Hindraf submits ‘racism’ memo to UN

Hindraf is asking the United Nations to help end institutionalised racism in Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hindraf Makkal Sakthi submitted a memorandum today to the United Nations (UN) office here calling the world body to help end institutionalised racism in Malaysia.

About 12 Hindraf members, led by its national coordinator W Sambulingam, were taken into the premises by UN representative Devendra Patel for a five-minute meeting.

The memorandum, signed by Hindraf supremo P Waythamoorthy, called upon UN secretary- general Ban Kim Moon to engage with the Malaysian government to address the woes plaguing the local Indian community due to institutionalised racism.

The Hindraf leader also said that Malaysia was probably the only country in the world that practiced an affirmative action policy for its majority instead of its minority.

“And the institutionalised racism in Malaysia has accelerated to such an alarming stage that it continues to deprive Malaysian Indians even basic human rights,” said Waythamoorthy.

He added that the discrimination against the Indian minority in Malaysia was also unconstitutional as Article 8 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution guaranteed equal rights to all its citizens.

“But the New Economic Policy mooted in the 1970s, though mooted to eradicate poverty irrespective of races, was hijacked by the ruling government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sambulingam criticised the UN officials for allowing the Malaysian Special Branch officers to be present at the meeting, although it was supposed to be between Hindraf and the UN staff.

“The security guards at the UN office didn’t allow us to register our presence in the attendance book. They told us to write our names on a piece of blank paper instead,” he said.