The speaker had lived and researched on the Indian poor plantation workers in Kajang. Sees the demolishment of Hindu temples, forced syariah laws on Hindus, racism as the cause of the Indian poor uprising against the racist Malay-sian semi democratic regime.Hindraf Adviser Pathmarajah, P. Uthayakumar and W. Sambulingam attended this research findings lecture at 12.00 p.m today 12/10/10.
The talk covered the Hindraf Rally arising out of lack of progress of the Malaysian Indians on 25/11/07 but strategically at the KLCC Petronas Twin Towers the symbol of Malaysia’s prosperity.
Among the main points were:-
The carrying of the banner of Queen Elizabeth and Gandhi was deemed an astute move politically.
How the peaceful rally was treated with brutal and oppressive force in semi democratic Malaysia.
How the Sedition Act and ISA was used on the Hindraf lawyers.
How the said Hindraf Rally led to BN losing their 2/3 majority in Parliament.
The Hindraf Rally marks the failure of the state in managing the Indian poor problem.
The speakers theoretical sampling, border production and cross border production was outlined.
One of the most powerful dissatisfaction used by Hindraf supporters in the blogosphere was they being the “anak tiri” (step child) in Malaysia.
That the Indians did not choose themselves to (born) non bumis in Malaysia and why this racism.
The presence of common solidarity, examining the gap of institutional structures and corresponding racism.
There was a question and answer also by a number of foreign students on the Hindraf uprising and it’s cause and effect.
The Hindraf uprising becoming world news as it was extensively covered worldwide media including, BBC, CNN, ABC and Al Jazeera.
After the talk P. Uthayakumar met for another 1 ½ hours and conveyed P. Waytha Moorthy’s request for an independent study on the Malaysian Indian poor by the speaker and another doctorate student researching on Hindraf for submissions to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and the European Parliament in Brussells vis a vis the European Convention on Human Rights, European Communities, The Worlds Court and the International Criminal Courts.
P. Uthayakumar
The School of Arts & Social Sciences cordially invites you to SASS Seminar Series 18 /10 :
Speaker: Dr Vijay Devadas
Title: The Unfinished Business of Postcolonialism in Malaysia: Hindraf, New Media & a Future Cosmopolitanism
Date: 12th October 2010, Tuesday
Time: 12.00noon – 1.00pm
Venue: Communication Lab 9508, Level 5, Building 9, Monash University, Sunway Campus
Speaker’s Profile:
Vijay Devadas is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Media, Film & Communication, University of Otago, New Zealand. His research focuses on media, culture & society, drawing from political economy, textual analysis, archival research, & ethnography. His most recent work has been on media & the war on terror, new media & democracy, & Tamil cinema. He is co-editor of the international journal borderlands and recently co-edited Cultural Transformations: Perspectives on Translocation in a Global Age (Rodopi, 2010). He is currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Cultural Studies Cluster at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.
Abstract:
This paper explores the emergence of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), the formation of a solidarity around the notion of makkal sakthi (people’s power in Tamil) and its impact on political life in Malaysia. This is the name given to a solidarity that has made significant inroads in the 2008 elections in the country. While the election results are undoubtedly a manifestation of a complex network of concerns and allegiances, the paper will focus on the Hindraf effect and the use of digital networks and networking to intervene into the democratic texture of Malaysia.
See you there!
Warmest Regards,
Cynthia Ng
Executive Secretary
School of Arts & Social Sciences
Monash University
Sunway Campus, Malaysia
Tel: +603-5514 6054 (46054)
Fax:+603-5514 6365
