A test of good faith

The fact that PKR has exposed this gross injustice towards Malaysians of Indian ethnicity can only mean that they have the full list of names and addresses of these 300,000 stateless Indians. I doubt that PKR or Surendran is doing a ‘Hasan Ali’ on us. If you can remember, Hasan Ali alleged that 300,000 Muslims (or some ridiculously high figure in the hundreds of thousands) have converted to Christianity.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Last week, PKR’s vice-president, R. Surendran, said that 300,000 Malaysians of Indian ethnicity are stateless. That is an alarming figure considering that Malaysia’s total Indian population is only about 7.1% while the Tamil Hindus are only 6.4%. Hence, 300,000 would represent about 15%-17% of Malaysia’s total Indian population. 

MIC is also as shocked as me. MIC’s secretary-general, S. Murugesan, has said that MIC is prepared to sit down with PKR to resolve this matter. (READ HERE:http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/04/23/shocked-mic-offers-help-to-pkr/)

I think that this is a very matured response. Rather than challenge PKR to a debate or try to sidestep the matter or deny it, MIC wants to cooperate with PKR to sort it out. Hindraf and HRP, two Indian-based organisations, should also offer their cooperation.

In fact, if invited, the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) would probably also want to participate. After all, citizenship is your civil right, especially if you were born in Malaysia, and anything that involves civil liberties is within the scope of MCLM.

The fact that PKR has exposed this gross injustice towards Malaysians of Indian ethnicity can only mean that they have the full list of names and addresses of these 300,000 stateless Indians. I doubt that PKR or Surendran is doing a ‘Hasan Ali’ on us. If you can remember, Hasan Ali alleged that 300,000 Muslims (or some ridiculously high figure in the hundreds of thousands) have converted to Christianity.

I always said that political parties (and some so-called NGOs as well) are merely interested in politics and not really want to serve the rakyat. Maybe I can be proven wrong. If PKR, DAP, MIC, PPP, Gerakan, HRP, Hindraf, and maybe even MCLM, can sit down and put politics aside to look at the list of 300,000 stateless Indians and mutually work towards getting Malaysian citizenship for these 300,000, in the event they are genuine Malaysians born in Malaysia, then I would certainly be proven wrong.

Can we take this to the next level? MIC has announced that it is prepared to work with PKR. What about DAP, PPP, Gerakan, HRP, Hindraf, etc? Would they also be prepared to put politics aside and work with PKR and MIC to see justice done to these 300,000 stateless Indians?

This would be the real test of good faith. If they really want to serve the rakyat, then they will certainly set aside politics. But if this is just politics, then rest assured that this matter will go nowhere and those 300,000 stateless Indians will remain stateless, if they do exist in the first place.