Interlok: Punish Education Ministry officers, says Niat

(Malaysiakini)The National Interlok Action Team (Niat) has yesterday demanded that the Education Ministry officials who recommended and approved the 'Interlok' novel as a compulsory Malay literature text for Form Five students, be identified and punished.

This is one of the five resolutions Niat adopted at its meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. It was its second meeting within a week.

"This 'Interlok' novel is contrary to the spirit of national unity. The ministry officers who approved this novel as a textbook must be identified and severely punished by the government," Deputy president of Malaysian Hindu Sangam, Dr Bala Tharmalingam, said.

Niat also claimed that its demand that the novel be withdrawn immediately has been receiving considerable support from the members of all the communities and various NGOs.

"At the start, there were 140 Indian NGOs that supported the call for the withdrawal of 'Interlok'. Now, it is 250 Indian NGOs representing some 500,000 Indians," Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim, the chair of Niat, claimed.

Deadline for Interlok withdrawal

Niat at its meeting held yesterday also adopted another four resolutions.

The first one reiterated its earlier demand that the novel must be withdrawn by March 31.

The second one called for the observance of a fast on March 20 throughout the country for the purpose of raising the awareness of the Malaysian public to the damage the novel would cause to national unity.

The third resolution invited concerned parents to access Niat's website www.myniat.com to register their objections to the novel, thus giving expression to their concern.

According to Niat, the objection to the 'Interlok' novel is not a matter concerning just only one community, it is a national issue involving everyone who cares for national unity.

To demonstrate this unity, the fourth resolution called for a conference of all NGOs in the country, which will be held on March 27.

Gov't out to quash Hindraf's revival

'By throwing criminal charges against all their key leaders, Umno hopes to kill off this human rights organisation.'

Perak HRP chief charged in KL magistrate's court

Mimi Suraya: At one point, I too like many Malaysians believed that Hindraf is a racist organisation. But as the day goes by, it is becoming clearer what they are fighting for. The media is just not with them.

They may be a bit harsh but that does not matter as I suppose they are dealing with a regime that is ruthless. Umno's ruthlessness has to be put to an end. PAS should talk to Hindraf. There is lots more to be gained.

Anonymous: Many know what Hindraf has done but are hesitant about speaking up for them. Put all the human rights workers together and this group outshines them, yet they are called racist by the civil societies who are uncomfortable with Hindraf.

Anti-Interlok: I now begin to wonder, was HRP (Human Rights Party) interested in removing 'Interlok' from the syllabus or using the 'Interlok' to promote their movement that has been hijacked by the Ponnusamy brothers.

They even started a campaign for public donations the same way that they did before in 2007, when the actual cause was the 18 Hindraf demands and law suit in Britain, but all the funds were diverted for the release of Uthayakumar and his health.

Willson: The issue brought up by Hindraf and HRP is not about 'Interlok' alone. There are the more serious issue of racism entrenched in all systems and walks of Malaysian life so much so that we do not realise it.

Hazley: The government fears the influence of Hindraf/HRP. By throwing criminal charges against all their key leaders, Umno hopes to kill off this human rights organisation.

They have been trying by various methods to undermine them, from calling them terrorists to breaking them up from within. But nothing works. The poor and the underclass are with them.

Where are our cows?

P.M Najib’s Australia visit. HRP appeals to 119 Australian MP’s well Senators to question UMNO state sponsored racism against minority Malaysian Indian poor.

No.6, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 
Tel: 03-2282 5241 Fax: 03-2282 5245 
Website: www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com Email: info@humanrightspartymalaysia.com

Your Reference : 

In Reply : 

Date : 3/3/2011

The Honorable Senator Michael Foreshow
Chairperson
Parliamentary Joint Committee
Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade
Dear Sirs,
Re: 1. SOS appeal to Australian Parliament joint sitting on Malaysian state sponsored racism against minority Malaysian Indian poor on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Australia visit (04/03/2011).




We are writing this letter on behalf of the 2.5 Million minority Malaysian Indians to express our concern over the visit of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to Australia in the background of the above and Malaysia being a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

We also understand he has been given the privilege to address the Members of the United Nations and the Australian Parliament in a joint sitting.

We wish to bring to the attention of the Australian lawmakers about Malaysia’s systematic racial discrimination and in violation of acceptable international norms especially targeting the defenseless and poor Malaysian Indians.

The Human Rights Party of Malaysia (HRP) is led by lawyer P. Uthayakumar who was detained without trial under the International Security Act (ISA) for 514 days from 13/12/2007 for organizing a peaceful assembly on 25/11/2007. HRP is the political wing of Human and Minority Rights NGO Hindraf whose Chairman P.Waytha Moorthy is a British trained Barrister at law and now leading Hindraf from exile in London.
Please take cognizance of in particular the following:-

• · Used the Attorney General, the Judiciary, Registrar of Societies and government machinery to launch a nationwide crackdown on Hindraf.
• · By jailing and maliciously prosecuting this week alone 53 Hindraf human rights and minority rights activists as at 4/03/2011 and continuing.
• · Last week some 300 over Hindraf activists (government claims only 109) were arrested and jailed for organising a peaceful assembly against the UMNO state sponsored racism. This week alone 53 Hindraf activist have been prosecuted to be jailed up to three years for merely being members of Hindraf.
• · Brutally suppresses freedom of speech and peaceful assembly;
• · Used the Internal Security Act and the Sedition Act to punish without trial five Hindraf lawyers in 2007;
• · Malays are a superior race, just like Hitler did, coupled with Islam as a superior religion to oppress, segregate and exclude especially the Indian poor;
• · Last month by promoting a textbook called Interlok where Indians are demeaned as “dark skinned smelly pariahs” ;
• · Systematically denied the right to freedom of assembly and speech as is enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution and in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
• · All other atrocities as per Malaysian Indian Minority & Human Rights Violations Annual Report 2010.
• The government of Malaysia led by UMNO by Prime Minister Najib Razak is ruling the country with pure racism and violation of basic human rights such as freedom of religion, speech, right to assembly, equality and equal opportunities denied to the Indian poor. To give him the privilege to address the Australian Parliament will contaminate the sanctity of a respectable institution.

Malaysia today has emerged as the world’s most racist and religious supremacist country and the world’s only and last remaining apartheid regime, but very little known to the world at large because of UMNO’s very “clever” media political propaganda.

Kindly access our website at hrp-my.org to view our day to day documentation of the deplorable extent of the acts of persecution racism, religious supremacy and victimization of the mere 8% ethnic minority Indian poor. Our main website www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com was on 27/02/2011 “shut down” by the government despite a promise of Internet freedom.

Given this racist and religious supremacist attributes we seek the Australian lawmakers to raise the aforesaid persecution of the Malaysian Indians with our Prime Minister. So please help us.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
____________
P.Uthayakumar
Secretary General (pro tem)
(H/P No: +6013-3504711)

Hindraf leader Ramesh charged, 53 in all

Another Hindraf leader has been charged with being a member of the outlaw organisation.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hindraf national secretary P Ramesh was today charged with being a member of an unlawful society at a magistrate’s court here today.
He was charged with committing two offences under the Societies Act 1966. This brings the number of people charged since last Sunday’s rally to 53.

According to the first charge, Ramesh was a member of Hindraf, and therefore committed an offence, outside a hotel at Jalan Thambipillay, off Jalan Tun Sambanthan, at 8.30am on Feb 27.

The word “Hindraf” in the chargesheet was changed to Hindraf Makkal Sakthi after the deputy public prosecutor Vincent Chew applied for the change.

Ramesh, 40, is also charged with possessing banners and documents totalling nearly 100 which appear to further the cause of Hindraf, an outlawed organisation.

Some the banners read: ‘People’s march solidarity against Umno’s racism’, ‘We demand equal rights for 12 million non-Malays in Malaysia and… universal standards of democracy’, ‘Hindraf is not anti-Islam’ and ‘What – racism? Who – Umno? When –54 years? Where – 1Malaysia? How –Marginalised? Why – Racist agenda’.

The first offence comes under Section 43 while the second under Section 47 of the Act.
Ramesh, also Human Rights Party (HRP) pro-tem Perak chief, pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Double standard
If convicted, Ramesh faces a maximum three-year jail term or RM5,000 fine or both for the first charge and a maximum of two years jail and a maximum fine of RM5,000 fine or both for the second offence.
Magistrate Mohd Azali Ibrahim set bail at RM8,000.

Mention date was fixed for April 11.

HRP’s pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar, who is a lawyer for Ramesh, together with M Manoharan, Hindraf legal adviser, told FMT that the prosecution of Hindraf supporters showed that the government practised double standard.

“I submitted in court that in 1988 Umno was declared illegal by the Kuala Lumpur High Court. The named was changed to Umno Baru, and now they’ve dropped the word Baru. It is contempt of court to be using the word Umno. They (Umno) don’t even have a court order to ban Hindraf or Hindraf Makkal Sakthi but they’re going after us.”

“This is in contravention of Article 8 of the Federal Constitution which provides for equality before the law,” he said.

On Feb 27, police arrested 109 people from different parts of the city and crippled a planned Hindraf rally.
Hindraf, which rose to fame after a mammoth rally in 2007, is a banned organisation but the group has now come under a new name – Hindraf Makkal Sakthi. It is closely linked to the political party HRP.

‘Malicious prosecution’
The Hindraf rally was to call for an end to “Umno’s racism” as well as seeking a ban on the controversial textbook Interlok. The group also held gatherings nationwide on the same issues.

On March 1, five men, including HRP information chief S Jayathas, 44, were charged at the Selayang magistrate’s court with being Hindraf members.

One of them was also charged with obstructing a public official from carrying out his duties by pushing Insp Mohd Aster Mohammad, causing him to fall to the ground.

On March 3, six men were slapped with similar charges at the Ipoh magistrate’s court.
Yesterday, 21 people, including five women, pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate’s court with being members of Hindraf.

At the Seremban magistrate’s court, 20 people, including state HRP chief S Sivarasa, pleaded not guilty to being Hindraf members.

All charges came under Section 43 of the Societies Act.

“To me, the charges on all the Hindraf supporters are basically a malicious prosecution by the attorney-general and an abuse of his powers,” said Uthayakumar.

“The charges are also politically motivated and intended to stiffle and finish off Hindraf Makkal Sakthi, which is a mere minority rights and human rights NGO.

“We are not a secret society; we have never been a threat to the country. This is an attempt by the Umno-led government, under its racist policies, to stop us from raising legitimate grouses and championing the Malaysian Indian poor.”

HINDRAF MAKKAL SAKTHI TO PETITION MALAYSIAN KING IN CONJUNCTION WITH INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RACIALDISCRIMINATION.

PETITION TO SET UP A ROYAL COMMISSION WITH VIEW TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO DISMANTLE AND END ALL MALAYSIA’S   INSTITUTIONALISED RACIST POLICIES.

HINDRAF MAKKAL SAKTHI will hand over a memorandum to the Yang Dipertuan Agong in conjunction with the annually observed International Day for the Elimination of Racism on the 21st March 2011 to make recommendation for a Royal Commission on Institutionalised racism perpetrated by the UMNO government.

It is a fact that racism is deeply entrenched and Institutionalised by the racist UMNO government. The concern of racial discrimination, which began from the need to eradicate poverty irrespective of race ended up in the neo-colonisation of the UMNO Government. Today the minority communities are perpetually wounded and been neglected in their ability to live a free and equal life amongst the majority through UMNO’s Institutionalised racial policies.

The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.

The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted in 1963, states

Discrimination between human beings on the grounds of race, color or ethnic origin is an offence to human dignity and shall be condemned as a denial of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as an obstacle to friendly and peaceful relations among nations and as a fact capable of disturbing peace and security among nations.

We would implore upon  the King that it is now time to confront racism  and to take   comprehensive measures against them. Racism, racial discrimination and all kinds of related intolerance may have gone away elsewhere but it is accelerated in an alarming rate in Malaysia through institutionalised racism.

We all constitute one human family. Instead of allowing diversity of race and culture to become a limiting factor for political gain, now is the time to refocus our understanding and provide equality and freedom with policies that are colour blind to race and ethnicity. 

Every human is equal and free in the eye of the GOD. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reminds us of our collective responsibility for promoting and protecting this ideal. With that spirit, we at HINDRAF MAKKAL SAKTHI would appeal to  the Agong, who is the King for his subjects to  strongly recommend for a Royal Commission to report on the damage racism has caused and make recommendations to dismantle and end all Malaysia’s Institutionalised Racist policies and propose new policies and legislations to embrace all citizens as equals as enshrined in Article 8 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution. 

P.Waytha Moorthy

Chairman

HINDRAF 

The Bonded labourers in our midst (Documentary)

41 more HRP members face court charges

(Malaysiakini) A total of 41 members from the Human Rights Party (HRP) were charged today in magistrate courts in Kuala Lumpur and Seremban with taking part in an illegal organisation.

The charges were laid as leaders and members of the HRP were organising a convoy under the banned Hindraf Movement.

HRP members were organising convoys nationally to protest against the use of novel Interlok in schools.

In Kuala Lumpur, 21 HRP members, 16 men and five women, two of them university students, were accused of committing the offence under Section 43 of the Societies Act 1996, by taking part in an HRP-organised convoy at Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, on Feb 13.

The prosecution was led by DPP Hazariah Siri and all 21 accused were represented by lawyers M Raman and P Uthayakumar, who is also HRP's secretary-general.

Uthayakumar (right) said that the 21 charged in Kuala Lumpur pleaded not guilty and were released on RM2,000 bail each.

April 6 has been fixed for mention of the case, he said.

Among the 21 are HRP Kuala Lumpur coordinator K Balakrishnan and central executive committee members V Lurdge Mary and S Thiagarajah.

Uthayakumar told Malaysiakini that Lurdge was harassed and humiliated by police early this morning, about which he made an official complaint to magistrate Zulkply Abdullah.

"At 2am today, my client (Lurdge) called me in a state of panic as the police knocked on her door, demanding that she go to the station with them.

"How could this happen? Why are the police intimidating us? Intimidating her like that? After all, she had already agreed to turn up in court today. She had informed an investigating officer that she will be attending court this evening...

"So, why create the commotion?" Uthayakumar asked.

20 charged in Seremban

In Seremban, 20 HRP members, 15 men and five women, were also charged with a similar offence in a magistrate's court.

Among them was Negri Sembilan HRP coordinator S Sivakumar.

They are alleged to have committed the offence under Section 43 of the Societies Act 1996 while partipating in an HRP-organised convoy at Jalan Rahang, Seremban, on Feb 13.

The prosecution was led by DPP Mahmood Abdullah and all 20 were represented by lawyers S Karthigesan, E Ramasamy and Norliana Ali Othman.

Contacted by Malaysiakini, Karthigesan said all of them pleaded not guilty and were released on bail of RM1,700 each.

April 11 has been set for mention of the case, he added.

Karthigesan also said a husband and wife were absent from the Seremban magistrate's court today due to illness and they would be charged at a later date.

On Tuesday, five HRP leaders and members were also charged with similar offences at a magistrate's court in Selayang, but they refused to post bail, which was set at RM2,500.

Yesterday, six more pleaded not guilty to similar charges at a magistrate's court in Ipoh, and were released on RM2,000 bail each.

The six are Perak HRP chief P Ramesh, vice-president S Nagroon, Taiping coordinator K Sivakumar, and three members, R Mohan, S Jayakumar and V Lingam.

On Feb 13, 59 HRP members and supporters in Selangor, Perak and Kuala Lumpur were arrested for being part of a nationwide convoy to protest against the novel Interlok, which is used in secondary schools as a Malay literature textbook.

Controversy ballooned following the Education Ministry's decision to use the novel, written by national laureate Abdullah Hussein, for Form Five students, with several parties claiming it contains words insensitive to the Chinese and Indian communities.

Indian NGOs decry the book's description of Indians in Malaysia as being from the lower caste, among other racial stereotyping.

HRP takes its case to foreign diplomats

Hindraf Interlok Rally

Video: 6 Perak HRP members released with post bail (Anti UMNO Racism Car Convoy) 2/3/11

Photos: 21 Hindraf Activist charged for Anti UMNO Racism Car Convoy & Sec.43 of Society Act @ KL Court. 3/3/2011

[View with PicLens]

HINDRAF : Tamizha Tamizha

Photos: Foreign and Diplomatic missions keen line of questioning on plight of Indian poor in Malaysia vis a vis UMNO racism.

A total of thirteen countries’ diplomats confirmed participation but only nine countries ie, United Nations, Indonesia, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Norway, European Union, Chezh Republic and France were in attendance at the HRP H.Q today from 10.00 a.m to 12.00p.m.

Jeevindra Kumar, A. Sukumaran and Dr. Paraman made their presentations on the Malaysian Indian Minority & Human Rights Violations Annual report 2010, slide show on UMNO racism from womb to tomb, Higher Education denial and Project 15/38 respectively.

P. Uthayakumar answered all questions from the floor. Although we had allocated only half an hour, it extended to well up to just over one hour. Unlike last year a lot more questions were asked about Hindraf, the Indian poor, UMNO racism etc.

In his concluding remarks P. Uthayakumar finally said that the diplomats would know how to take it from here bearing in mind that Malaysia is sensitive to International scrutiny.

S.Jayathas

[View with PicLens]

Dr.Paraman’s speech at annual briefing on Malaysian Indian minority & Human Rights Violations 2010 for foreign embassies on 3/3/2011.

  

Dr.Paraman – Education and Project 15/38

A glaring point evidently visible as the primary cause of all the critical Malaysian indian problems is that they do not have proper political representations.

Even though being the third largest ethnic composition in Malaysia, the Indians only have a single constituency where they are a majority.

Even Sabahan and Sarawakians that constitute less than the population of the Indians in Malaysia in total, do have a much larger representations in Parliament and could exert more influence than the Indians.

Even though there maybe Indian Parliamentarians and State assemblymen but in reality they are very existence and future re – election chances is dependent on the majority of other races like Malays and Chinese. Therefore critical Indian issues will always never be raised or addressed to the actual gravity of the problem for fear that they may never get re elected again.

Whenever general elections looms, Indians will be referred to as king makers but soon after they will be referred to as insignificant. We used to wonder why? Until the 2008 general election that when we realized why. In November 2007 100,000 Indians participated in the Hindraf Rally to voice out their frustration of being systematically marginalized and deprived of all the basic needs that might colleagues had mentioned earlier. You must understand 100,000 Indians coming from a composition of 7 to 8% of the country’s population, to give a true reflection of how large that number really is, is equivalent to 1 million Malays on the streets. This effect spilt over and reverberated to all other races and therefore in 2008 general election the opposition unprecedented gains.

The Indians who have been traditionally BN supporters had swung to PR. And the results were seen clearly. Therefore the Indians are indeed kingmakers but only during a general election. After that they become insignificant. Over the years the Indians in general just accepted this predicament that they were in. This is known as the “Stockholm Syndrome”.

If I am allowed to draw an analogy the Stockholm syndrome is a term used to describe paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express adulation and have positive feeling towards their captors that happier irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, essentially mistaking a lack of abuse from their captors as an act of kindness. Meaning all the marginalized issues example birth certificate, citizenship, no proper schools, no university places, no scholarships, no jobs….. it is all eventually considered acceptable.

While Mr.Uthayakumar was spending “ quality time” in prison he managed to compartmentalize this problem and came out with a logical solution.

The Indians do not necessarily need Indian parliamentarians or Indian State Assemblymen. They need Parliamentarian and State Assemblymen who are dependent on Indian majority constituencies.

Because just having Indian Parliamentarian etc, and we have had many over the years since independence, but they are toothless to bring up critical Indian issues.

Therefore we narrow down areas that composed of around 20% Indians and we are trying to get other Indians from other areas to register in these areas so that the Indian composition in the area can be raised to more than 50% of the total electoral population of that area. That is how 15/38 was born. And mind you, my distinguish friend it is not just for HRP’s benefit, but for all Indians in this country.

It is going to be a low process, but we have no other way. Eventually this is going to be the best solution. Because it is only during a democratic process such as a general election that the Indian vote is equal to another. One for One.

For starters we will be standing in these targeted areas come the next general elections, against Barisan Nasional. Whether Pakatan Rakyat chooses to be spoiler to us is really up to them. Our aim is to use this opportunity to traverse nationwide during the general election campaign period to enlighten the mass public of the principled stand that we are taking as well as to instill the values of our election manifesto to all.

Generally our election manifesto deals with equality to all. Our theme is “equality is not a privilege, it is your right, your human right”. It is based on clear and unambiguous commitment to the principles of equality for all as stipulated in article 8 of the Federal Constitution.