Uthaya Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has urged the government to stop oppressing civil society movements such as the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
In a statement, the coalition slammed the decision of Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar to ban Hindraf on grounds that the movement was a threat to peace and national security.
"For the past few years, there were many coalition bodies, NGOs and concerned groups that have come up to champion various issues. We are surprised why only Hindraf is targeted," the statement said.
The statement was read out by PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar at a press conference in parliament yesterday. He was accompanied by PKR vice-president R Sivarasa and DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua.
PR stressed that the decision to ban Hindraf following a visit by some Hindraf members to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house at PWTC, clearly went against the principle of rights and democracy as well as affected race relations.
Like the public who were invited to the open house, the statement said, Hindraf activists had queued and entered the PWTC hall in a proper manner to meet the premier, adding that supporters of detained blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin were also present at the function.
PR feared that banning Hindraf would only instill anger in the Indian community, and lead to tension among the races.
Sivarasa said there were hundreds of organisations and groups that were unregistered - including an anti-Internal Security Act group - but these were not banned.
He questioned why Hindraf was singled out, noting that it was a civil movement that voiced certain concerns.
"The issue is not about registered or unregistered groups. If the issue is serious, deal with it properly," said Sivarasa, who is MP for Subang.
Commenting on the Hindraf ban, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the issues brought up by Hindraf affecting the Indian community should be quickly and properly addressed, irrespective of the legality of the group.
"As far as Hindraf is concerned, we are given to understand that their application has not been approved - and as such, they are not legal. But we hope this will not stifle the freedom of expression by individuals and registered groups in voicing their concerns and grievances," Koh said, adding that the issue with Hindraf is in the context of contravening the Societies Act.
Meanwhile, M Kula Segaran (Ipoh Barat-DAP) has submitted an emergency motion to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker under Standing Order 18 (1) to enable the matter to be debated on Monday.
"Instead of using harsh, terror tactics, the authorities should engage Hindraf and resolve the fundamental problems of poverty and lack of opportunity that the Indian community faces," Kula said in a statement.
He regarded the ban as retrogressive, vindictive and petty and would hamper nation-building and nation-healing.
"The ham-fisted move to ban Hindraf will only aggravate the disaffection of the Indian community towards the BN community," he added.
The Edge
18/10/08
There is a difference between UMNO and Barisan Nasional. I want to make it clear that it is not the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, but the UMNO government. It is not the government, but UMNO. Barisan Nasional is a coalition of unequals, not equals. UMNO is the big brother in BN. Therefore UMNO must be held responsible; and more importantly, UMNO must not be allowed to hide behind the BN banner. UMNO is the enemy, not BN. UMNO is a racist party which has perfected the art of divide and rule. If moderate Malays, the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Chinese and Indians unite, then they can vote UMNO out of office.
ReplyDeleteFor decades UMNO has strengthened her position by destroying the independence of the judiciary. So much so that high officials and the Police can almost act with impunity.
I have come to the conclusion that the easy solution is to completely defeat UMNO in the next elections. We have to vote racist UMNO out of office. UMNO is bent on divide and rule, which has affected Malaysia badly. It is for the next generation of Malaysians to undo the damage done to Malaysia by UMNO. There is a dire need for moderate Malays at the political level. There is also a need for the natives of Sabah and Sarawak to form a third force to protect their own interests. Imagine how UMNO had dealt with Sabah; from a rich state, Sabah has been reduced to a poor state subservient to UMNO. There has to be an explanation. The only way is UMNO has to be voted out of office. The younger generation of Malaysians do not like racist politics and UMNO must be taught a lesson by the younger generation by voting UMNO out of office. Please vote for any party but UMNO/BN.
To my Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters I tell you that historically UMNO has always avoided a Royal Commission of Inquiry as much as possible many times. Historically, UMNO has misused the Internal Security Act numerous times. Any political party that is an accomplice to UMNO is also the enemy. Any political party that is a co-conspirator to UMNO is also the enemy. To my Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters I say that you should form a third force. A third force would require unity among Sabahans and Sarawakians.
We have to get into the habit of putting people in office through votes, and removing people from office through votes. Nobody should be allowed to topple the government. We have to institutionalize the multi-party political system, one person one vote, and an independent judiciary.
In the 2004 elections (11th General Election), the voters gave good support to Mr.Abdullah Badawi. But reforms did not come. Why? Probably because UMNO had done well in the elections. If UMNO had done well in the elections, then the election results tell UMNO that the voters are satisfied with the status quo. If the voters are satisfied with UMNO, then no reforms are necessary. In the 2008 elections (12th General Elections), UMNO did not do well, but she managed to win. UMNO did lose the 2/3 majority in the Parliament, but she did win, nevertheless. Will UMNO undertake reforms now? I would not be surprised if she did not. Why should she? UMNO is still the winner in the elections; and she can plan to rise and may even succeed to rise again. So, as long as she wins, she will never undertake the reforms. So, how do the voters get the reforms that they need? The voters will get the reforms when UMNO is completely defeated in the 13th General Elections. If UMNO wins zero seats in the next elections (13th General Elections), then some other party would have to rule Malaysia. Let us call it Party B. If UMNO is completely defeated in the next elections (13th General Elections), then Party B would rule Malaysia. Would Party B undertake reforms? If Party B does not undertake reforms, then voters would know what to do.
There is no doubt that UMNO has used gerrymandering to strengthen herself. If we removed gerrymandering from UMNO, then there would be a reduced UMNO. So the non-UMNO voters of Malaysia have good reasons to vote against UMNO.
It is possible that UMNO has used the Police Force to strengthen herself. The Police Force is required to be neutral. But is the Police Force neutral? I appeal to the Police Force to be neutral.
UMNO is a race based political party and also the big brother of BN. So, the complete defeat of UMNO in the next elections is the only way to get reforms. The complete defeat of UMNO in the next elections is the only way to get a new beginning.
UMNO is inclined to believe that Malaysians cannot do anything if they are in any way dissatisfied. The voters, however, have to send a strong message to UMNO that the voters can do something: the voters can vote.
So, the next step for Malaysians is to completely defeat UMNO/BN in the next elections.