Remembering the revolution of Hindraf

From P Waytha Moorthy, via e-mail

The memorable event of Nov 25, 2007 when Malaysian Indians stood united as one against all odds to hand over a petition to Her Majesty, the Queen of Great Britain still remains fresh in my mind.

This was the day Malaysian Indians overcame their fear and felt pride and dignity for a cause that merited attention for the oppression unfairly and unjustly imposed upon them by the ruling government, Umno and its alliances.

Even though the government foiled our attempt to hand over the petition, I can assure our genuine supporters that we are still on track to achieve our goal in obtaining redress for the grievances of Malaysian Indians in the British court.

The initial period after the Nov 25, 2007 was spent in international lobbies for the release of the prisoners of conscience, which eventually took place on May 9, 2009.

Since then, I have been working vigorously to obtain the necessary legal recourse for Malaysian Indians by discussing with several top human rights solicitors and Queens Counsels (QC) in assisting us to pursue the suit.

On July 5, 2010, a conference was held with leading human rights QCs and solicitors and based on the evidences produced, they have prima facie agreed to take up the matter subject to certain conditions.

At the current moment I’m not in a position to reveal those who are involved in this suit for reasons I will explain at a later date.

I can assure Malaysian Indians that I will stay focused and pursue this civil action in Britain for their betterment to the best of my ability and capability.

On this day of remembrance of our third year of neo democratic revolution for the voiceless, I personally would like to thank those who braved themselves on that day despite all the odds, all those who sacrificed themselves for the sake of the future generation of the Malaysian Indians, all those arrested and all those who suffered injuries and shed blood on that day.

I also call upon the government to publicly apologise to us and to the world for linking us with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an allegation which was malicious and thus far unproven.

Besides what is being pursued in Britain, we the Malaysian Indians need to prepare for the next general election and direct the future for Malaysian Indians.
As you would have realised, Umno hoodwinked us since independence. We took a stand in GE12 and made the swing for Pakatan and it was the same in their four states.

It seems pretty obvious that the conduct of these political parties is nothing but shameful, fishing for free votes for their own needs. They never sought to resolve issues facing Malaysian Indians on a permanent basis.

I wish well for all and pray that Hindraf Makkal Sakthi will continue to pursue human rights violations of the suppressed and oppressed Malaysian Indians.

The writer is the Hindraf chairman, presently based in London.