12.12.12 RALLY IS ON: Marginalized & living-in-limbo, Malaysian Indians WON'T BE MUZZLED

With just 5 days to go, the police appear to be pulling out all stops to block the planned December 12, 2012 rally to protest the plight of stateless Malaysian Indians.

But despite the concerted efforts to intimidate the rally organizers, the 'sit-in' demonstration due to be held in front of the JPN or National Registration Department in Putrajaya will go ahead as planned, PKR vice president N Surendran told Malaysia Chronicle.

"It's a continuing harassment of a peaceful demonstration to highlight the government's neglect. This confirms Najib's show of democratization is a complete sham. Having failed to resolve the problem of statelessness among Malaysian Indians, the government is now trying to prevent the victims from peacefully gathering to voice their grievances," said Surendran.

"Irrespective of this harassment, the rally will proceed."

According Surendran, the organizers have been told to report to the IPD in Putrajaya at 2.30pm on Friday (December 7) to have their statements taken.

Living in limbo

Indeed, with the general election just months away, the votes of the minorities, especially the Indians, have become "very sensitive" to Prime Minister Najib Razak's BN coalition which may lose its stranglehold on power if it fails to placate irate voters.

Hence, the "heavy handed" interference by the police has been expected. Surendran, who was himself hauled up by the police earlier this month, has warned that such tactics will only backfire and convince the community to vote for change.

"These are people living in limbo and its a horrible thing to do to people with the rights to citizenship. The government can’t blame anyone, because they have ruled for 50 over years. I tell you now, concede the next general election, and let Pakatan Rakyat take Putrajaya, then we will it. That is our resolve,” Surendran had said in a previous interview.

Surendran and his Pakata Rakyat coalition have claimed there are at least 300,000 Malaysian Indians who have been cut out of the nation's economic, social and educational systems due to "systemic neglect" by the BN federal government and its refusal to issue proper papers and citizenship documents to this group of people.

Malaysia Chronicle