“Guess that's 31 pieces of silver you've got now, huh? Sleep well, Judas.”
- Mark Millar (Civil War)
Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy “admitted that there will be criticism over this deal, and acknowledged that some might accuse the movement of selling out", reported Malaysiakini.
Here let me put a name to that “some”. I am revolted, disgusted and repulsed by this so-called ‘deal’ Hindraf and Waythamoorthy have cooked up with Umno.
From day one, as a Pakatan Rakyat partisan, I made it clear that the only acceptable alternative was Pakatan even though I have been (and will continue to be) a vocal critic of my chosen ‘side’.
Meeting with Hindraf and Waythamoorthy (right) at the movement’s blueprint launch, I advocated support for Pakatan. After a meeting with PKR’s Chua Jui Meng that included Waythamoorthy, think-tank Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) director Lim Teck Ghee and I, we (Lim and I) campaigned for a continuing of talks with Pakatan.
In a subsequent meeting, with Waythamoorthy, we (Lim and I) advocated [again] our stand for making a pact with Pakatan.
Travelling to the temple in Rawang - where Waythamoorthy was carrying out his hunger strike - with Lim, we reiterated [yet again] that there could no discussion with Umno. And most recently at the Hindraf press conference on the state of their negotiations with either alliance, I conveyed to the so-called Hindraf leadership that it should be Pakatan or “vote as your conscience dictates.”
With the deadline approaching, I was contacted by people in Hindraf who believed in the cause who were extremely worried of the rumours swirling around that Hindraf was close to making a deal with Umno. This prompted me to clearly state my stand on the prospect of Hindraf becoming Umno’s fool.
For the record, this is what Lim said in an email conversation yesterday to relevant parties that includes the Hindraf leadership:
“It is totally inexplicable and inexcusable why Waytha is asking voters to return BN with a stronger than two-thirds majority. This has destroyed whatever credibility he and Hindraf have. Henceforth, CPI will not carry any more of Hindraf's material or statements.”
Now, Hindraf after accusing the present regime of “ethnic cleansing” and cataloguing decades’ worth of “crimes” against the Indian community asks this same community to give Umno-BN a two-thirds majority. This is a betrayal to everyone who advocated on behalf of Hindraf, but more importantly to the community they claim to represent.
Dubious MOU
As for this dubious memorandum of understanding, here are some points raised by journalist and articulate Hindraf watcher Joe Fernandez:
1. The key element, the Ministry of Orang Asal and Minority Affairs, is missing. Other issues like Article 153, NEP and anti-non-Malay administrative laws are missing.
2. Is the government still going to fiddle with public exam marks of students and call it "state secret" and continue to hand out free degrees to morons under the quota system, including in critical disciplines?
3. Why did Najib wait until Parliament was dissolved to sign the MOU?
4. It's the government which should sign the MOU, not the BN which may not form the government after the GE.
5. By signing the MOU, is Najib admitting that the Indians have been excluded from his ‘inclusive’ transformation programmes?
6. Why does any ruling party need a two-thirds majority?
7. Why didn't the government sign the MOU with MIC? After all, Hindraf is an association just registered last month.
Not to mention, as Fernandez rightly points out, election promises are not legally binding. However, there is more to this than just the empty promises that Hindraf wants the Indian community to swallow.
In my piece warning Hindraf not to become Umno’s fool, I said that Umno would never sign off on the blueprint because it includes elements that would dismantle the very system that keeps them and their voting base in power. I was of course right. One such element is the inclusion of the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
This is probably the reason why even Pakatan Rakyat, or more accurately the DAP, did not include it in their Gelang Patah declaration because to do so would involve a discussion on slaying Malay scared cows not to mention certain demands of Hindraf.
By the way, one aspect of the convention is the outlawing of hate speech and the criminalising of membership in racist organisations. I know for damn sure Umno would object to this, what with a former prime minister being the patron of one such organisation. And this is the kind of political alliance Hindraf wants the Indian community to make a deal with?
So not only did Hindraf sign a practically useless (because it is not only not legally binding but also made by parties unknown) memorandum of understanding with an alliance they claim are the perpetrators of all the injustices the Indian community faced all these decades and continue to face, this so-called memorandum does not even include elements from their own blueprint that would benefit not only the Indian community but all Malaysians.
The Gelang Patah declaration, which was a rip-off from the Hindraf blueprint, had more teeth in it than this useless document. Therefore, the question is, why did Hindraf even bother to be a party to it.
Wathamoorthy’s betrayal
Any rational observer would conclude that the Gelang Patah declaration offered more substance and if Pakatan was recalcitrant in its dealings with Hindraf, the only rational response would be to either support Pakatan or ask their voters to vote as their conscience dictates.
Or as P Uthayakumar (left), one of Hindraf founders, says: “The Hindraf political directions remain the same - do not vote for Umno and BN, voting for Pakatan is up to the individual."
Speaking of Uthayakumar, at least he had the guts to state his positions clearly with the series ofinterviews I did on him. Ever since I started writing about Hindraf, I have wanted Waythamoorthy to make his stand known through a series of tough interviews but to no avail. I suppose the reception Uthayakumar got spooked him.
Writing about Hindraf, I have been exposed to the same anonymous attacks by the crypto-racists and racists within Pakatan as Uthayakumar and Hindraf. I persevered as did many others because I believed that this conversation needed to be heard and since I have no interest in Umno-BN, better it be had in Pakatan.
What Waythamoorthy has done with this betrayal is ensure that the Indian discourse has been poisoned indefinitely. What it has done is tarnish the reputations of Indian politicians like D Jeyakumar, S Arutchelvan, R Sivarasa and political personalities like KS Bavani who will now be vilified by those disingenuous hacks whenever Indians speak out on issues affecting their community.
In addition, what of the MIC? By asking the Indian community to support BN, is Hindraf asking for the rejection of opposition Indian politicians like Jeyakumar and the numerous other so-called mandores of Pakatan?
Is Hindraf asking for the return of MIC? Could the MIC, which Hindraf was at war with, better serve the Indian community than the Indian opposition politicians?
The MIC and their cyber goons have claimed that Hindraf belongs to or supports racists’ organisations from India with the goal of eliminating the Malay race (sic).
In the real world, Hindraf has not only been harassed by these same goons - I was there when Hindraf marched and know of those MIC cretins, who were egging on the police to shower us with gas - and by the outsourced thugs of Umno. Is Hindraf going to walk hand in hand with them and propagate the lies of Umno?
MIC MP P Kamalanathan said that Perkasa is merely defending the rights of the Malay community just like other racial sociopolitical organisations. Does this mean that Hindraf will campaign for Perkasa vice-president Zulklifi Noordin for the Indian vote in Shah Alam, now that Hindraf has thrown its support behind BN?
Running dogs of Umno
Waythamoorthy wants Najib to prove to critics of this deal wrong by seeing it through. What evidence can Waytha cite which would prove this? Umno’s record of fulfilling deals is practically non-existent. I do know that Umno come through with money they have promised to certain communal groups. Could this be the proof that Hindraf alludes to?
As I wrote in the earlier piece, any compact Hindraf has with Umno would just mean that the racial lines will be further entrenched and this merging of disenfranchised Indian interest and Ketuanan Melayu dogma would be used against those Malays who do not support Umno and the Chinese community.
About the only thing I got wrong was when I claimed that there could be no deal with Umno, because Hindraf would not be running dogs of Umno. Clearly, by Waythamoorthy’s statement I was wrong. Take this horrible part of the memorandum as reported by Malaysiakini:
“According to the agreement, should BN retain federal power, it would set up a new unit under the Prime Minister's Office to implement the details of the MOU.”
Let me guess, this unit would be a kennel next to the PM’s Office, right? All I can say is, to whichever Hindraf lackey appointed to this unit, remember when you are walking down the corridors of Putrajaya, when you meet an Ibrahim Ali or a Zulkifi Noordin, keep your eyes to the floor and never bite the hand that feeds you.
Always remember your place. You earned it.
- Mark Millar (Civil War)
Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy “admitted that there will be criticism over this deal, and acknowledged that some might accuse the movement of selling out", reported Malaysiakini.
Here let me put a name to that “some”. I am revolted, disgusted and repulsed by this so-called ‘deal’ Hindraf and Waythamoorthy have cooked up with Umno.
From day one, as a Pakatan Rakyat partisan, I made it clear that the only acceptable alternative was Pakatan even though I have been (and will continue to be) a vocal critic of my chosen ‘side’. Meeting with Hindraf and Waythamoorthy (right) at the movement’s blueprint launch, I advocated support for Pakatan. After a meeting with PKR’s Chua Jui Meng that included Waythamoorthy, think-tank Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) director Lim Teck Ghee and I, we (Lim and I) campaigned for a continuing of talks with Pakatan.
In a subsequent meeting, with Waythamoorthy, we (Lim and I) advocated [again] our stand for making a pact with Pakatan.
Travelling to the temple in Rawang - where Waythamoorthy was carrying out his hunger strike - with Lim, we reiterated [yet again] that there could no discussion with Umno. And most recently at the Hindraf press conference on the state of their negotiations with either alliance, I conveyed to the so-called Hindraf leadership that it should be Pakatan or “vote as your conscience dictates.”
With the deadline approaching, I was contacted by people in Hindraf who believed in the cause who were extremely worried of the rumours swirling around that Hindraf was close to making a deal with Umno. This prompted me to clearly state my stand on the prospect of Hindraf becoming Umno’s fool.For the record, this is what Lim said in an email conversation yesterday to relevant parties that includes the Hindraf leadership:
“It is totally inexplicable and inexcusable why Waytha is asking voters to return BN with a stronger than two-thirds majority. This has destroyed whatever credibility he and Hindraf have. Henceforth, CPI will not carry any more of Hindraf's material or statements.”
Now, Hindraf after accusing the present regime of “ethnic cleansing” and cataloguing decades’ worth of “crimes” against the Indian community asks this same community to give Umno-BN a two-thirds majority. This is a betrayal to everyone who advocated on behalf of Hindraf, but more importantly to the community they claim to represent.
Dubious MOU
As for this dubious memorandum of understanding, here are some points raised by journalist and articulate Hindraf watcher Joe Fernandez:
1. The key element, the Ministry of Orang Asal and Minority Affairs, is missing. Other issues like Article 153, NEP and anti-non-Malay administrative laws are missing.
2. Is the government still going to fiddle with public exam marks of students and call it "state secret" and continue to hand out free degrees to morons under the quota system, including in critical disciplines?
3. Why did Najib wait until Parliament was dissolved to sign the MOU?
4. It's the government which should sign the MOU, not the BN which may not form the government after the GE.
5. By signing the MOU, is Najib admitting that the Indians have been excluded from his ‘inclusive’ transformation programmes?
6. Why does any ruling party need a two-thirds majority?
7. Why didn't the government sign the MOU with MIC? After all, Hindraf is an association just registered last month.
Not to mention, as Fernandez rightly points out, election promises are not legally binding. However, there is more to this than just the empty promises that Hindraf wants the Indian community to swallow.
In my piece warning Hindraf not to become Umno’s fool, I said that Umno would never sign off on the blueprint because it includes elements that would dismantle the very system that keeps them and their voting base in power. I was of course right. One such element is the inclusion of the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
This is probably the reason why even Pakatan Rakyat, or more accurately the DAP, did not include it in their Gelang Patah declaration because to do so would involve a discussion on slaying Malay scared cows not to mention certain demands of Hindraf.
By the way, one aspect of the convention is the outlawing of hate speech and the criminalising of membership in racist organisations. I know for damn sure Umno would object to this, what with a former prime minister being the patron of one such organisation. And this is the kind of political alliance Hindraf wants the Indian community to make a deal with?So not only did Hindraf sign a practically useless (because it is not only not legally binding but also made by parties unknown) memorandum of understanding with an alliance they claim are the perpetrators of all the injustices the Indian community faced all these decades and continue to face, this so-called memorandum does not even include elements from their own blueprint that would benefit not only the Indian community but all Malaysians.
The Gelang Patah declaration, which was a rip-off from the Hindraf blueprint, had more teeth in it than this useless document. Therefore, the question is, why did Hindraf even bother to be a party to it.
Wathamoorthy’s betrayal
Any rational observer would conclude that the Gelang Patah declaration offered more substance and if Pakatan was recalcitrant in its dealings with Hindraf, the only rational response would be to either support Pakatan or ask their voters to vote as their conscience dictates.
Or as P Uthayakumar (left), one of Hindraf founders, says: “The Hindraf political directions remain the same - do not vote for Umno and BN, voting for Pakatan is up to the individual."Speaking of Uthayakumar, at least he had the guts to state his positions clearly with the series ofinterviews I did on him. Ever since I started writing about Hindraf, I have wanted Waythamoorthy to make his stand known through a series of tough interviews but to no avail. I suppose the reception Uthayakumar got spooked him.
Writing about Hindraf, I have been exposed to the same anonymous attacks by the crypto-racists and racists within Pakatan as Uthayakumar and Hindraf. I persevered as did many others because I believed that this conversation needed to be heard and since I have no interest in Umno-BN, better it be had in Pakatan.
What Waythamoorthy has done with this betrayal is ensure that the Indian discourse has been poisoned indefinitely. What it has done is tarnish the reputations of Indian politicians like D Jeyakumar, S Arutchelvan, R Sivarasa and political personalities like KS Bavani who will now be vilified by those disingenuous hacks whenever Indians speak out on issues affecting their community.
In addition, what of the MIC? By asking the Indian community to support BN, is Hindraf asking for the rejection of opposition Indian politicians like Jeyakumar and the numerous other so-called mandores of Pakatan?Is Hindraf asking for the return of MIC? Could the MIC, which Hindraf was at war with, better serve the Indian community than the Indian opposition politicians?
The MIC and their cyber goons have claimed that Hindraf belongs to or supports racists’ organisations from India with the goal of eliminating the Malay race (sic).
In the real world, Hindraf has not only been harassed by these same goons - I was there when Hindraf marched and know of those MIC cretins, who were egging on the police to shower us with gas - and by the outsourced thugs of Umno. Is Hindraf going to walk hand in hand with them and propagate the lies of Umno?
MIC MP P Kamalanathan said that Perkasa is merely defending the rights of the Malay community just like other racial sociopolitical organisations. Does this mean that Hindraf will campaign for Perkasa vice-president Zulklifi Noordin for the Indian vote in Shah Alam, now that Hindraf has thrown its support behind BN?
Running dogs of Umno
Waythamoorthy wants Najib to prove to critics of this deal wrong by seeing it through. What evidence can Waytha cite which would prove this? Umno’s record of fulfilling deals is practically non-existent. I do know that Umno come through with money they have promised to certain communal groups. Could this be the proof that Hindraf alludes to?
As I wrote in the earlier piece, any compact Hindraf has with Umno would just mean that the racial lines will be further entrenched and this merging of disenfranchised Indian interest and Ketuanan Melayu dogma would be used against those Malays who do not support Umno and the Chinese community.
About the only thing I got wrong was when I claimed that there could be no deal with Umno, because Hindraf would not be running dogs of Umno. Clearly, by Waythamoorthy’s statement I was wrong. Take this horrible part of the memorandum as reported by Malaysiakini:
“According to the agreement, should BN retain federal power, it would set up a new unit under the Prime Minister's Office to implement the details of the MOU.”Let me guess, this unit would be a kennel next to the PM’s Office, right? All I can say is, to whichever Hindraf lackey appointed to this unit, remember when you are walking down the corridors of Putrajaya, when you meet an Ibrahim Ali or a Zulkifi Noordin, keep your eyes to the floor and never bite the hand that feeds you.
Always remember your place. You earned it.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (rtd) in the Royal Malaysian Navy.
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