Hindraf campaign to greet Najib’s Batu Caves visit

February 5, 2012 | Author s.jayathas

3:30PM Feb 5, 2012

Hindraf plans to collect 100,000 signatures in a campaign at the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur this Tuesday, to protest the prime minister’s “non-delivery” of the Hindu rights group’s past demands.
Scheduled to start at 9am on the first day of the Hindu festival in honour of Lord Murugan, the campaign will coincide with Prime Minister Najib Razak’s planned visit to the temple grounds.
Its intention, said Hindrafde facto leader P Uthayakumar (left), is to remind Najib of the group’s 18-point demand made in 2007 to the BN government.
“The Hindraf 18 point demand dated Aug 12, 2007 which in effect calls for equality, equal opportunities and for the end of all state sponsored and private sector racism, which excludes and segregates in particular the Indian poor from the national mainstream development … has not been delivered by the Umno led Prime Minister Najib Razak five years on, today,” said Uthayakumar.
Hindraf’s signature drive to be held at the entrance of the temple (right) aims to “re-emphasising the need to end this level of racism” and call upon the PM to deliver on the demands.
Najib’s annual visit to the Batu Caves temple that arguably sees the largest gathering of devotees in the country to observe the religious festival, hasn’t been trouble free.
This week two grassroots PKR leaders lodged a police reportagainst the PM over his planned visit, although the party had distanced themselves saying the move did not reflect PKR’s stand.

Makkal sakti revisited
Hindraf, founded by Uthayakumar and his brother Waythamoorthy, debuted around 2007 with its demands for equal treatment of Malaysian Indians, that culminated in the historic rally in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25, 2007 (below).
About 3,000 members and supporters also rallied at the Batu Caves temple several days later.
Hindraf’s struggles eventually landed its leaders in detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Uthayakumar said Hindraf is taking advantage of Najib’s Thaipusam visit next week to call on him to “stop his empty political rhetoric” and deliver at least several of their demands, such as granting:
1. permanent land titles to all Hindu temples and Hindu cemeteries nationwide and gazette the same accordingly.
2. ten acres of land to eachand every of the 523 Tamil schools, gazetting and making the same fully financially aided schools with equal per capita student allocation and facilities as accorded to any other national school
3. a Felda like land ownership self employment scheme of ten acres to 500,000 hardcore Indian poor.
4. Affordable housing for all homeless, including Indian “squatters”
5. a minimum wage of RM1,500 per month for all Malaysians
The group plans to deliver their petition to the PM at Putrajaya on Feb 19 at 10am.

Malaysiakini