Hindraf: Food for thought
Monday, November 26th, 2007 | 12:09 am @ SK
The rally is now over.
Malaysiakini reported that more than 30,000 people - a mix of young and old Indian Malaysians participated in the rally organised by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
Even though I didn’t walk with them, I fully respect their rights to assemble peaceably and without arms granted to granted to every Malaysia citizen as stated in the Article 10(1b) of the constitution of Malaysia.
Hence, I strongly condemn the excessive use of police force with sustained firing of tear gas and jets of water laced with an eye-stinging chemical at participants.
Furthermore, it was also reported that hours before the protest is due to take place, the police have already begun firing tear gas and chemical-laced water to disperse crowds.
(SOURCE: Reuters)
(SOURCE: Reuters)
(SOURCE: Reuters)
Oh, just because the SIL Khairy Jamaluddin represents Umno Youth with the later self-confessed "special protection" due to his close relationship with the father-in-law cum Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Umno Youth was given permit to organise a rally during US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Kuala Lumpur with KJ acts as the leader of the protest group while both BERSIH and Hindraf certainly do not have such luxury.
Obviously, tear gas and water cannons are nowhere to be seen in the YouTube above (nevertheless, I did observe KJ’s high fighting spirit), so this time around (including the BERSIH rally), why the use of excessive force by police? Why the double standard? Why the third world mentality demonstrated by the police force? How about the personal dignity of Hindraf supporters?
November 26th, 2007 at 5:09 am
November 26th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
First of all, i would like to congratulate to you SK for deciding not to walk with them. I mean its a wise decision to stay away from all these sort of things.
My question is, if the police is not allowed to use the tear gas & water cannons to disperse the defiant crowd, do you have any other suggestion? I mean do not be just like the opposition leader, condemed and criticised without suggestion or recommendation. Also, what kind of mentality the police should have to consider as first world mentality?
If the gov and mainstream media are praciticing double standard, surprisingly i could not find any photo of how badly injured was the Dang Wangi CID sub-inspector Chew Choon Peng, also the photo of the badly damanged Batu Caves temple and public properties, in MalaysiaKini or other blogs. All these are the result of the chain of event from a so called "peaceful assembly & gathering", which turned into a violent street demonstration. Why you guys keep posting & promoting the photo of water cannons and not showing how aggresive the crowd were during the demonstration? Maybe MalaysiaKini did not report any of such cases kot….so who speak for the truth now?
November 27th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Let’s not react with anger on the letter by the lawyer and scorn the Hindraf demonstration. Rather lets demand transparency so we can all sleep soundly that Malaysia still upholds justice. LETS DEMAND TRANSPARENCY. If anyone has err, lets put it behind and correct the current policies or abuses before it numbs us to accept them as part of our culture of being corrupt and unjust.
1. A public inquiry to any killings done and official figures of dead bodies if any and the emphasis of the need for security and impartiality by the police.
2. Official figures of how many mosque, churches, temples are demolished, the official count and how many permits allowed from Independence to now.
3. Official figures of the NEP, the capital held, what contracts are given to who at how much and if this is getting worse by the day with certain groups of people getting more impatient and greedy.
4. Official figures of government spending - how it is spend and how to get the abuse of funds to be paid back.
5. Royal inquiry into judiciary, police, ACA, Election Commission if proper procedures are followed and if there are independence from the executive (government admin) and parliment.
6. Emphasis on the continuation of affirmative action towards the Bumiputera for training and education and careful scrutiny of how money is spent to those deserving - not to those who could afford holidays around the world. Emphasis that the culture is to reward hard work and efforts and no race is above another. All this is enshrined in the Constitution where no race is treated at the expense of another.
7. This can all be done methodically and peacefully if done early. It will then be the greatest example of reform wanted by the RAKYAT in a peaceful manner and hopefully agreed by the government.
WE ARE AN UPRIGHT CULTURE. LETS STICK TO IT. DO NOT LET GREED EAT INTO IT TOO MUCH.
Greed is very common. And we can only nod that we all learn from mistakes. Yet, we need to make right what is wrong before it gets way to difficult to redress it when we have been numbed by evil.
ITS OK TO BE CORRUPT and UNJUST. (mentioned by many in better wording)
Should not be in the minds of the future generation. LETS START WITH THIS GENERATION.
LETS DEMAND TRANSPARENCY.
Forward this to as many blogs as possible and print it out. We need greater awareness to want change in a peaceful manner.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
I disagree with those who says those who did not walk with Hindraf somehow made a higher point of ideal. No.
If you and Harris walked with Hindraf then it would NOT have been as racial. Hindraf may not be innocent but the bigger guilt lies in those who could have helped them but did not…
November 28th, 2007 at 1:56 am
[…] Apparently, with so many pictorial evidence lying on the cyberspace, it looks certain that the PM, who is also the Internal Security Minister was misinformed by his 4th floor officers that the Hindraf rally was in chaotic situation due to the unruly participants, whereas it’s the FRU and police force who provoke the participants with tear gas and water cannons. […]
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:09 am
[…] few days after the rally organised by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) which was cracked down by the FRU and police force, Samy Vellu said he is sad but not angry, defending the Government […]
December 10th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Is the plight of the Indians(read Tamils) really that dire?
Can anyone give me reliable statistics of poverty and income level to let me form a conclusion? From what I see and experience the Indian Community is thriving economically, culturally and socially.
On what really is situation of the Indian Tamils in Malaysia today , in the words of the late Eusoffe Abdoolcader, are we just 4 visually impaired sages trying to describe a pachyderm?
I have lived amongst Tamils from my teenage years to living with one in blissful matrimony and apart from some of my neighbours and friends who used to lived in urban poverty, most are members of a thriving tamil middle class of professionals, blue collar workers and businessman. Even those whom I knew were poor then are now owning homes, cars and businesses.
At independence, 90% of the Indian Tamils were plantation labourers, what is the position today? Why are we concentrating on the percentage of Indians in prisons and other forms of detention vis-à-vis their make-up in M’sia’s population and not their percentage in the legal, medical and other professional and merchant community?
This Hindraf thing is nothing more than just a bunch of self appointed sages, blinded by ethno-heroism a la Sivaji, trying to pass off the derriere of the elephant as the whole beast and miss completely the majestic animal that consists the sums of all its parts.
December 20th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
[…] Hindraf: Food for thought MageP’s Lab draws comparisons between rallies led by UMNO Youth aka the Son in Law and the recent HINDRAF rally, questioning the selective usage of tear gas and chemical laced water cannons. […]
January 29th, 2008 at 8:31 am