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.