Uthayakumar to Indians: Vote PR if you like, but reject BN

While P Waythamoorthy who fled the country at the height of the BN government's crackdown on Malaysian Indian rights movement Hindraf in 2007 rubbed shoulders with UMNO president Najib Razak, the movement's icon P Uthayakumar (pic) urged the Indian community to reject eleventh-hour election gestures.

Uthaya reiterated Hindraf's long held stance not to support BN, which the movement has blamed for half-a-century of systematic racism that has resulted in the Malaysian Indians' woes.

"The Hindraf political directions remain the same: Do not vote for UMNO and BN, voting for Pakatan Rakyat is up to the individual," said the lawyer in comments to news portal Malaysiakini.

Uthaya, who stayed in the country to face two years' imprisonment while his younger brother Waytha fled to England to live in exile, said endorsing BN at the coming polls was tantamount to "hijacking" the Hindraf struggle.

Earlier today, Najib signed a memorandum of understanding with Waytha to endorse Hindraf's blueprint for the Indian community.

Waytha had earlier staged a 'hunger strike' claiming it was to pressure either BN or PR to agree to the blue print. But another Hindraf leader S Jayathas had dismissed the hunger strike as a gimmick, saying Waytha and BN had secretly reached a deal which led to Hindraf's speedy approval by the Registrar of Societies.

While Najib was quick to endorse the blueprint hoping to douse the Indian community's anger at BN - the most recent being his selection of anti-Hindu politician Zulkifli Nordin as a candidate - PR argued that its existing manifesto was racially blind and ensures justice for all communities.

For Uthaya however, PR is the lesser of two evils when it comes to defending the plight of Indians.

"BN cheats more and PR cheats less," he quipped, as quoted by Malaysiakini.

Prior to this, Uthaya said he would contest in Selangor's Seri Andalas parliamentary and Kota Raja state seat against both BN and PR candidates.

-Harakahdaily