The HINDRAF rally to protest UMNO racism ended prematurely when police moved in to arrests its core leaders today after arresting its leaders at the state level over the past week. According to The Malaysian Insider:
Police detained Hindraf founder P. Uthayakumar this morning ahead of a mass protest scheduled to take place at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) shopping centre from 9am.
And Malaysian Chronicle:
Malaysian police locked down the Kuala Lumpur City Centre area ahead of a planned demonstration by Indian rights activists. Not only has the head of Human Rights party P Uthayakumar been arrested but Hindraf protesters gathering at various destinations around town have also been detained without any reasons given.
HINDRAF was protesting the usage of a book titled Interlok as compulsory text in Malaysian schools. They claim it demeans and stereotypes the Chinese and Indian communities in Malaysia. The book which is required reading for Malaysian students sitting for their O’ Levels equivalent examinations had sentences as below (translated into English):
The book is also factually incorrect when discussing the socio-cultural context of the Indians in Malaysia.
The Human Rights party (HRP), a political party headed by the most prominent HINDRAF leader, P. Uthayakumar, compiles annually the atrocities suffered by the Indian community in Malaysia. It blames the Barisan Nasional government driven by UMNO’s “Malay Supremacy” ideology for the predicament that the Indian community in Malaysia is experiencing. In the words of P. Uthayakumar:
The Indians are still being marginalised…From womb to tomb they are riddled with fundamental problems. They are denied solid education, skills training, good employment opportunities and even a proper burial ground…This is our first rally against Umno racism particularly for the Indian poor. We have moved beyond Interlok to standing up against the most racist government in the world.
HINDRAF was credited as one of the major factors that led to the opposition gaining spectacular results in the 2008 General Elections.
9 responses so far ↓
1 msirsha // Feb 28, 2011 at 12:51 pm
The present Malaysian Govt political parties which has been ruling for the past 54 years does not take into account the sensitivities and needs of Indians when making policy decisions.
Quality comment or not?
9 
1
2 Vejay // Feb 28, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Yesterdays protest by the minority Indians in Malaysian is not for political mileage or to tarnish the Malaysian image overseas. It is the fundamental rights of the Indians in Malaysia to live equally like the other races; but the Malaysian UMNO led government had systematically denied the rights as enshrined in the the Malaysian Federal Constitution and made all Malaysian Indians except a few cronies linked to political parties were treated like slaves who need to beg for privileges.
Hindraf Makkal Sakthi with the support of the general public applied for a police permit to march from KLCC to Dang Wangi police station to make their police reports to call for the removal of a textbook novel titled “Interlok” which had disparaging remarks about the Indian community added to the SPM exam syllabus although they do not need a police permit in the first place as per our constitution.
The permit was denied on the instruction of the Home Minister. Yet thousands of marginalized Indian poured the streets of Kuala Lumpur
in protest and was badly treated by the police harassing, preventing free movement and arresting them without reason.
The police went after any Indian found on the major streets of KL and try restricting their movement with a show of power & might.
It must be noted that all those who came to the streets to protest were unarmed and non violent.
The police were heavily armed, behaved in a very rude and violent manner.
The pictures and video clips posted online will be a proof to this violent behavior by the police on the innocent public under the UMNO regime.
Reporters were herded to a secluded area to prevent them from covering the event, some reporters from the alternative media were arrested on false charge of obstructing policemen.
The heavy presence of armed police manning roadblocks, spot checks, harrassing only Indians on the streets put the rest of visitors to KL in fear.
The police have cause fear to the citizens of Malaysia. The police have made it look like visiting KL is very dangerous.
All these nonsense must stop immediately and the PM must be reprimanded for being racial in his management of this country.
These protest against human rights will continue.
Quality comment or not?
10 
0
3 Greg Lopez // Feb 28, 2011 at 8:47 pm
UMNO racist – the video of the arrest of HINDRAF coordinator. No reason given for his arrest.
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
4 Malaysia: Rally against ‘racist’ book · Global Voices // Mar 1, 2011 at 2:56 am
[...] the continuing use of Interlok novel in schools. The controversial book, according to protesters, discriminates against the Indian community. [...]
Quality comment or not?
1 
0
5 barry // Mar 1, 2011 at 12:57 pm
On reading this post I am struck by the striking similarities between Malaysia and Thailand. The repression of those perceived to be of ‘lower status. In Malaysia it is racial, here it is political.
Quality comment or not?
1 
0
6 Vejay // Mar 2, 2011 at 2:54 am
I hope the Australian PM and MP’s will question Malaysian PM Najib on his arrival to Australia about the brutal use of force on innocent poor non violent minority Indians without reason for coming out in droves to make police reports against racism by UMNO led Barisan Nasional government on 27/2/2011.
All those Indians did was, as mere citizens of Malaysia came to the street to voice out their displeasure towards their government for approving a book titled “Interlok” to be used in secondary schools literature, a book which is found to be inaccurate in its findings by the author, contains disparaging remarks against the Indians and politically motivated to instill fear, anguish and inferior complex.
Malaysian Federal Constitution permits citizens freedom of assembly without arms. The Malaysian police had committed gross negligence, applied brutal force with blatant disregard to law and order by arbitrarily harassing, preventing freedom of movement, create fear and arrest almost all Indians seen on sight of the streets of Kuala Lumpur on the 27/2/2011 starting from as early as 5.00am onwards.
In the course the police have arrested and locked up 108 members of the public without warrant just because they are Indians. This is a mockery of democracy in the country.
Quality comment or not?
4 
1
7 Greg Lopez // Mar 5, 2011 at 12:21 am
“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.”
An extract from P. Uthayakumar’s letter to Senator Michael Forshaw, Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
8 Greg Lopez // Mar 10, 2011 at 3:58 pm
A short documentary of the 27-02-2011 demonstrations against UMNO’s racist policies and Interlok.
Quality comment or not?
0 
0
9 Sammy // May 10, 2011 at 1:42 pm
I think racism in Malaysia has peaked beyond pointof no return. The best thing that the Malaysian indians can do is migratae to some other country and start a new life. The Malay regime is aiming to be the next Afghanistan and Pakistan. Please leave malaysia before its too late.
Quality comment or not?
3 
0
Leave a Comment
Please note: New Mandala encourages vigorous debate. However, for the moment we will only be publishing high-quality comments that make original contributions to discussion. There will, of course, still be space for pithy, humorous, eccentric and cheeky input. Short and sweet will usually trump long and involved. Repetitive ranting, unimaginative point-scoring and idle abuse will not be entertained. Comments which carry a real name are also more likely to be approved. Thank you for your ongoing interest and contributions.