Hindraf: Pakatan vying for 798 seats but none for us?

Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) is disappointed with Pakatan Rakyat’s refusal to include the organisation in seat distribution talks for the coming general election.

Despite plans to contest a total of 798 seats in the 13th general election, the three-party opposition coalition has failed to make way for even a single seat for Hindraf, lamented its information chief S Jayathas.

Through its political wing Human Rights Party (HRP), Jayathas (left) said that Hindraf had made clear to Pakatan its intention to contest seven parliamentary and 14 state assembly seats, but had yet to receive any response.

“This is also despite the very clear political direction of Hindraf that we do not support Umno or BN and are amenable to a regime change at Putrajaya... which also has been communicated to Pakatan,” he added in a statement yesterday.

“We wish to clarify to Hindraf supporters nationwide that despite our various overtures to meet and to work together with the top leadership of PKR, DAP and PAS... these have been to no avail.”

‘Hindraf will not beg for seats’

Jayathas was responding to press reports quoting PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who announced that Pakatan was still in discussions on five percent of the 798 seats that the coalition planned to contest.

He said Hindraf would not “beg” Pakatan for seats, hinting that the movement, which has been widely credited with helping contribute to the March 2008 election tsunami, would go on its own if it had to.

“(This is not) an option, for it would be tantamount to starting off on the wrong foot and doomed to becoming the Indian ‘mandores’ (labourers) for Pakatan, for which we have no desire,” he said.

PAS had once held a formal meeting with Hindraf, but the movement’s de facto leader P Uthayakumar had dismissed the session a public relations exercise.

Hindraf’s latest attempt to seek recognition from Pakatan will take place on Sunday, at an event in which PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and other top opposition leaders were invited to speak on the coalition’s plans for the Indian poor.