Manoharan urges PKR to field Uthaya

Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson M Manoharan today proposed that Human Rights Party leader P Uthayakumar be picked as the PKR candidate in the Hulu Selangor by-election.

He argued that Indian…

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Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson M Manoharan today proposed that Human Rights Party leader P Uthayakumar be picked as the PKR candidate in the Hulu Selangor by-election.

He argued that Indian support for Pakatan Rakyat is fast eroding and thus the best candidate for the parliamentary seat would be Uthayakumar as he can attract the sizable Indian votes in the mixed constituency.

"It is a good opportunity for Pakatan Rakyat to bring him on our side as he would be an asset to our coalition," said Manoharan, who won his state seat for DAP at the 2008 general elections while he was detained under the Internal Security Act.

The lawyer-cum-politician was held for about 18 months alongside Uthayakumar and three other Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Front) activists.

In justifying his choice, Manoharan said that PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim should explore long-term measures to secure Indian votes in the next general elections.

According to Manoharan (left in photo), Pakatan has nothing to lose by fielding Uthayakumar (right in photo) as a candidate.

Uthayakumar and his yet-to-be-registered HRP have been firing potshots at PKR and Pakatan for their failures in addressing issues affecting the Indian community.

Manoharan conceded that Uthayakumar has trained his guns at PKR over the past year, but he was optimistic that his fellow Hindraf activist can work together with Pakatan.

"Make him an ally not a foe as he knows how to resolve the Indian community's problem," said Manoharan.

Uthayakumar to consider

Uthayakumar has unveiled plans to contest 15 parliamentary and 42 state seats, all of which boast substantial Indian voters. This includes seats held by Pakatan's Indian politicians.

Meanwhile, Uthayakumar was coy when asked to comment on Manoharan's suggestion.

"If I am given the leeway to bring about changes in regards to the critical Indian community problems, I will consider," he told Malaysiakini.

The Hulu Selangor seat fell vacant following the death of its incumbent representative, Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad, two days ago. The Election Commission will announce the date of the by-election next Friday.

Indian Malaysians comprise about 19 percent of the 63,593 voters in the semi-urban constituency, which is located north of Selangor.

HRP hightlights plight of Indians to foreign missions

By Marc Jitab - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Twelve foreign and diplomatic missions were today given a briefing by the Human Rights Party (HRP) on human rights violations against…

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By Marc Jitab - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Twelve foreign and diplomatic missions were today given a briefing by the Human Rights Party (HRP) on human rights violations against ethnic minority Malaysian Indians.

HRP's pro tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar presented a laundry list of human rights failures and abuses in a 42-page report at the HRP headquarters in Bangsar here.

HRP, the political arm of the outlawed Hindraf organisation, appealed to foreign governments to internationalise the problems faced by Malaysian Indians.

Among the violations, Uthayakumar listed out police brutality, denial of education, forced religious conversions, housing and land issues, and lack of governmental funding.

Participants at the briefing were also shown grim pictures of victims who were abused, shot or thrown into the river, whose bodies were decomposed.

Uthayakumar said he had no choice but take the matter to the international arena as neither of the two main political coalitions in Malaysia served the interests of these minorities.

“The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) is just a showpiece of the government. There are 150,000 Indian children without birth certificates.

"If MIC can't even help provide them a simple thing as a piece of paper to show they are Malaysians, how can it solve the other problems?" he asked.

Uthayakumar did not spare the Pakatan-led state governments, saying that they are not doing any better either.

"At a stroke of a pen, the Penang, Selangor and Kedah governments can approve land for Tamil schools and the federal government will be compelled to enforce it.

"But it's been two years since they came into power, and nothing has moved,” said Uthayakumar, who is HRP's legal adviser.

Uthayakumar's days to freely champion HRP's cause may be numbered as there is a sedition trial hanging over his head. His prospects, according to his lawyer N Surindran, is grim.

With Hindraf banned and HRP yet to be registered, Uthayakumar's attempt to reach out to the international community to get Indian voices heard, seems understandable.

Hindraf accuses Umno of abusing Article 153

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has accused top Umno leaders of manipulating Article 153 of the Federal Constitution to amass the country’s wealth and enrich themselves.

London-based Hindraf supremo P Waytha Moorthy said Umno had disseminated misinformation for over 50 years, since independence, on the real contents of Article 153 to hoodwink Malaysians and misappropriate the country’s wealth by deception.

He said Article 153 never mentioned special privileges of Malays.

“It only stated the special position and provision of the Malays, read together with those of natives of Sabah and Sarawak and legitimate interests of all Malaysians.

“Umno invented the phantom privileges to empower and enrich the party elites,” he pointed out.

But, he alleged that Umno leaders over the years have propagated wrong information to deceive and cheat the people into believing that Article 153 was all about such phantom privileges.

He said Umno's top leaders have constantly and consistently spread misinformation on these phantom Malay privileges in order to loot and plunder the country’s wealth to enrich themselves at the expenses of other Malaysians, including the poor Malays and Indians.

“For instance, Umno had taken total control of Petronas money, a nation’s wealth, even evading parliamentary scrutiny,” he noted.

Racist policy

He said Umno leaders manipulated Article 153 to usurp the powers of Rulers to ensure the ruling elites were rich and powerful.

Waytha Moorthy alleged that Umno leaders misrepresented Article 153 to instil fear among non-Malays that “bloodbath would take place if the phantom special privileges of Malays were questioned”.

“Umno leaders have consistently warned non-Malays about the May 13 racial riot,” he told FMT via telephone.

He accused Umno leaders of abusing Article 153 to carry out a racist policy to upgrade a particular race – the Malays.

He said this blatant violation of human rights was systematically executed at the expense of non-Malays, especially poor and underprivileged Indians, Orang Asli (indigenous people) and natives of Sabah and Sarawak.

Waythamoorthy, a lawyer by profession, said Article 153 clearly stated that “it shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities”.

“Malaysians shall note that the article did not mention special privileges. It stresses that the King’s constitutional duty is to safeguard the legitimate interests of all Malaysians.

“Hindraf wants to know what the Yang di-Pertuan has done so far and will do in future to safeguard the interests of all Malaysians, not just Malays,” he said.

Legitimate interests

He added that Hindraf was curious to know what has been the “titah baginda” (ruler’s command) to safeguard the legitimate interests of all Malaysians.

The Hindraf leader had his international Malaysian passport revoked by the Home Ministry in late 2008.

Since then, Waytha Moorthy has been living under British political asylum.

Recently, the Umno-controlled Putrajaya administration announced that Waytha Moorthy would not be allowed back into the country because of his campaign to amend Article 153.

Hindraf considers the government'’s decision a serious violation of its leader’s legitimate citizenry rights.

Waytha Moorthy questioned the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government's fear of amending Article 153 when the same administration had amended the Federal Constitution countless times since 1957.

“The constitution only has 181 articles, but Umno had willfully amended it over 500 times, a world record, to suit its political whims and fancies,” he said.

He said the Umno administration had committed treason when the party embarked on constitutional amendments to clip the royal powers during the constitutional crisis in 1983 and 1989.

He said Hindraf wanted Article 153 to be amended to safeguard and enhance the legitimate interests, rights and benefits of all Malaysians irrespective of their ethnic and religious backgrounds.

“What’s so sacred about Article 153 that it shall not be amended?” he asked.

Itinerary @ HRP Briefing for foreign and diplomatic missions in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on 26/03/2010 at HRP HQ

Human Rights Violations Against the Ethnic Minority Malaysian Indians. HRP Briefing for foreign and diplomatic missions in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on 26/03/2010 at HRP HQ

NO. 6, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: 03-2282 5241 Fax: 03-22825245

Website: www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com Email: info@humanrightspartymalaysia.com

Itinerary

1) Welcome address by HRP Central Committee Member Mr. Patmarajah (10.00 a.m to 10.05 a.m)

2) Presentation of Hindraf video (10.05 to 10.10 a.m)

3) Briefing 1 – by P. Uthayakumar

– Short summary on the Ethnic Minority Malaysian Indian Human Rights Violations Annual Repport 2009

– Brief update on the Malaysian government’s refusal to register Hindraf and HRP as an NGO and Political Party respectively.

– In addition to UMNO/BN the Opposition parties’s, PKR, DAP and PAS, almost all NGOs’, Malaysian Civil Society, the print and electronic media including the alternative media’s abandonment that has also contributed to the current critical Indian problems (10.10 to 10.25 a.m)

4) Briefing 2 – Status of Mr. P. Uthayakumar’s especially the Kg.Medan “ethnic cleansing” Sedition charges which carries a maximum of three (3) years jail after having served 514 days of detention without conviction and trial under Malaysia’s draconian ISA – by P. Uthayakumar’s lawyer Mr. N. Surendran (10.25 to 10.40 a.m)

5) Slide Show presentation on the critical ethnic minority Indian problems in Malaysia by HRP Central Committee Member Mr. Jeevendra Kumar. (10.40 to 10.55 a.m)

6) Q & A (35minutes) 10.55 to 11.30 a.m.

7) Refreshments and Fellowship.

Thank You.

Your faithfully,

S. Jayathas

Information Chief

H/P: 012-6362287

Photos: 26/3/2010 (Friday) 10am: Human Rights Violations Against the Ethnic Minority Malaysian Indians. HRP Briefing for foreign and diplomatic missio

26/3/2010 (Friday) 10am: Human Rights Violations Against the Ethnic Minority Malaysian Indians. HRP Briefing for foreign and diplomatic missions in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.