Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) or HRP (Human Rights Party) has been criticising Pakatan Rakyat (PR) bitterly for "not doing anything" for Indians just before their five-year term was over. But Hindraf is not reproaching Barisan Nasional (BN) with the same fervour for its 56 years of rule and the continuous oppression of the Indian community.
Hindraf has to be watchful that making a tenuous link with PR will not help consolidate an alternative party to BN and this is not going to favour the marginalised Indians in the long-run.
Surprisingly, Hindraf leaders have lost their focus and dignity. What they are expecting to accomplish now – to stand as candidates against PR contestants – will only make the Malaysian Indian community more divided, alienated and defenceless in facing the country's political equation.
Have lost focus
Hindraf leaders have lost direction and as reported they plan to contest in the 13th general elections in PR strongholds. Apparently they have chosen to contest in seats where PR has the chance to be victorious. Awkwardly, they do not have the mind to face the MIC heavyweights, win and replace MIC in BN and fight for the poor Indians.
According to political analysts, there is no way they can win any seat contested without the support of either BN or PR. Yet they still want to join in the fray. The only reason must be that they want to play the role of a spoiler – more against PR than BN.
Have Hindraf leaders muddled their thoughts with political bias and confusion? Have they not seen the struggles made by Indian leaders within PR for the marginalised Indians within the last five years as compared with what UMNO has done for them in the past 56 years the country has been under BN rule?
Hindraf reportedly has given a deadline for either one of the two coalitions – BN or PR – to endorse their 18-point blueprint demands for the Indian community. Failing which it will decide “what to do” for the 13th general election.
No political coalition would officially endorse Hindraf’s 18-point demands, as in politics it’s too risky to give unqualified promises through written agreements. This has never been a political norm anywhere in the world.
Among the blunt request of this blueprint is Hindraf’s request for seven parliamentary and 10 state seats to contest in the coming general elections. Even BN has not agreed to this. The Gelang Patah Declaration by DAP promises to fulfil 14 out of Hindraf’s 18 blueprint points, yet they are not mollified.
Will disadvantage BN more than PR
BN has MIC to bank on for Indian votes. BN will not abandon MIC for Hindraf, as the latter has been with the coalition since Independence. But BN can use Hindraf to split Indian votes to favour the former. Will Hindraf accede to BN’s request then?
According to political analysts three-cornered fights will disadvantage BN more than PR. PR in their strongholds may lose some votes but will still emerge victorious. Hindraf in its place will not be able to garner significant Chinese or Malay votes.
PR on its part does not have race-based parties becoming part of its political pillar or constituents but has pledged to do more for the Indians and other poor Malaysians if it takes over Putrajaya. Hindraf is indeed cognisant of the fact that PR has no control over the federal government at the moment and by just controlling four states – Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan – the coalition has little clout to decide and implement polices at the national level they deem fit to help the marginalised Indians. The onus is on BN to do this as they form the federal government.
However, PR has upheld its election promises and has significantly helped the deprived Indians in states under their control despite the lack of funding and resources. In fact, this is the first time in the history of the country where an Opposition coalition has ever managed to control four states in an election.
This happened after the historic victories of PR in these states in the 2008 general elections.
Cannot do much to implement its noble policies
No doubt Hindraf did play a role in enabling PR become a dominant coalition in the 2008 elections but despite their support PR coalition could still not win big enough to control Putrajaya. Perhaps only with another major political tsunami and with the support of Hindraf would PR be able to rein in Putrajaya.
Hindraf should realise that without controlling Putrajaya PR’s wings are clipped and their many policies to help the unfortunate Indians impeded. PR could do more to implement its noble policies to help the marginalised Indians only after reining in Putrajaya.
BN and the former Alliance Party have won 12 elections at the national level since Independence and all through they were represented by a few Indian-based parties, conspicuously among them is MIC.
It’s not that MIC leaders have never pushed hard for UMNO-led BN to help the marginalised Indians the way UMNO is helping the poor Malays. It’s UMNO – the BN lynchpin – that has not helped out the marginalised Indians in many ways despite all the assurances they gave to the Indians just before each of the past general elections and by-elections.
Hindraf should be mindful that UMNO being the dominant party in BN has this habit of breaking promises for the past 56 years as they know the minority Indians do not have much clout in Malaysian politics.
UMNO is aware that the Indians are a split community. Not only are they split into many micro-ethnic groups which have their lineage traced back to the Indian sub-continent, they also have too many parasitic political parties to represent them in the country.
Indians have almost a dozen political parties to represent them when they only comprise less than 8 percent of the country’s 28 million population. This must be quite a strange phenomenon in Malaysian politics.
Fragmented Indian community
Added to the list of parties now is Hindraf or HRP (Hindu Rights Party). Thus a badly fragmented Indian community in the country is struggling hard to show to their members that they are their saviours. Never would the idea of uniting the Indians under two umbrellas come to the minds of these political leaders.
UMNO should be gleeful that the Indians are at odds among themselves.
The poor among the Indians can easily be “bought” by offering doles to them just before elections and this is adequate enough to make them vote for BN. The poor among them generally do not have a mind of their own and can easily be swayed when entrapped with a paltry sum of money or goodies.
Regrettably, Indian leaders for the past 56 years have failed to instil pride and dignity among their own kind.
The political elites among the Indians in BN for the past six decades prefer to ignore this humiliation and they have done minimum to change the mindset of the poor Indians. Many of these leaders are rent-seekers and struggle in politics only to elevate themselves to hold high posts in the government.
Certain institutions such as Tamil schools and temples are given more prominence than changing the mindset of the disadvantaged Indians. They become champions of these institutions just to clamour support from the poor Indians and put them on high political plinths.
The country now has a two-party system – PR and BN. Indians can best be represented by these two coalitions. If after 56 years of Independence, the Indians feel that BN has failed them they can conveniently opt for PR. There is no necessity for Indians to have a dozen political parties to represent them. Hindraf leaders on their part should not act in isolation but be part of this political equation.
The trend now is for voters to only look at parties, not personalities.
Can bear with 56-year rule and oppression
PR has only been in power at the state level for the past five years and Hindraf should not expect the impossible from them. Nevertheless, deprived Indians in states controlled by PR are relatively happy with the efforts taken by the state leaders to assist them.
Hindraf apparently can bear with 56-year rule of BN and the systemic oppression of the displaced Indians but cannot bear the 5-year rule of PR in the four states. Hindraf should not simply brush off PR for their shortcomings which are due to the lack of central power and resources. It should instead snub BN for their long years of neglect of the displaced Indians.
To rebuke PR only after five years – controlling only four states and with limited resources and power – is seriously undeserved. But if Hindraf leaders feel otherwise they should expediently disassemble their organisation and join hand with the well-represented MIC in BN to help the Indians more.
The most sensible thing for Hindraf to do now is to keep aside their 18-point blueprint demands, work with PR and capture Putrajaya. After putting PR at the helm then sit and discuss with the new government reasonable policies that can best be employed to better the livelihood of the marginalised Indians.
If after five years PR in power at the national level and Indians are not happy with the coalition they have their rights to change the government. This is a democratic country.
To split the Indian votes
If Hindraf’s intention of contesting seats is to split the Indian votes it is not going to help solve the Indian problems. First and foremost, Hindraf would not be able to garner enough votes to win any of the seats they were to contest. Even if they were to win they cannot represent to Indians effectively policy-wise with their insignificant numbers.
If the purpose is to kill PR candidates by contesting against them, this must be so unkind on Hindraf’s part. Many Indian lawmakers in PR today are those who are struggling hard to help the pitiable Indians. Why contest against them? Why not contest against those MIC leaders, win, replace them and the party then work with BN?
Hindraf leaders are suddenly showing their “self-seeking” brashness on the eve of elections. If the believe that by contesting against PR candidates they will be voted in, this must be a figment of their imagination. According to political analysts, Hindraf of today is a splintered group and has lost many of its followers. Hindraf hence is not going to cause much impact on the outcome of the coming general elections.
The Indians have already made up their mind and they are now either with PR or BN. These two coalitions have their own line of leaders who will contest in the coming general election. Hindraf candidates will be sidelined by the voters.
Will only marginally disfavour both PR and BN
By Hindraf joining the fray it may cause some splitting of votes among the Indians and this will only marginally disfavour both PR and BN.
And by forcing three-way fights in PR seats smacks of sinister motive by Hindraf. Instead of helping PR to win and improve on its strength in both Parliament and in the state assemblies, Hindraf and the yet-to-be registered HRP seem bent on destroying PR’s chances of capturing Putrajaya.
The interest of the Indian community cannot be best served even if one or two candidates are elected under HRP. It has to be a collective initiative in the Malaysian context to help the underprivileged Indians – either Hindraf be with PR or BN.
Be it as it may, Indian voters will use their own judgement and will not be blindly led by Hindraf whose leaders seem to have lost foresight for the Indian community.
Malaysia Chronicle
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