25TH OF NOV - TWO YEARS AFTER THE BIRTH OF HINDRAF

A sea of aggrieved humanity descended to the center of KL on that historic day the 25th of Nov 2007, and there that day was born Hindraf . Even though it had existed as a loose grouping of just over 30 NGOs, the Hindraf we all recognize today was indeed born then.
It was more of a phenomenon than an organization even on that day.

Many of us were swept along into that phenomenon because of what it meant to all of us. What happened that day was a crystallization of something that had been brewing for a very long time in the minds of the Indians in the country. It includes emotions of seething anger, disgust, bitterness, alienation and helplessness. All these deriving from a lifelong experience of being put aside, being put down, being treated with indignity, being sidelined, being discarded, being treated like subhumans in situations, being denied the most basic of rights, being denied equal opportunities, being given reasons and excuses which we felt totally helpless to do anything about.

Now after two long years of struggle as an organization we have found a clear direction and a firm basis by which to engage in what will be a prolonged struggle – for the inertia of status quo is very strong.

Hindraf Finds Itself

We have removed the chaff from the wheat. Most of those who do not belong, have found their way out. We have cleared ourselves of many wishful thoughts. We have a better understanding of reality. We know what the real issues are, who our true friends are and who fair-weather friends are and who our enemies are. Two years have given us much opportunity to engage with the issues and to learn from the various struggles. We can see our mission clearer now for all that.

And it is a historic mission.

Hindraf is a working class movement and the HRP is a working class party.
Hindraf and HRP lead the Indian poor and marginalized . This is where we originated from – fight against a convergence of racism by the UMNO regime and economic exploitation by the power elite of the country. Hindraf and HRP will lead the Indian poor and marginalized today to realize a new life for them.

This is our mission.

The Indian marginalized and poor are factory workers, service workers, manual workers, often contract workers, they are drivers, they are security guards, they are the cleaners, they are the gardeners, they are the helpers, they are washerwoman in restaurants, they are criminals in prison, they are the dreg of Malaysian society. They form the majority of the Indians in the country. What characterizes the Indian society at large in Malaysia today is a constant struggle only for the basics of life. Compare with the other segments of society and you see a contrasting vibrant forward looking set of programs for them and this basic struggle for the Indians.

The Indians are also the dispossessed in our society. They have no kampungs to go back to. They have no ancestral structures to fall back on. They only have their working power to live their lives by. And that, is being blocked in so many ways by the working of this racist system. And to top this all, the poor and marginalized Indians have been kept in a state of ignorance for as long as they have existed in this country. This makes them a group that is most desirous of change, most in need of change.
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To bring about change is their historic role.

But they do not yet recognize this role. Hindraf and HRP now have set themselves the agenda of creating this recognition and in the process, uniting this group under one umbrella and forcing change in the system. Forcing change through empowered participation in the political processes in Government. The Indian poor and marginalized have the most to gain from a change to the system and they have the least to lose by any change. Thus they have the potential for leading change in this country like no other single group.

Hindraf has evolved over these two years to become that organization that discovered this historic mission for itself and this historic role for the Indian poor and marginalized. This role requires political clout – something which cannot be realized through any existing arrangement. The needs of the Indian working poor can only be met by a re-engineering of the basic grouping within Government, by restructuring the constitution of those holding the reins of power.

HRP, the political wing of Hindraf has taken on as its objective to participate at levels of government that empowers them to bring about the change to the basic policies. This will mean a change for all the poor and marginalized, not just for the Indians. But the Indian working poor organized well and led well have the potential for leading the charge and creating change for all the working poor and marginalized in the country.

The work for the HRP has just begun. Hindraf forms the mass base and HRP becomes the wing that will take the agenda onto the struggle for national policy change.

This is so clear now after two years of struggle.

A journey of a thousand miles starts but with a single step.

Valga Makkal
Makkal
24/11/09

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