Waytha wants to be the new Samy, says Uthaya



	Silence is not an option when things are ill done - Lord Alfred Dennings

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Malaysia Votes 2013

he..he..hee…. we fooled the Indians once again

Waytha wants to be the new Samy, says Uthaya

Ram Anand, Apr 22, 2013, Malaysiakini

In P Uthayakumar's campaign trail in Kota Raja, a big poster hangs outside his office in the traditional Hindraf crimson theme with his face etched on it, reading ‘P Uthayakumar - One-man show since 1990'.

Uthayakumar, one of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) founding members, has over the months remained largely quiet about his brother Waythamoorthy's attempts to negotiate with both Pakatan Rakyat and BN over the Hindraf blueprint.

But his younger brother's act of signing a pact with and declaring support for BN last week and even urging Indians to return BN's two-thirds parliamentary majority has obviously riled Uthayakumar.

"Waytha is simply trying to become the next Samy Vellu (the ex-MIC president). He's the new emerging ‘mandore' (powerless messenger), who is (aiming) for the minister's post in Najib Abdul Razak's cabinet," he said.

He told Malaysiakini that he had never expected his younger brother to sign a pact with BN.

"I thought he was using BN as leverage to get a deal with Pakatan," he said.

It's clear that Uthayakumar does not agree with the direction in which Waythamoorthy is taking Hindraf, largely the former's brainchild since the turn of the millennium.

"Of course, many people have asked me whether there is any problem between us. I said there's nothing.

"I didn't want to confront him, (because) that would create gossip. People would say the brothers are fighting for position.

"But this (the BN pact) is a betrayal. This cannot be forgiven," he said firmly.

'Waytha jumped on bandwagon'

Uthayakumar remains confident that Waythamoorthy will not be able to deliver any votes to BN, saying he has been receiving numerous calls from people who are angry over the Hindraf deal with BN.

"So far, when I walk on the road, nobody has ever scolded or cursed me. I've heard a trader scold (incumbent Sri Andalas assemblyperson) Xavier Jeyakumar, when I asked about his performance, and soon Waythamoorthy will receive similar brickbats for what he has done," he said.

Uthayakumar was also keen to stress that Hindraf never had five key leaders as suggested by some, although five from the movement were arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 2007 shortly after the Nov 25 Hindraf rally that year.

"I was leading Hindraf, there was never a second layer to its leadership. It was me, (with) a clerk, and then the (rest of the) people.

"It was then I decided to make it a team of lawyers (including Waythamoorthy, left), so that there would be credibility to the issues that we raised.

"All these people joined only months leading up to the rally, which was the climax of the movement.

"I was fighting this cause for a good 16 years prior to that. Just because five people went to jail, everyone assumes there were five leaders. I was running Hindraf on my own even before that.

"Waythamoorthy just rode on the Hindraf wave and assumed leadership when I was in jail. And that got to his head. He used Hindraf to carve something out for himself."

'BN succeeded in splintering Hindraf'

Uthayakumar said he sees the current division of Hindraf factions as a sign of victory for the BN.

"The (BN) won, I lost. They have separated the movement," he said.

"I spent 514 days under ISA for what? Was it so that the movement could be hijacked like this and be surrendered to BN?"

He admitted that the various Hindraf factions have created "genuine confusion" for some grassroots, but he sees Waythamoorthy as being no different from RS Thanendran.

Thanendran was the former Hindraf activist who stands accused of double-crossing the movement. He went on to establish the BN-friendly Malaysian Makkal Sakthi Party.

"It will wane, like how (it was when) people found out about Thanendran. But the question is, will the clarity be achieved within the next 15 days? If it is, then it's good for me," Uthayakumar said.

He was referring to the 15-day election campaign period before some 105,000 voters in Kota Raja head to polling centres on May 5, with an option to vote in Uthayakumar as the first ‘Hindraf' MP.

Uthayakumar (Independent) is challenging incumbent Mariah Mahmud (PAS) in the parliamentary seat, along with S Murugesan (BN) and Azman Idrus (Independent).

The Kota Raja seat in Selangor has the highest number of Indian voters at 29 percent.

Uthayakumar is also a candidate in the five-way fight for Sri Andalas, one of two state seats in the Kota Raja constituency.

Satyagraha and Hindraf!

April 21, 2013 FMT, Natesan Visnu

Wathya the Maverick Malaysian Indian fighter reached the pinnacle of his struggle on April 18, 2013. He successfully won the battle of getting Barisan Nasional to endorse the blueprint. It’s a day that every Indians in this country must remember. The critics have been harsh on him and HIndraf supporters and sympathisers celebrate him as the maverick who ‘sacrificed’ in the struggle for the Indian community. The 800,000 estate workers and 350,000 stateless Indians will have a new chapter in their lives. Wathya abandoned his blood brother Uthaya in his struggle just for the betterment of Indian community. Hail Wathya!

B now Malaysian readers will be fuming with opening paragraph. Smile folks. I understand the disappointment but in politics anything can happen. Despite the fact that Hindraf is with Barisan Nasional now, we must give the credit to them for being the catalyst of 2008 political tsunami. We thank you for the support, but Hindraf has won the battle but not the war.

The war is where every Malaysians in this country (exclude Hindraf) goes against the tyranny of a political alliance in which the people of Malaysia will rise and claim what rightfully belongs to the people regardless of ethnicity. In that glorifying moment, Hindraf would not be part of the joyous celebration but will be forever remembered as a movement that fought for the Indian community. The people of Malaysia have the right to classify them as whatever they wish; traitors, drama queens, true fighters, etc. The choice is yours.

The purpose of this article is realising the thought process of the Hindraf movement. The main theme of this movement is to uplift the Indian community. As an observer, I note that Gandhi’s picture always appears on Hindraf’s banner, and the website has a quotation from Gandhi: ‘You must be the change you want to see in the world’. On that notion, I presume that the movement is based on Satyhagraha a term coined and developed by Gandhi. Translated as ‘insistence on truth’ – satya (truth); agraha (insistence) ‘soul force’ or ‘truth force’.

Echoing on the Satyagraha school of thought, Hindarf supporters should be known as Satyagrahis. In theory, Satyagrahis are powered with moral power instead of physical power. According to rules of Satyagraha campaign (translate into Hindraf’s activities now), the extract of the rules relevant to the modern context has been identified as follows, with note on current standing or action:

a) Voluntarily submit to arrest or confiscation of your own property

Note: Wathya (Hindraf supremo) left the country when the Barisan Nasional government issued arrest warrant on his name. He went into political exile. Wathya displayed the true act of cowardice by abandoning his comrades.

b) Do not insult the opponent

Note: Hindraf (Satyagrahis) has been insulting the opponents at every occasion. The opponents of Hindraf have not been consistent. It was Barisan Nasional, then Pakatan Rakyat, then whoever voices their opinion on their stand.

c) Do not make your participation conditional on your comrades taking care of your dependents while you are engaging in the campaign or are in prison; do not expect them to provide such support

Note: Wathya has broken the rules of Satyagraha by calling Indians to vote for Barisan Nasional. This contradicts with Satyagraha campaign rules and he should not encourage Hindraf supporters to vote for Barisan Nasional. The voting should be a choice by the Indian without any influence from opinion leaders.

d) Do not become a cause of communal quarrels

Note: Hindraf has caused communal quarrels between Indians in Malaysia. The Indians have been divided into various political ideologies or beliefs because of the leaders’ personal agenda.

e) Do not take sides in such quarrels, but assist only that party which is demonstrably in the right; in the case of inter-religious conflict, give your life to protect (non-violently) those in danger on either side

Note: Hindraf is supporting Barisan Nasional where they have nominated a candidate like Zulkifli Noordin whom has openly sparked inter-religious conflict among the Malays and Indians by insulting the Hindus. On that note, Hindraf is taking side with Barisan Nasional which is against Satyagraha principlez.

f) Do not take part in processions that would wound the religious sensibilities of any community

Note: Hinduism has been wounded by Zulkifli Noordin and Christianity has been wounded by Ibrahim Ali. Go figure.

Advocating on the rules of Satyagraha campaign, Gandhi said: “There must be no impatience, no barbarity, no insolence, no undue pressure. If we want to cultivate a true spirit of democracy, we cannot afford to be intolerant. Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause.”

Echoing on Gandhi’s thoughts of Satyagraha, Hindraf has failed to demonstrate tolerance in true spirit of democracy. In the past, Hindaf has been responsible for sparking the great rise of Malaysian people in 2007. The whole nation stood by Hindraf and voted for Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 election. What answer do the Indians have for other Malaysians who aspire to change and have been part of the reformation movement launched in 1998.

There are differences in political ideologies between people and political parties. We are aware of the Indians social issues that have been plaguing us for last 50 years. We have been deprived, abused, and marginalised by the virtue of the social contract and political will of this country. That does not mean that we have to blindly throw support to an organisation that has been the major cause for our current state of affairs. We can blame Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar Ibrahim for not endorsing the blueprint.

But we have a moral responsibility to other Malaysians who supported the Hindraf movement. We can’t be selfish by ignoring or abandoning our fellow Malaysians who sacrificed to build a Malaysia in spirit of true democracy. For example, Haris Ibrahim with ABU, he has again and again demonstrated his commitment in throwing Umno out. Like us, he wants a better Malaysia for you, me and everybody. Is that too much to ask for from us Indians?

Wathya maybe a protagonist or antagonist and it is for Malaysians to decide. As we, the Indians celebrate Wathya’s victory, the Iban kids will never get to taste the wealth of the state, the Orang Asli kids will never get a chance to be ‘urban’, the Kadazan in Sabah will have to fight their land with foreigners, the poor paddy farmers in Kedah will never get a good price for his crop. Are we Indians that selfish that our needs are more important than others? Does that fall in line with Satyagraha principles?

In spirit of Satyagraha, Mahatma Gandhi fought hard for racial and religious tolerance. He went to the extent of attempting to appoint a Muslim as the first Prime Minister of India. His famous last words few months before he died: “Even if I am killed, I will not give up repeating the names of Ram and Rahim, which mean to me the same God. With these names on my lips, I will die cheerfully.”

In relation to Gandhi and his Satyagraha thoughts, the Satyagrahis (Hindraf supporters) have failed to campaign based on the Satyagraha rules. Wathya has misled the movement and deviated from the Satyagraha school of thought. By using Gandhi as a symbol, the supporters have failed to realise the true essence of Satyagraha. I urge Hindraf supporters to understand the true meaning of the Satyagraha school of thought.

By using Gandhi’s quotations and pictures for movement propaganda without following the real path of Gandhi’s teaching, Hindraf has deviated from its movement cause. Despite the support from the mass, Wathya has not lived up to his philosophical thoughts/preaching and the ‘means’ applied in obtaining the ‘end’ is not in line with Satyagraha principles.

The Indian voters’ intelligence in this country has been insulted for years by politicians. But Wathya has taken another major leap in insulting their intelligence by politicking with Gandhisme as symbol for Hindraf movement. Hunger strike, Gandhi quotes and other means of self-pitying strategy has garnered support from poor Indians.

Indian are emotional folks, the hunger strike was a master stroke from Wathya in influencing the thoughts of Indians to support him. From an activist, Wathya has turned into a politician. I appreciate the effort undertaken by Wathya to uplift the Indian community but by ‘insulting’ the intelligence of Indian community the effort is meaningless.

In summary, the Indians are deprived of good leaders for years (except S Arutchelvan of PSM). The politicians have deployed various tactics, schemes, propaganda, etc. to obtain our support. From my point of view, I could not think of any leader who has really fought for Indians without a personal agenda. The aspiration to become a politician has always been a priority at the expense of the people. The route taken will commence from activism, then followed by politics. I believe it will be much easier if leaders are honest from the beginning with their political ambition. Please do not mock the public intelligence by using Gandhi’s picture. It’s an insult to the ‘Great Soul’. None of your principle is in line with Gandhism.

If Wathya and Hindraf have been adamant with the Indian blueprint, as a Malaysian Indian, I have my point of demands for Wathya:-

Retract the statement of advising the Indians to vote for Barisan Nasional. Let the Indians decide on their vote. This is line with Satyagraha principles.

If Barisan Nasional wins the election, you should not take any political post and remain as an activist. You should not take the office for Minority Affair Ministry. Gandhi did not hold any office till his death. He remains as a spiritual leader and activist throughout his life.

If Pakatan Rakyat wins the election, you should remain as an ally to Barisan Nasional and presume the role of opposition activist without holding any political based post. Your support must remain with Barisan Nasional.

You should not campaign for Barisan Nasional in this election. This is line with Satyagraha principles to avoid communal quarrels. The support for Barisan Nasional is your personal view not reflecting the rest of the Indian community in general.

Your critics will be harsh on you in this tough period. You shall remain calm and composed throughout the period and carry out your duty as Satyagrahi.

Last but not least, I have deep respect for you as a leader. But I will not condone to your path on handing the Indians back to the slave masters. The new breed of Indians in this country has a mind of their own. We think different and act different. We are the generation that could sit and talk to you for hours about Beatles, explain to you why Haruki Murakami should win the Noble prize and discuss with you if Albert Camus is an existentialist or absurdist. If you refuse to accept the points of demand, I pledge the Indians to commence ‘Quit Hindraf Movement’ in line with Salt Satyagraha.

Falling flat for BN crumbs

Jeswan Kaur

| April 27, 2013 fmt

Waythamoorthy is either naive or foolhardy in assuming that Najib has the greater good of the Indian community at heart.

COMMENT

Days before the “mother of all elections” is due, history of sorts has taken place with Hindraf pledging full support to Barisan Nasional and insisting that the Indian community do the same.

Hindraf’s P Waythamoorthy on April 18 inked a deal with BN supposedly for the uplifting of the Malaysian Indian community.

The Hindraf-BN five-year blueprint, among others, highlights issues related to displaced Indian plantation workers, the need for tertiary-level education for Indian students, job opportunities in the government sector, financial loans to Indian entrepreneurs and the establishment of a unit to oversee Indian affairs.

However, neither Hindraf nor BN found it worthy enough to highlight the issue of racial discrimination that continues to hound the Indian community.

Nor was there any mention of the government’s effort to put an end to the never-ending deaths of Indian youths in police lock-ups.

Leaving the safety of the Indian community out, Waythamoorthy had the audacity to ask Indians of this country to give their unconditional support to BN.

Waythamoorthy had previously said that Hindraf would support whichever party endorsed its blueprint. Alternatively, he had declared that Hindraf supporters would abstain from voting if neither the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact nor BN was willing to endorse the blueprint.

He had also embarked on a hunger strike on March 10 in order to get either BN or Pakatan to endorse the Hindraf blueprint. The hunger strike ended on March 31 when Najib officially started talks with Hindraf.

The first indication that Najib was willing to look into Hindraf’s proposals came when he included the setting up of a special unit to oversee Indian affairs in the BN manifesto.

Though this was a far cry from the ministry which Hindraf sought, it however gave them the belief that Najib was willing to meet them half way to help uplift the Indian community.

Waythamoorthy chooses to believe so much so that in reacting to the criticisism coming his way after the Hindraf-BN “handshake”, he said it did not matter whether it was Ram or Ravana who led Malaysia.

(Ram is the seventh incarnation of Vishnu and the central figure of the Ramayana epic, the complete guide to God-realisation. It is said that Ram was born to free the earth from the cruelty and sins of the demon King Ravana.)

Now, to the Hindus, that line was incendiary and just might cause the incautious Waythamoorty dearly.

Hence, if Waythamoorthy can no longer distinguish between good and evil, it becomes unsafe for the Indian community to place both their trust and votes into his hands.

Najib’s ammunition to oust Pakatan

Hindraf became a household name six years ago when in 2007 it led a mass street demontration which highlighted the plight of the Indian community in this country.

The awareness created by Hindraf then had helped Pakatan win over the Indian votes and go on to claim a huge victory in the 2008 general election.

But now with Waythamoorthy having turned the tables in favour of BN, only May 5 will reveal whether Hindraf was in the right direction by forging a deal with BN.

For now, Waythamoorthy hopes Najib will help dispel criticisms arising from the agreement by implementing the blueprint for the 1.5 million Indians that stand to benefit from the deal.

“I hope the prime minister will prove them all wrong,” Waythamoorthy said after signing the Memorandum of Understanding with BN.

Waythamoorthy is either naive or foolhardy in assuming that Najib has the greater good of the Indian community at heart. The deal with Hindraf is simply an act of desperation, a BN’s way of securing as many Indian votes as posible.

Had the welfare of the Indians truly been part of Najib’s political agenda, he, as the leader of a nation that is home to people of diverse faiths, would never have kept quiet each time ridicule, insult and humiliation were hurled upon this community.

Events of the past stand witness to Najib’s indifference to the pain and shame suffered by the Indian community at the hands of the Umno politicians – be they ministers, state assembly representatives or members of parliament.

So why should the Indian community now lend any support to Najib and BN when the latter have never held the community in high esteem and found no reason to offer the Indians the much-needed assistance until the arrival of the 13th general election?

Najib’s show of support to Hindraf remains just that: a sandiwara, the chief aim being to block the Indian votes from falling into the hands of Pakatan.

What’s Waytha’s real agenda?

The Hindraf-BN “smart” partnership has far from pleased Waythamoorthy’s brother Uthayakumar, the pro-tem secretary-general of Human Rights Party.

Instead, Uthayakumar has labelled his sibling and his followers as “Hindraf hijackers” and is steadfast in his stand that signing a deal with Umno-BN was never part of Hindraf’s struggle.

Uthayakumar, who calls himself the most senior de facto Hindraf leader, continues to reiterate that there has been no change in Hindraf’s political direction: the journey was never about voting for BN.

“Voting for Pakatan is up to the individual as Hindraf is not prepared to take responsibility for Pakatan’s non-delievery to the Indian poor,” Uthayakumar had said in reaction to the deal between Hindraf and BN.

However, Waythamoorthy is all “thumbs up” for BN, completely or conveniently forgetting that the BN candidate being fielded in Shah Alam, Zulkifli Noordin, the former MP for Kulim-Baru Bandar Baharu, has never missed an opportunity to humiliate the Indians of this country.

Waythamoorthy has to have a better reason to convince the Indian community that BN is genuine in looking after its well-being.

After all, Waythamoorthy’s demand for seven parliamentary and 10 state seats was dismissed by Najib. If contesting in the general election is all that mattered to him, why did Waythamoorthy not demand the same from Najib after being rejected by Opposition Leader Anwar?

As it stands, from 2008 until the eleventh hour of the 13th general election, the needs and demands of the Indian community had been trivialised by BN.

While Waythamoorthy may try to justify his deal with BN by expressing his disappointment with Pakatan and its leader Anwar for not taking Hindraf seriously despite engaging in several meetings, the crux of the issue that rankles the Indian community is that Hindraf or rather Waythamoorthy fell flat for the crumbs offered by BN.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

Parliament seats: 222

State Seats: 505

Registered Voters: 13,268,002

Indian Votes: 950,000

Absentee Voters: 2,954

Military Voters: 161,251

Police Voters: 111,136

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