crashing down on your skull?
When the newspapers print stories of massive racial violence, will the people say “Bullshit – Malays and Chinese stood with the Indians that day.” Or will they say “Shit, BN was right all along: without them, racial violence will run rampant”?
A Petition to the Queen of ?
Might make you feel a bit stupid, yes. Some felt stupid enough presenting a memorandum to the DYMM SPB Agong, much less some foreign liege who incidentally used to ‘rule’ over us.
The strategy and approach has been lampooned, and probably rightfully so.
Do we expect the Queen to say jolly good, and the suit to actually win trillions of ringgit? Don’t make me laugh.
But again, is this really why the Indians are taking to the streets? Because they believe it will win them British citizenship? To think that would be equally laughable.
(Well perhaps not entirely. Once in a blue moon, I think I would take to the streets for British citizenship, haha :)
It would be just as silly to assume that everyone who attended Bersih truly understood the pressing need for electoral reforms, or the complicated process in which BN blatantly cheats its way to victory in the polls.
Quite frankly, to me and to thousands of Indians on the march, that’s not what it’s about.
It’s about greater equality among the races, and about making every Malaysian feel at home in .
It’s also about refusing to be raped any more.
The Walk: Ends and Means
I have never believed that one justifies the other. There are lines that just cannot be crossed.
Nonetheless, if there is anything I’ve learnt in my line of work, it’s just how hard it is to dislodge BN.
I object to their every fibre of their being with every fibre of mine, but I’m no fool who underestimates their strength, nor the magnitude of our task ahead.
In my line of work as well, I have witnessed petty squabbles of every imaginable sort.
Needless to say, these are not unique to my field, but exist instead in every human endeavour. This fact does not make them any less unbearable however.
We have seen many who refuse to subscribe to a greater centrist unity due to unflinching belief in certain principles, or in worse cases, an inability to get along on a personal level.
Examples include Ezam & Gerak, Nallakarupan & MIUP, Wee Choo Keong & the MDP, PSM and so on.
I honestly bear none of these people ill will; they certainly have not directed any to me.
I have seen though, division upon division. I’m sympathetic to some reasons for those divisions, as I feel many of the same frustrations those dissenters have felt.
But people are nitpicking over politics, over principles, over pride and over personalities. To me, the only thing that dominates the big picture is disunity.
The question remains: how much do we really want what we want?
If, like me, you truly believe that BN is the root of all rot, how much are you willing to sacrifice to see that their injustices are forever stopped?
Myself, I’m at least willing to go as far as walking on Sunday.
I don’t believe that an Indian-centric approach alone will solve the problems of the Indians, but I do believe that they have been screwed over like few others have ever been screwed over.
I don’t believe in sacrificing a more embracing conceptualisation (“Malaysian rights”) for an increasingly narrow one (“Hindu Rights”), but I do believe that some – if not all – of the grouses are perfectly well founded.
I don’t know exactly what levels of violence if any will be perpetrated on Sunday and by whom, but I do know that if there is any attempt to paint any violence as racial, that at least one Malaysian will be there to do his best to confound the unholy efforts of the spin doctors and bear witness to the truth.
I don’t know whether my walk on Sunday will end at the British High Commission, blocked at some LRT station, or back at the Dang Wangi lockup, but I do know it will begin in the spirit of unity and solidarity.
See you there, I hope.
(http://wengsan.blogspot.com/2007/11/hindraf-ill-go-when-theres-need-why.html)
I have the chance to read some comments and blog-posts on Hindraf’s rally tomorrow.
While I have a lot of reservations with Uthayakumar’s character and his way of championing his struggle with the opposition, I will participate in the rally this Sunday, not because of Hindraf, not even because of Uthayakumar, but because of equality and Malaysian-ness, that we cannot afford to witness inequality, injustices and discrimination continue to happen in front of our own bare eyes.
Some has disregards on this rally, saying that it is a communal rally for the Indians and the Hindus, especially the under-priviledged.
And because of this, they will not participate in the rally. Some are saying that race-based rally or activity is not what they stand up for.
I am using the same reason to explain why I will be present, that it is the responsibility of all peace-loving Malaysians who uphold justice and democracy to correct whatever wrongs in this country, including inequality in wealth distribution, which has resulted the Indian as an under-class in Malaysia.
The Indians in Malaysia are in despair, anxiousness and desperate.
When there’s a need, why selfish to lend a hand?
I would like to share a youtube with you, “We are the world”.
There comes a time when we heed a certain cal
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it’s time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can’t go on pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God’s great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let’s start giving
yep i agree with lau weng san, and of course i disagree with haris.
i support hindraf’s march – not based on its objective of them handing the petition to the british high com but to be in solidarity with them as they had been marginalised a lot.
apart from nat tan’s good post on why he will walk, <a href="http://sloone.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/only-hypocrites-will-ask-hindraf-not-to-rally/">susan loone</a> also has a good post.
I Agree with Lucia. They need also the highlighting of their condition.
They need the solidarity and from a wider perspective their plight arosed from a common cause – neglect, marginalisation and betrayal by the MIC, just like how other BN component parties have pretended to have fulfilled their responsibility. Hopefully their voting pattern can change for the matter.
I have a few indian colleagues and they showed me the flyer and sent me the email on their petition. Which end with "Hidup Kaum India".
My view is the Hindraf should have made their rallying call more inclusive – not just calling all indians to come out to defend their rights. I believe the rights being violated by the Government (temple demolition and marginalisation) is fundamental to any citizens.
They would have been wiser if Hindraf were to make their petition one that is more inclusive and not push away sympathisers by their racial stance.
I do hope at the end regardless of whether you support Hindraf or not, to view this as a violation of fundamental human rights – the right to practice our faith and the right to be treated as an equal citizen.
What the government has done today and last few days, shows the world – that Malaysia is now A POLICE state – rule by Fascist ideology -which is contrary to our constitution, contrary to Islam and contrary to basic human decency.
God is watching us. And He shall not silent.
[...] « Hindraf: Why you shouldn’t walk tomorrow? [...]
Those who criticize the Hindraf rally for being rascist and parochial have got to be out of their freaking elitist mind.
Did anyone got fooled Bersih was NOT racist? Did Lim Kit Siang/Lee Guan Eng and Ambiga got to see the Agung?
If this was just about eliminating the NEP and the Chinese came out to support it. Hell, someone would be dead. Hindraf did what they had to do, its those that stood on the sideline and had the opportunity NOT to make it racist that is guilty.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,
I am a Malaysian citizen, and I am a subscriber of ASTRO Satellite TV Broadcast here in Malaysia. Recently I have subscribed to the ASTRO News Package which contains Al Jazeera and other foreign news media.
I was highly looking forward for the international news broadcast on all of the stations provided by the package when I had shocking news from our local news station claiming that the foreign news broadcasters are lying and making stories without properly acquiring the real facts and they are very good actors !!! Furthermore these claims were also made by our government’s politicians.
Now, this is rather disturbing and disappointing for me as I have only subscribed for the service for just a few days and I’m being bombarded with such claims. This eventually made me to think:
Am I an IDIOT to subscribe, pay and end up watching acts and lies
OR
Is there is any conspiracy going on here????
I clearly understand the fact that Al Jazeera has a strong principal called the Code of Ethics and you strictly follow it. But the claims by the politicians and local media here make me to think otherwise.
The claims below were broadcasted on 27-November-2007 in TV3 news station. Similar claims were also made in other local newscasters. This is just a few of the claims.
1. TV3 news station claimed that the foreign media cannot be trusted as they do not report the actual news.
2. YAB Datuk Sri Samy Velu claims that there were only 4,600 demonstrators on 25-November-2007 and NOT 50,000 or any other number as claimed by the foreign media.
3. TV3 news station said that the questions thrown at the Information Minister of Malaysia by Al Jazeera (Al Jazeera’s name was mentioned) was to purposely create a scene to show that Malaysia is in kiosk situation and Al Jazeera purposely built up the story from the real one. They also mentioned the criticism made by the Information Minister to Al Jazeera.
(Prior to sending the mail, I did some research on the net and actually found the video clip of the above Interview in Youtube. And I actually laughed myself out listening to the reply given by our Minister. Pity him for his language. But in the Malaysian news channel TV3, they only provided the "CLEAN" version of the transcript and the actual call was not aired. This makes me even more confused!!! Who is telling the truth here???)
Now, if Al Jazeera is telling lies,
It is high time for Al Jazeera to review back their Code of Ethics and provide the truth for the people. If you can’t do it then don’t cheat the entire world. And don’t broadcast your news at all. I am not a fool to keep paying for acts and lies.
And if Al Jazeera is NOT lying,
Well, what the heck. The damage has already been done. No one in Malaysia is going to listen to your news anyway due to the "VERY GOOD" publicity done by the Malaysian politicians and the local media. By the way, did I mention that our local media could also be received by our neighboring countries like Singapore and Thailand?
FINAL CONCLUSION
It is not my intension to insult Al Jazeera, other foreign media, our local media or the politicians. If you feel offended by this email, I sincerely apologize to you. Whatever the scenario is, all that I want (and the rest of Malaysian citizens who are in my situation want) is the truth. Since Al Jazeera’s and other foreign media’s names have been badly damaged here in Malaysia, Al Jazeera and the other foreign media’s SHOULD do something to fix it back or you may start loosing your viewer in Malaysia.(and its surrounding countries too)
I hope you could keep my details confidential and properly investigate on this issue (just incase if you don’t trust me) and find out the real truth behind such a drastic claims by our local media. That is if you still follow your Code of Ethics.
Yours truly,
A concerned viewer.
PS:
1. i am also forwarding this mail to other foreign media for their response.
2. i will be posting this transcript in the internet via blogs so that the viewers around the world will be aware that this matter has been brought to your attention and for them to express their views.