HINDRAF/HRP would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to ..

We at HINDRAF/HRP would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to the Roman Catholic Church of Melaka-Johor Diocese, the United Borneo Front (UBF), Jawatankuasa Hak Sivil Dewan Perhimpunan Cina KL & Selangor (CRC-KLSCAH) and Jawatankuasa Masyarakat Sivil Pusat Pembangunan Kebudayaan Lim Lian Geok (CSC-LLG) for their strong moral stand and support as fellow Malaysians over the Interlok issue.

The psychological effect on Indian children having to endure the term “pariah” is incalculable, whether it is said in jest or in all seriousness by fellow students, teachers, school principals or society at large. What sort of relations will all of our future generations have with terms like these thrown around? History is full of examples where racist terms were liberally used, only to end in great tragedy… Rwanda , apartheid South Africa , etc.

The book “Interlok” plays no role in bridging the deep cultural divide that is plaguing this nation. If anything, it is a gross misrepresentation of historical facts, which only demeans both the Indian as well as the Chinese communities. The insistence on having such a book, and placing entire communities in a corner over it, only serves to raise suspicions that a highly racist agenda is at play over here. How then can the government claim to promote “1Malaysia ” if it keeps such a divisive book?

Having said all this, Interlok represents only the tip of an ice-berg of racism that is gripping this nation. We see racism from cradle to grave, from schools to universities, and just about everything in this nation of ours. It is time to put an end to this once and for all, and to treat each and every person with dignity, respect, and equality in compliance with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

P.Waytha Moorthy

CHAIR

HINDRAF