Manoharan wants Bumiputra status for all born after independence

SHAH ALAM: Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader M. Manoharan today called for all those born in Malaysia after independence to be accorded Bumiputra status, saying that this would truly unite Malaysians and give 1Malaysia some meaning.

Fresh from being released from Internal Security Act (ISA) detention, M. Manoharan may well be courting trouble again with his speech at a teatime function today.

“I want to meet the prime minister to propose that we accord Bumiputra status to all Malaysians born here after August 31, 1957 to dismantle racial barriers,” he said.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insider later, he said that such a move might give PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia slogan of unity a chance of bearing some fruit, as it would be the first step towards recognising all citizens as equal Malaysians.

Recognising the sensitivities surrounding Bumiputra status, he explained that it was not meant to impinge on the constitutional rights and privileges of Malays.

“The constitution enshrines the rights of Malays, not Bumiputras, so they can still continue to enjoy their special status. I am not trying to take it away from them,” he said.

The Kota Alam Shah assemblyman added that, along with four other Hindraf leaders released recently from ISA detention, he would resume its 18-point demands to the government which includes affirmative action for ethnic Indians as well as protection for its schools and temples.

In his own capacity as a DAP assemblyman in Selangor’s Pakatan Rakyat government, he hopes to pursue some of these issues.

“I have a masterplan for Selangor. If we solve these three problems – Tamil schools, Hindu temples and graveyards or crematoriums – then we will have solved 90 per cent of Indian problems,” he said.

He said the state government had the power to end these Indian issues as it was in charge of giving out land titles.

“We are asking for nothing more than what are government obligations to its citizens. We are not asking to be prime minister, deputy prime minister or to be astronauts,” he quipped.

MI
20/05/09

1 comment:

Diversity Dude said...

Is God inside the human body or outside the human body? While the rest of the world was searching for God outside the human body, the Hindus found God inside the human body. So, the Hindu says, "I am God. I am man. I am Man-God". For Hindus, man and god are inseparable. Hinduism is not an Abrahamic religion. Hinduism is a non-Abrahamic religion. Hinduism and other religions are not equal. Hinduism is special because it is a non-Abrahamic religion. Please do not compare other religions with Hinduism.

Divinity resides within you. The divinity within you listens to everything you say and also responds. The divinity within you monitors everything you do and responds. So, it is good to always tell yourself, I am a winner, I am a winner, I am a winner.

Yes, divinity resides within you. It is all in your mind. You should have a positive mental attitude. Never tell yourself, I am a loser, I am a loser, I am a loser. If you keep telling yourself that you are a loser, then the response will be that your divinity within will deliver you to become a loser; because this is what you asked for. Sometimes, what you ask is what you get.(Sometimes, not all the time.) So it is important to have a positive mental attitude. If you keep telling yourself, I will learn from my mistakes and keep improving, then it is indeed a good thing. You are your best companion and spend more time with yourself than anything else. You have more influence over you. In Hinduism, I am God, I am Man. I am Man-God. You should find ways to lead yourself because divinity is within you. Self-dialogue is important in Hinduism. Man and God are inseparable in Hinduism.

Your divinity within you pays attention to whatever you say and do. For example, one minute before you go to bed, please engage in self-dialog and ask your divinity within to wake you up at 0500 Hours, 0515 Hours, 0545 Hours, or whatever time you want to wake up. Do not be surprised if your God within you wakes you up on time.


Similarly, if you keep feeding your body with tobacco smoke, then your divinity will expect the tobacco smoke regularly. Sometimes what you teach your divinity within is what you get as response. Please never teach your divinity to like tobacco smoke. If you teach your divinity to like tobacco smoke, then your divinity will like tobacco smoke. Watch out. Again, what you ask is what you get, sometimes.

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. There is no beginning and there is no end. For Hindus, please do not prepare for the afterlife. The afterlife is the afterlife. For Hindus, we have to deal with today. Today is important. Hindus have the responsibility to create Heaven on Earth. Yes, Hindus have to make this world a better place to live in for everybody. Whatever you want to achieve you must try to achieve in this life, not the afterlife. Mahatma Gandhi wanted independence for India in his life; and he struggled for it and achieved it. You must get a good education. You must work hard to raise your living standards. We face competition every day. We learn everyday. There are 1.2 billion Gods within India alone. God is the Self; and so self-dialog is important.