Hindraf wants fresh start with Pakatan to unseat BN

Hindraf-HRP said it was time to set aside differences with Pakatan Rakyat and work out a joint strategy to defeat Umno-BN in the next general election.

“We are pushing the reset button; Hindraf's approach will take a new dimension,” said Hindraf national coordinator W Samulingam (right) in a press conference at their Kuala Lumpur headquarters today.

“We recognise that we have had problems with Pakatan ... however it is not the time to quarrel on those issues, but time to set aside or differences and work out a strategy and synergy that is absolutely necessary and truly possible to capture Putrajaya,” added national advisor N Ganesan.

Ganesan admits that Hindraf cannot oust the ruling party on its own, but said that “recent trends” show that Pakatan “will not be able to pull off the ouster of Umno on their own either”.

He said according to an estimate by the Socio-Economic & Environmental Research Institute of Penang, the opposition needs a net swing of 6 percent in their favour if they hope to take Putrajaya.

Meanwhile their own research on past voting patterns, a projected 20 to 50 percent swing in Indian votes away from Pakatan might cost Pakatan up to 18 Parliamentary seats and the states of Selangor, Perak and Kedah.

Should the scenario become reality, it may mean the “glue” that holds Pakatan together would come apart and party differences would take over and could possibly undo the coalition, he said.

'Common enemy'

Ganesan said Hindraf and Pakatan had a “common goal” to remove Umno from power in order to “eliminate racist and religious supremacist state-sponsored policies that have trampled on the rights of minority communities”.

He believed Hindraf could achieve “synergy” with Pakatan to this end.

Ganesan (right) says Pakatan has only managed to significantly increase its Chinese support, which is unlikely to offset its single digit percentage loss of support in Malay votes to BN and the estimated major swing in Indian votes.

From studying Indian voting patterns in the five previous peninsular by-elections, Indian vote swings of up to 50 percent were decisive in the outcomes, he said.

For example in the Merlimau by-election, a 40 to 50 percent swing in Indian votes towards BN in two polling stations had cost Pakatan the state seat, he said.

On the other hand their analysis shows, for example, that a 10 percent swing against BN in their state seats in Selangor could mean six more seats for the opposition, while a 20 percent swing may translate to 10 seats for Pakatan.

Hindraf's analysis also suggests that eight cabinet ministers may lose their seats if Indian votes swing to Pakatan, namely Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Bagan Dato), Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha (Lumut), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz (Padang Renggas), Local Government Minister Chor Chee Hiong (Alor Setar), Human Resource Minister S Subramaniam (Segamat), Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen (Raub), Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (Tambun) and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar (Tanjong Karang).

Pakatan impact 'not felt'

Ganesan said that Hindraf's absence in the campaigning of those past five by-elections had resulted in Pakatan failing to obtain the Indian vote and was a factor in their respective defeats.

“It is our firm belief that the Indian voters will respond if Hindraf calls on them to come out as they did in the 12th GE, to vote Umno out,” said Ganesan.

This, he said was because the Indians identified with Hindraf as the ones who could voice their issues.

“Pakatan has so far not made an impact that they (the Indian community) can feel,” he added.

When asked if Hindraf was willing to negotiate on the previous demands they had made to Pakatan, Ganesan responded they were not commenting on the issue yet saying, “The ball is in their court. They have to make the call.”

“At this stage, if they (Pakatan) can see the picture (for GE13), it is doom. We are offering our assistance,” he added.

On the question of how the recent hudud row may have impacted the Indian electorate's sentiments about Pakatan, Ganesan said, “Our supporters don't really feel it is a major issue of concern to them; their concerns are more basic.”

He added that the issue was unlikely to affect Pakatan as having power in four states coupled with the prospect of taking over Putrajaya was the "glue" that held the coalition together.