Hindraf Detainee fasts in Solidarity with Jemaah Islamiah and Darul Islamiah Detainees for abolishment of ISA During Month of Ramadan

HINDRAF
No. 135-3-A, Jalan Toman 7,
Kemayan Square,
70200 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
Malaysia. Tel: +606-7672995/6
Fax: +6-06-7672997 Email waytha@hotmail.com

Media Statement

Re: Hindraf Detainee fasts in Solidarity with Jemaah Islamiah and Darul Islamiah Detainees for abolishment of ISA During Month of Ramadan.

This is the fourth week in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that Hindraf legal adviser P. Uthayakumar who is currently in detention without trial in an open court of law and held at the Kemunting Taiping, Kemta Prison is fasting in solidarity with fellow Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and Darul Islamiah (DI) detainees for the abolishment of the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA). P. Uthayakumar hopes Prime Minister Badawi would urgently release all ISA detainees especially for the Jemaah Islamiah detainees, some of whom have been detained for seven years now on the occasion of this Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

At Kemta Prison there has been zero racial or inter religious conflicts of any kind among the Chinese, Indian and Malay Muslims. Hindu P. Uthayakumar and two other Chinese Buddhists who are fasting on the occasion of the Ramadan month are invited to join the Malay Muslims detainees during the breaking of the fast. This unity coexistence and racial and religious harmony is because of the equality before the law (Article 8 of the Federal Constitution) and there are no special privileges for any detainee irrespective of race and religion and no detainee asserts supremacy or the social contract.

In fact the 49 UMNO controlled BBC members who were sent to Taiwan for a working visit should instead have come and stayed in Kemta Prison to learn appreciate and implement true multi-racialism and multi-religionism in the works. But UMNO and the Prison authorities have denied Uthayakumar and the other two Chinese detainees who were fasting the right to buy special food and cakes which has been accorded to the Muslims detainees. They are trying to break solidarity between the Muslims and the non- Muslim detainees.

In fact many JI and DI members support Hindraf’s 18 point demands to Prime Minister Badawi dated 12/08/2007 and struggle for equality and equal opportunities especially for Indians who have for the last 51 years been excluded from the mainstream development. One JI member specifically said that while the government gave him and his siblings’ scholarships to study overseas and who are now all professionals in the business and corporate sector and graduates, and his Indian neighbours in Kluang, Johor are in the same position their parents and grand parents had been living. In fact this JI member in welcoming P. Uthayakumar on their first encounter with Uthayakumar in the first week in Kemta Prison was “I have been here for seven years and didn’t give up. Keep up the struggle”. This golden word has helped and has and will keep up Hindraf’s struggle for as long as it takes.

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,



----------------
P. Waytha Moorthy
Chairman
Currently in London)