Rise of an angry minority - Malaysia Today

THE HINDRAF FACTOR

If March 8, 2008 was the day when the ground shifted under Malaysian politics, then Nov 25, 2007 was the day that the earth began rumbling.

The Straits Times

Indians know that date well. Thousands took part in the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) rally in Kuala Lumpur to send an ambitious petition to the British High Commission. They wanted the Queen to appoint a Queen's Counsel to represent their community in a class action suit against the British government for bringing Indians as indentured labourers to then Malaya in the 1800s and exploiting them.

But the rally ended in disaster. Ambushed by riot police, they were forced to disperse. Five leaders were jailed under the Internal Security Act.

It marked a reawakening of political awareness among many Indians, and was one of the key factors for the March 8 electoral tsunami.

The political spotlight has since moved on and the movement has been banned by the Home Ministry, but Hindraf has not given up its struggle for the Indian community. “We are fighting for human rights without fear or favour. The government has been using the law and police against us but it does not kill our spirit,” said Hindraf national coordinator R.S. Thanenthiran.

Hindraf, he said, has vowed to continue working at the grassroots level, and would not support either the Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat coalition unless they were serious about giving equal rights to the Indian community.

“We are merely asking for basic things like Tamil schools, business opportunities and temples. All these have not been met after 50 years of independence,” said Thanenthiran.

After the elections last March, Hindraf knows it has the power to make or break a political party.

During the elections, it supported PR, which wiped out almost the entire MIC from BN. The three MIC survivors were given government executive positions in an attempt by BN to win back the hearts of Indians, but subsequent developments have led to a further drop in faith in the government among the community — the latest being the case of 22-year-old A. Kugan, a suspected car thief who died in police custody.

As a result, many Indians have turned to the opposition Pas, said principal research fellow Denison Jayasooria of the Institute of Ethnic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. “Until the federal government addresses the major grievances of society, people will always look for alternatives.”

So far, Hindraf appears to have aligned itself with the opposition. Two of its leaders had won seats under the banners of the DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat, and the victories have earned Hindraf PR's support.

Thanenthiran, however, stressed that Hindraf is non-partisan. “We have given them (PR) a year and we want to know what they have done, what is their next course of action. We're now in the process of negotiating with both parties, but of course BN is as usual... not responding.”