The Aftermath of the Hindraf Rally

It has been 4 days since the Hindraf rally, and the dust has just began to settle. This is a good time to ponder about the significance and impact of this gathering on the future of Malaysian Indians, and also Malaysia as a whole. Nobody can deny that like BERSIH, the Hindraf rally may be a significant milestone that may turn the direction this country is heading.

Who are these people who turned out in thousands that Sunday? Firstly, they are not criminals or gangsters as the police and government would like to portray them. I also do not believe that all of them fall into the "poor" category. I am sure a lot of them are in the middle-income group. I believe the 30,000 people (as Malaysiakini reported) that were present during the rally that day are a SAMPLE of the Malaysian Indian MAJORITY that are totally dissatisfied and disillusioned with the MIC and the Barisan National government. It would not be far-fetched to say that the majority of MIC grassroots themselves are supporting the Hindraf cause either openly or in secret.

So, why did they do this? They have been blinded for all these years. And now, the blindfolds have been removed. Indians usually put the blame on their current situation on their fate (vithi or thale yeluthu in Tamil). It is in their nature not to blame others but themselves. That is why they continue to give undivided support to MIC and the BN all these years. The Chinese votes are always divided over MCA and DAP. The Malay votes get divided over UMNO and PAS/PKR. The Indians votes hardly get divided. For the BN, the Indians votes have always been considered as "in the bag" or a sure thing. Unfortunately, this undivided loyalty did not bring them much good. Hindraf has succeeded in making them see that they too, as Malaysians, deserve to be given opportunities to better themselves, and to come out of poverty and pathetic living conditions, especially in the estates. The Indians see themselves falling behind the other races as each day goes by. They realized that their present situation will only get worse especially when the playing field is not level. The Malaysian Indians realized that they are also stakeholders in the country, and they too have rights. Even so, all these reasons would not be enough for the thousands to put aside their fear, and make their voices to be heard that Sunday.

So, what triggered this overwhelming reaction? The last straw that broke the camel's back was the recent demolitions of many Hindu temples. The Government acted insensitively towards something the Indians hold sacred, even if the temples were built illegally. The Indians got the point that they were insignificant and their feelings were not important. They were made to feel like pariahs in their own land (yes, this is their land). They are asking why didn't the MIC come to their rescue? If the mighty Samy Vellu and the MIC are not even respected by the government, who is going to protect them from being stomped and trampled upon? Hindraf is not a stooge of the opposition, as the government claims. They are ordinary Indians with no political agenda who stepped up to voice out their opposition when the MIC decided to be silent. Their emergence coincides with the recent surge in the demolition of temples, not the upcoming elections as the government would want you to believe.

The two recent massive rallies have put the government in a tight spot. They would prefer to call elections before Anwar Ibrahim becomes eligible to run in April 2008. At the same time, the rallies show that there is deep dissatisfaction among the people (irrespective of race) with the current establishment. In addition to unfair electoral practices and demolition of places of worship, the government is also in bad light for the recent surge in prices of goods, petrol, and toll. In these hard times, the people cringe to hear that the Pahang state government spent RM48,000 of tax-payers money for a single-digit car license plate. To make things worse for BN, the Lingamgate scandal exposed a very possible corrupted judiciary. All these events have resulted in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi having a hard time pinning an election date as it appears to be a moving target.

MIC has always wanted to be the one and only path that brings assistance and improvements for the Indian community. Samy Vellu wants to be the only link between the Indian people and the PM. There should be no other avenues. That is why he protests vehemently whenever other Indian parties such as IPF and MUIP apply to join Barisan National. Probably, he is insecure about members of his party leaving him high and dry, and joining other Indian parties if they are in the Barisan coalition. If there are no other Indian parties in Barisan, the chances of this happening is of course zero. The possibility of MIC becoming a smaller Indian party within the Barisan coalition is a nightmare that he would not like to face. If that happens, he would lose his ministerial post, and the status of being the god-like figure of the Indian community. The Indian people's support for Hindraf is a slap in the face for him and MIC. Current MIC incumbents in both Parliament and State seats are already feeling the ground giving way below them. In a Malaysiakini video, I heard one of the Hindraf protesters say, "We'll show it to them when we go to the polls!". If the elections were to be held today, many MIC members of Parliament and state assemblymen will be dethroned, except maybe for Devamany, MP for Cameron Highlands. MIC now knows that "if you cannot beat them, you better join them". Even Samy Vellu who once was so against the Hindraf gathering, is now singing the same tune, saying that the government may have not "done enough" for the Indian community. The things that these people would say to cling on to the slippery poles of power...shame.

Hindraf should be proud with what they have achieved so far. Through the lawsuit and the rally, they have managed to highlight how low the Indians are feeling right now. Their claims are not racist in nature. They are not saying don't give to the Malays and the Chinese. What they are saying is, "Give to us also...Do not forget us...Treat us like citizens...Treat us fairly...Do not marginalize us anymore". They are saying enough is enough. They may be directly faulting the constitution for their current predicament, but they are indirectly blaming the Malaysian government. What Hindraf wants is a government that will treat all Malaysians fairly, irrespective of race and religion. This is also what PKR and Anwar Ibrahim is championing. Their goals are one and the same. The present government cannot change. Change is almost impossible when you have been in power for far too long. Hindraf's ultimate goal should be for Malaysia to turn a new page, with a new government that will end corruption and absurd spending, implement sound fiscal policies, keep the judiciary independent, raise the standard of living of everyone, and most importantly instill a sense of belonging in ALL Malaysians. Hindraf, and Malaysian Indians in general, having lost faith in MIC and BN, need to work hand in hand with PKR to achieve this. DAP's Lim Kit Siang showed his support when he visited the Hindraf supporters as they gathered outside the police station where their leaders were detained. He was greeted with loud cheers and applause. Anwar Ibrahim missed the chance by holding back, but made amends by showing support for the leaders at the court. PKR should reach out and welcome these Malaysians unto their fold. There is no shame in doing this as both parties have a common purpose. Anwar should attend one of Hindraf's upcoming ceramahs (talk) and show his morale support for their cause, and give them hope in a new leadership.

The tides are changing. I see light at the end of a dimly-lit tunnel.

Racial Profiling the Malaysian Way

I am not surprised to hear the breaking news in Malaysiakini that Hindraf leaders have been arrested two days before the planned rally on November 25. You sometimes wonder if we are living in a police state looking at the high-handed antics of our police force. Is fighting for your rights an action of sedition? Holding a keris and threatening to use it against the non-Malays is a seditious act but no one arrested Hishamuddin. UMNO Youth on many occasions has organized rallies to hand over protest letters to the US and British consulates. Why weren't they stopped? Why do you let the UMNO Malays do it, but not the Malaysian Indians? I don't think this is one of the bumiputra privileges that is enshrined in the New Economic Policy.

The police are going all-out to stop this rally on Sunday. The nervous police probably acting on a nervous government's instructions are carrying out roadblocks four days before the event. Can you picture what happens during these roadblocks? Only vehicles with Indian occupants will be stopped. They will be questioned. The police have been asked to look out for people dressed in orange. Get real. Nobody is going to dress in orange four days before the event! So, what do the police do? They have to check your luggage to see if you have anything orange inside! Imagine a bus load of Indians, probably coming to town to attend a wedding. Can you imagine the trouble and humiliation they have to go through? What if they find an orange t-shirt or saree? Will they arrest you just on the basis you had an orange colored clothing with you? This is ridiculous. This is outrageous. This is racial profiling at its worst.

I am not sure what is going to happen this Sunday. With the leaders arrested, police roadblocks, and rare court orders, the government may have succeeded in preventing the Malaysian Indians from holding the rally. Nevertheless, the government have also succeeded in flying colors to fuel further their anger. They may have stopped them for now, but they cannot stop them from going to polls and voting for the opposition come Election Day.

Back to the Drawing Board for Badawi

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must be having sleepless nights after seeing the large number of people that turned up for the BERSIH rally on November 10. Despite the harsh weather, and the presence of police enforcement, thousands of people risked being hurt and arrested, just to be there and to send a strong message to the present establishment. Malaysiakini estimated that the rally attracted at least 40,000 people. The people has "cabar"ed the PM!

The PM has to go back to the drawing board to fix a date for the election. There were earlier speculations that the elections will be held in early 2008. Although the present government would vociferously deny that the "Anwar factor" will not play a role in determining the date for the elections, we all know that this is not true. Barisan National (BN) stands a better chance of winning more seats if Anwar Ibrahim was not in the election equation.

Things are not looking preety good if the elections are held before April 2008 (so that Anwar will not be able to participate). The Lingamgate issue portrays that the judiciary is corrupted. Sivarasa (PKR vice-president) said it so well. In the "Chinese" citizen squatting issue, the investigations were focused on who the person in the video was, and taking action against those who carried out the wrongdoing. Nobody raised a question if the video was authentic, or who the "videographer" was. However, in the Lingamgate case, the investigations seem to focus on the authenticity and source of the video. Why the double-standard? The way the government acted on this issue raises serious doubts on how "clean" Badawi is. When he took the post of PM, he has been hailed as "clean" and "transparent". If he sweeps this serious issue under the carpet, then you can only wonder how corrupt the PM is. If he is corrupt on this big issue, there is no reason why he cannot be corrupt on other issues too. As a result of the Lingamgate issue, the Malaysian people, irrespective of race, has lost confidence in Badawi leading a clean and fair government.

Malaysian Indians are really pissed with the government. The BN has always counted on the Indians for sure votes in past elections. Not this time. The overzealous actions by some state government, and municipalities in breaking down Hindu temples are not going to help. You have to wonder why they carried out such insensitive measures when the elections are just around the corner. It just doesn't make good sense. The Indians have also come to a realization that they have been marginalized for far too long. They, through Hindraf, have brought this issue to the world's attention when they filed a suit against the British Government for leaving them to the mercy of the unfair Barisan government. They are simply fed-up that they, although being Malaysians, are treated as third-class citizens in their own country.

The Malaysian Chinese have not forgotten what took place in last year's UMNO assembly. UMNO tried to do so some damage control this year, but the wound runs too deep. Based on UMNO's antics last year, you cannot wrong the Chinese to believe that the people in UMNO have great dislike for them. Also, the way UPM authorities treated a Chinese student by taking his laptop, and an earlier incident when a group of Malay students behaved like rowdies with the Chinese students in the cafeteria, are not going to help the BN cause.

So, what has Badawi got going for him to call for an early election? Promises of growth corridors everywhere. I believe the legitimate one was in Johor. Then, to make everyone else happy, he promised growth corridors in the north, east cost, and now Sabah. And, of course, we sent one guy to space! Toll hikes and petrol hikes will be put on hold until after the elections. The country is certainly not in an "upbeat" state to call for an elections soon. Time is running out for Badawi as April 2008 is fast approaching, and he can almost feel Anwar breathing down his neck. My mom told me that a hot glass of milk makes sleeping at night easy. You may want to give it a try, Mr. PM.

UMNO's Damage Control Antics

After last year's "eye-opening" and "heart-burning" UMNO General Assembly, it is time to make amends this year since the General Election is around the corner.

The biggest mistake was to allow Astro to provide live telecast of the entire assembly proceedings last year. The live telecast provided insight to what may have been taking place in previous assemblies too. It exposed the expression of negative feelings of the Malays towards the non-Malays. Any Chinese/Indian-banging remark that comes out a delegate's mouth is followed by enthusiastic claps and cheers from the audience. The non-Malays were insulted, angry and shocked. Are these the true concealed feelings that the Malays have towards them? This year, UMNO decided to only telecast live through RTM the opening and closing speech by the party President. They are not taking chances with live-telecasts as they wanted to ensure that the "non-Malay banging sessions" are kept within closed doors. Malaysians, in general, have short memories and the non-Malays should have forgotten or cooled down by now. Why rekindle the dark memories of last year's assembly and lose votes and seats?

Hishamuddin Hussein Onn's fascination with the keris is quite hilarious. Last year, he implied that he would not hesitate to use the keris to protect the rights of his fellow Malays. Everyone knows that that was a political gimmick to look tough since the Pemudas are supposed to be the aggressive ones. He didn't want to look like a softie especially with new faces like Khairy breathing down his neck. And he joined the bandwagon to hit out, maybe indirectly, at the non-Malays, knowing very well that that will be a popular stand among the delegates. In the euphoria of the moment, he wanted nothing but the approval and applause of the audience. At the end of the assembly, he didn't back down from his remarks knowing very well that the non-Malays were disappointed with his "threat". His recent explanation on his keris-wielding antics last year was so well crafted. Hats off to him. He now says that he will use the keris to protect all Malaysians. You have to wonder why it took him a year to clear the air on this issue. This is nothing but damage control.

Another example of damage control to win the hearts of the non-Malays was the recent Wanita UMNO's announcement that they will be presenting gold medals to three non-Malay university students for academic excellence. When I first heard this, I was impressed. I really thought Wanita UMNO was heading in the right direction, i.e. recognising achievements irrespective of race or religion. However, when Rafidah Aziz said this year's assembly was special because it was the 50th year of independence, AND also because they will be facing a general election soon, I begin to question the sincerity of the gold medal presentation to the non-Malay students. Is this gesture another damage control antic by UMNO in preparing for the coming elections?

Good try but we will not forget.

Bahasa Melayu vs Bahasa Malaysia

What's in a name? Probably a lot for the Overseas Umno Club Alumni. They recently stated that they will send a resolution to UMNO supreme council to revert to Bahasa Melayu as the name for the national language. I can imagine these guys sitting at a round table figuring out resolutions to be sent to UMNO. Of all the innovative and nation-building ideas, is this the best they could come up with?? I do not know about their other resolutions, but only this made the papers. So, you can only imagine the quality of the other suggestions that didn't make the headlines.

What is so wrong with "Bahasa Malaysia"? How can they prefer "Melayu" to "Malaysia"? By calling it Bahasa Melayu, do they have the feeling of being on a higher pedestal as "the other people" are speaking THEIR language? Their argument is you should call a spade, a spade. They say the Americans call their national language English, and not the American language. Why look so far to the Americans? Just see your neighbors Indonesia. They call their national language Bahasa Indonesia. I would say that the Indonesians have more reason to call it Bahasa Melayu, as the language originated in Riau, Indonesia.

Kudos to Information Minister, Zainuddin Maidin, for putting this idiotic resolution to rest. To quote The Star (Nov 6, 2007), "from the psychological aspect, the use of the term Bahasa Malaysia was a more friendly and effective approach in the effort to unite Malaysians. Our Father of Independence Tunku Abdul Rahman felt that Bahasa Malaysia should be used as it creates a sense of belonging among the multi-racial community and makes them feel that it is their language".

In short, the reason to name it Bahasa Malaysia was for uniting the Malaysian people as we attempt to create a Bangsa Malaysia. I urge the Overseas Umno Alumni Club and other organizations like these to come up with policies that would integrate the Malaysian people and not divide them further. Please come down from your imaginary high pedestal, integrate with all of us and speak OUR language, Bahasa Malaysia.

Look no further...Vanajah's here!

Sheikh is back from his space mission, and Faiz is set to be the second one to blast off. Probably, the next time Malaysia purchases a few Sukhois or MIGs, they will include in the sales agreement for Russia to take Faiz to space too. So, was Sheikh's trip really free or was he given a discount? I believe Malaysia received a space trip slot in return for the Sukhoi purchase. Space trip slots are so limited that they have to cost lots of money, said to be near US$23 million each. So, for Faiz to wear the space suit for real next time, Malaysia will need to fork out more of the taxpayer's millions of dollars. Nevertheless, congratulations to Sheikh for successfully completing his mission. I believe the process of becoming an astronaut is no cake walk, and he has persevered.

I do not know how transparent the selection process was to shortlist Sheikh and Faiz as the top two to become the country's first astronaut. Who was responsible for sieving through the 11,000 applicants? Did this panel have space travel or space mission experience? Did they abide by the principles of meritocracy? What was the criteria or qualities they were looking for? I'm asking these questions because recent news reports seem to harp that these two gentlemen were dashing(Sheikh is a part-time model). I seriously hope looks were not one of the criteria!!! Of course, there will be plenty of photo ops, but still looks should never, never be a factor.

It has been confirmed that Faiz will be the second Malaysian to be an astronaut. It has been reported that the nationwide search for a backup astronaut will commence soon. Why bother??? Just send Vanajah, a finalist in the last search. It doesn't make sense to waste money and time doing another search. I am sure Vanajah is more than qualified. An engineer by profession, she was the only woman among the top four. The PM recently said that Sheikh is a hero, and asked who is going to be the heroine. That's a no-brainer. The heroine can be Vanajah. For a woman to be among the top four finalists of 11,000 astronaut aspirants, she surely must have very strong qualities and credentials.

Jamaluddin Jarjis, the Science, Technology and Environmental Minister, said that "every Malaysian will have a chance to be an astronaut" (The Star, November 1, 2007). He continued to say that the government will not discriminate when making the choice after Faiz. Make Vanajah the next one to be in line for a space expedition. It will give hope not only to the women folk but also to the non-Malays, that they too will have an equal chance to go to space.

Better still, the government should focus on creating the next level of "hardcore" astronauts... the ones who can commandeer and fly space shuttles/rockets, maneuver the space vessel to connect to the International Space Station, and make space walks (not for the fun of it) but to carry out repairs and maintenance works. Also, focus on creating the next generation of scientists and technologists who will build our own rockets, that we can launch from our own soil. The millions of dollars that we are spending to "piggy-ride" others to the final frontier can certainly be put to more worthwhile causes and ambitions.

Big $$$ for the Indians (Really??)

I read in The Star (November 1, 2007) where Palanivel declared proudly that his ministry has provided $2.7 million financial assistance to 32,000 Indians since 2004. At first glance, I felt like patting his back and saying Syabas. However, I decided to take a closer look at the numbers.

We have about 2,160,000 Indians in Malaysia (8% of 27 million people). Therefore, his ministry has helped only about 1.5% of the Indian population since 2004. Per year, the numbers look more pathetic, that is only 0.5% of the Indian population!

Let's do some simple maths to see how much each person got. Divide $2.7 million by 32,000 people. On average, each one of them received only $84.38!!!

Looks like not much to shout about. It would not be hard for an alternative government to beat these numbers. The Indians need to reevaluate their loyalty to the Barisan government. They have been taken for a ride too long. It's time to get off the bus before it runs over the cliff!!!