KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat has slammed the banning of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) by the Home Ministry questioning why it is the only organisation being singled out by the Government.
PAS secretary-general and Tumpat MP Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar said there are many other active organisations that are not registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS), adding that the action seems to be a prelude to a crackdown on civil society.
“We are worried that this action to restrict civil rights will only anger the Indian community and add to more racial tension,” he told reporters at a press conference at the Parliament lobby here on Thursday. Kamaruddin urged the Government on behalf of the coalition to stop the crackdown on civil movements, release all Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees as well as abolish the Act.
DAP national publicity chief and Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua questioned how the Government would be able to identify who were members of Hindraf.
“Would it mean I am a Hindraf supporter or linked to Hindraf just because I wear a shirt with the words Hindraf?” Pua asked, adding that it was completely possible for those currently aligned with Hindraf to form a new group with a different name immediately.
Pua said there are so many groups such as pro-ISA groups holding demonstrations. He asked why the Government has not taken action against them.
PKR vice-president and Subang MP R. Sivarasa said that the issue then was not whether the an organisation was registered or not but to deal with the situation properly if it is serious enough.
PKR information chief and Batu MP Tian Chua said the banning could also lead to arrests of Indian activists who could be classified as Hindraf supporters.
On Wednesday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar declared Hindraf illegal based on results of investigations by the ROS. He said it had found the organisation’s activities contravened the Societies Act 1966 and if left unchecked, the organisation could pose a threat to public order, peace, security and morality in Malaysia.
Star Online
PEOPLE'S POWER
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