Remembering HINDRAF’s 18 Point Demand

18 demands for Indian M’sian rights

Yoges Palaniappan
Jul 30, 07 Malaysiakini

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has drawn up an 18-point resolution on the rights of Indian Malaysians, which will be submitted to the prime minister next month.
The document demands that the government declassifies all suggestions and recommendations made by Reid Commission, which drafted the Federal Constitution prior to independence.
It also wants the government to translate and reproduce copies of the Federal Constitution in languages preferred by locals, as it is only available in English and Bahasa Malaysia currently.
Other than that, the resolution calls on the government to maintain Malaysia’s status as a secular state as provided for by the Reid Commission and to end Islamic fundamentalism and extremism.
Another item insists on the repeal of legal provisions guaranteeing the special privileges of the Malays and for equal treatment to be extended to all citizens.
Other points listed in the resolution relate to:
• Full revamp of National Integration Policy
• Reinstatement of Pupil’s Own Language classes in national schools.
• Preserving places of worship
• Affirmative-action plans for the Indian community
The resolution was unveiled at a public forum themed ‘50 years of Violations of the Federal Constitution by the Malaysian Government’, organised by Hindraf on Saturday.
Some 1,000 participants unanimously supported the move to submit the resolution to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Aug 12.
‘Where’s the review?’

Lawyers P Uthayakumar, R Gangatharan, K Arumugam M,Manoharan and P Waytha Moorthy – who were the panelists – highlighted the government’s violations of the constitution.
The forum was conducted based on declassified documents involving the work of the Reid Commission which Uthayakumar had recently obtained from England.
A 41-page booklet, based on information obtained from the documents, was distributed to participants. It gives a detailed account of issues discussed by Reid Commission at every meeting and memoranda submitted by various organisations at the time.
“We called Universiti Malaya to get hold of this (material) when we initiated the research, but were told that these are classified documents. However, in England these documents have long been declassified,” said Uthayakumar.
“We’re celebrating our 50th year of independence, but these important documents are still classified. The information reveals that the government has violated the constitution in many ways.”
Gangatharan, commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s recent declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic state, said: “It’s clearly stated by the commission that Malaysia is a secular state. Our government has violated this by (calling it) an Islamic state.”

He also said the special privileges of the Malays should have been reviewed 15 years after independence, as stated in the documents, but that this has not been done.
“We understand that the Malays needed (assistance at the time) but Parliament should have reviewed the matter after 15 years. It has not happened, after 50 years. Why hasn’t the Parliament done this?”
Hindraf chairperson Waytha Moorthy, who concluded the forum, urged Indians not to be afraid in demanding their rights.
“Certain parties will always try to threaten us by saying that we should not question the ‘social contract’ made in 1957, and some will even wield the keris to scare us,” he said.
“We are not immigrants and we have been always loyal to the country, so why are we being marginalised?”

Group demands equality for Indian M’sians

Yoges Palaniappan
Aug 12, 2007 Malaysiakini
The overcast and gloomy weather in Putrajaya reflected the mood of the thousands of Indian Malaysians who had gathered at the administrative capital this morning.

There was a reason for this crowd to be in Putrajaya on a wet Sunday. They wanted to tell Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that they should not be further marginalised as Malaysians.

Organisers Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) claimed that many buses with would-be protesters had been halted from entering Putrajaya. The organisers claimed that despite this, some 3,000 people had participated in the protest.

Eye-witnesses however estimated a lower figure, saying that the protesting crowd stood between 1,500 to 2,000.
The three-hour peaceful gathering started at 9.30am under the watchful eyes of about 30 police and Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel.
The crowd, with silent anger with the manner their community was being treated, chanted slogans, carried banners and placards to display their protest.
Some of the banners and placards read "We demand for equal rights", "We want freedom of religion" and "Stop demolishing Hindu temples and Tamil schools".
Hindraf also planned to submit an 18-point resolution to Abdullah to demand the government not to further sideline the Indian community in the country.
However, the organisers could only relay their concerns through the memorandum to Abdullah’s private secretary Ahmad Yaakob – the prime minister is overseas visiting Brunei.
No proper representative
"We wrote a letter to the PM to let him know of today’s gathering on Aug 6, and he sent us an acknowledgement letter on Aug 7. However, he’s not here today," lamented Hindraf legal adviser P Uthayakumar.
"He’s the number one civil servant of our country and he has to be here to answer to this. But where is he?" he asked.
"They say all department officials are at a meeting in Penang – not even one of his five secretaries is in town?"

Earlier, the organisers had a discussion with Putrajaya OCPD Razak Majid on to whom should they submit the resolution.
When Razak brought an Indian official from the PM’s Department, organisers refused to submit the resolution to him, claiming that the Indian officer "is part of the Indian community" that is fighting for their rights and therefore was not appropriate for the government to send him as a representative.
"We will only submit the resolution to a Malay representative from the PM’s Department,” said Uthayakumar.
The crowd then waited for about an hour before the PM’s Department could find a suitable person who could represent the premier.
The demands
Uthayakumar also claimed that Putrajaya police have blocked some 15 buses carrying protestors from entering Putrajaya.
"They only stopped buses carrying Indian passengers. They say the drivers were not carrying valid driving licences," he said.
"How is it possible that only buses with Indian passengers have no valid licences? They let the other buses in," he said, describing the situation as "a clear-cut discrimination".
Before submitting the resolution to Ahmad, Uthayakumar and Hindraf chairperson P Waytha Moorthy read out the content of the resolution, which was drawn up in a forum on July 30 (photo), where some 1,000 people unanimously supported the move to submit the resolution to Abdullah.
Among the points that were highlighted in the resolution are:

• End Malay privileges on the 50th Independence celebration
• Call for affirmative action plans for all poor Malaysians
• Pass Protection of Ethnic Minority Malaysian Indian Act 2007
• All Tamil schools to be made fully government-aided schools
• All homeless are to be provided affordable homes and not low-cost flats by law
• Call for a minimum wage of RM1,000 for each and every Malaysian
• To initiate a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the violation of Federal Constitution by the government.

‘Broken promises’

Hindraf chairperson Waytha Moorthy (photo) said that he was pleased with the good turnout today.
“Despite the diversion of many buses by the police, we are glad that so many people came today,” he told malaysiakini.
“People now realise that after 50 years of independence, Indians have been shortchanged. Their sacrifices for 200 years have been forgotten by the government… they are treated like slaves by the neo-colonialist Umno regime,” he added.
Businessman S Mageswaran, 52, said that he came for the gathering after hearing that a group of Indians have come forward to fight for their demands to be met.
"I am here to give moral support. It’s high time we fight for our rights which have been forgotten by the government," said Mageswaran.
"Looking at the crowd, I can see a form of inner spirit developing in Indians. It’s a good start," he said.
Meanwhile, 70-year-old N Gothandam from Kajang said that he could see a lot of difference in the treatment given to Indians presently.
"We (Indians) were promised many things by the government when we gained independence, but all those promises have been broken now," he said.
"I just hope that we get at least something by being vocal,” he said hopefully.
Despite Indian Malaysians make up about 8 percent of the country’s population, they own less than 2 percent of its national wealth. The community also faces severe problems of hardcore poverty and crime.

24/10/10