JUI MENG ASSAULTED at stateless Indians rally: 'Police let MIC thugs in to ambush PKR men'

UPDATED PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng was assaulted by MIC Youth members trying to disrupt the much-touted 12.12.12 rally to protest against Prime Minister Najib Razak's government for failing to resolve the plight of stateless Malaysian Indians.

"MIC Youth gangsters have assaulted Datuk Chua Jui Meng at the National Registration Department in Putrajaya. Police stood by and did nothing," PKR vice president N Surendran told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Yes, he was assaulted, pushed and shoved by MIC Youth leaders who were deliberately allowed in by the police to the meeting place. They ambushed us as we came out from the NRD director's office. How can that be accidental or coincidental?"

"There was no punch-up but the way the MIC Youth hooligans surrounded and pushed at Datuk Chua was very menacing and intimidating. Datuk Chua was very calm even though the police refused to help. It was only after we shouted for help and demanded that they take action, did the police move to stop the fracas from escalating further," PKR MP for Subang Jaya Sivarasa Rasiah toldMalaysia Chronicle.

"This is another example of unruly gangsterism by MIC Youth leaders to cover up for their lack of response to the needs of the Indian community. And the irony of it is that all this happened right in front of the federal government offices, as though law and order does not exist in this country. It also confirms the MIC is the biggest traitor of the Indian community and will go all out to thwart our attempts to bring progress to the people."

Shaken but unhurt

Jui Meng, a former Health minister, was shaken but unhurt. He lambasted his assailants, whom he said were around 30 in number, and the authorities for "double standards".

"We are not trying to create a commotion but genuinely trying to broker a resolution to a long-standing problem. There was no call for the MIC members to behave in such a way. It was made worse when the police allowed the rowdiness to grow. There could have been a serious fight and people could have been hurt because of the double standards practiced by the BN and its reliance on thuggery to muzzle the people," Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Muzzling the community

Earlier this morning, hundreds of people gathered in administrative capital Putrajaya to march to the NRD headquarters where they were due to conduct a 'sit-in', organized by the PKR.

The protestors, who began arriving from as early as 10am, began marching an hour later to the NRD from the area adjacent to the Palace of Justice.

According to Malaysiakini, many protestors had held up mock red Mykads (Malaysian identity card) bearing the images of Najib and his cousin, the Home Minister Hishammuddin, to show their frustration at the government's cold shoulder to their plight. The protestors also chanted slogans such as "Fight for rights" and "Fight for IC rights".

END their suffering

Human rights activists have estimated there are at least 300,000 ethnic Indians born in Malaysia but kept 'stateless' and without citizenship rights due to systemic neglect and policies that reeked of racism.

Over the weekend, Najib infuriated the Indian community by belittling the stateless claims as an 'Opposition-instigated' ploy. At the annual assembly of BN's Indian component party - the MIC - Najib said the figure was 'merely' 9,000 and not 300,000.

"The PM's statement is a dishonest and disgraceful attempt to play down the number of stateless Malaysians of Indian descent; the tiny figure of 9000 is baseless and illogical. The PM is mocking and lying to the Indian community," Surendran had walloped back.

Through the years, 'stateless' Malaysian Indians have generally been denied proper schooling, employment and access to basic amenities.The problem is also becoming worse as it has become generational, with statelessness passed down to the younger generation. As a result, thousands of Indian children of school-going age are also prevented from schooling or receive incomplete schooling.

"These stateless Indians were born and have lived in Malaysia all their lives. They are citizens by operation of law. Najib and his government have flagrantly breached the federal constitution by refusing to issue blue ICs to our stateless Malaysians. Not a single Malaysian should suffer from the problem of statelessness," said Surendran.

"We call upon Najib and his government to stop denying the enormity of the problem and to end the long suffering of stateless Malaysians immediately."

Apart from Surendran, Sivarasa and PKR MP for Kapar S Manikavasagam also delivered speeches at the rally.

Malaysia Chronicle