Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Gerakan was quite since December 13 2007 until today. No, all of a sudden, they say:
Gerakan has always advocated for the abolishment of the ISA.
Now only Gerakan realise the Indian community still unhappy at the injustice meted out to the 5 people. Everywhere I go, this topic is still burning like hot fire. One questions that always I hear: When will they be realised?
Gerakan wants Hindraf 5 released
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/80108
Mar 19, 08 4:36pm
Gerakan today called upon Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to release the five Hindu Rights Action Force leaders presently being detained under the Internal Security Act. The party’s assistant secretary KK Supramaniam urged all political leaders under the Barisan Nasional coalition to request the prime minister to release the five as soon as possible.
“Majority of the Indian Malaysians are upset that the five Hindraf leaders are still being detained under the ISA,” he said in a statement today.
The five Hindraf leaders – P Uthayakumar, M Manoharan, R Kenghadharan, V Ganabatirau and T Vasantha Kumar – were arrested on Dec 13 and placed under two-year detention at the Kamunting detention centre for allegedly being a national threat.
Hindraf became a household name on Nov 25 last year after a rally it organised drew some 30,000 disgruntled Indians to the streets and made headlines the world over. While numerous quarters agreed with the issues the movement raised, Hindraf also drew criticisms for alleging that a state-sanctioned ethic cleansing of Indians was taking place. The government condemned the movement as an extremist outfit and subsequently detained these five leaders under the ISA.
Immunity to Waythamoorthy
The movement’s chairperson P Waythamoorthy however escaped detention as he was away in India canvassing support for the movement at that time. He is presently based in London, directing the movement from there with the help of several coordinators in Malaysia.
Supramaniam also said that Abdullah should grant immunity to Waythamoorthy to allow him to return to Malaysia. “If the self-exiled leader is to be charge for treason, then I request that other opposition leaders, who have committed the similar offence should also be charged,” he added.
The awareness created by Hindraf among the Indian community turned into a huge swing of disapproval against the BN government, resulting in massive losses for parties such as Gerakan, MCA and MIC. Gerakan, a senior component member of the BN, suffered a humiliating blow when it lost its grip of the Penang state government to opposition party DAP. Similarly the anti-establishment wave among the Indian community also resulted in big defeats for MIC, the sole Indian representative in the government, including the defeat of party president S Samy Vellu in Sungai Siput.
Gerakan has always advocated for the abolishment of the ISA.
At least one component BN party has called on the government to release the 5 Hindraf leaders detained under the ISA. Why are the other component parties silent? Before the election, the leaders of the MCA, MIC, GERAKAN and PPP were behaving like eunuchs without the guts to speak up. Now they seem to be even worse – castrated/neutered?
UMNO, being the root of all the evil that is taking place in this beautiful country would like to maintain the status quo. Do they need another tsunami to jolt them harder from their long 50 year slumber?
If Pak Lah and UMNO really want to start afresh and listen to the rakyat, this is the time. Release the 5 leaders. Try and heal the wound lest it goes on festering. The election results has shown overwhelmingly that the BN government was wrong in its judgement. It has lost the support of even the Malays who are fed up of the UMNOputras, cronyism and nepotism. They are also fed up of being branded as inferior beings living on handouts and the dole mentality.
Stop threatening. Harsh words and threats are not the palliatives to restructuring a country that is still reeling from the aftermath of the political tsunami. Affirmative action is good but it must be for the whole poor rakyat irrespective of race or religion. It should not be extended to the rich and the super rich of the Barisan Nasional.
The PM should not listen too much to the young turks (quote the ex information minister) in the UMNO who are fond of playing the racial card and brandishing the keris baying for the blood of the other races. He should instead use his discretion for the good of the rakyat and the country.
Is is amazing that Gerakan, of all parties, is suddenly concerned about the HINDRAF 5 detained under the ISA. The party which did not issue any statements on the issue of ISA or the detention of the HINDRAF 5 prior to the GE 12 has suddenly become aware of Human Rights issues.
Gerakan was also the party which saw fit not to field even a single Indian candidate in the elections citing that there were no suitably qualified Indians in the party.
Notwithstanding all of the above, I believe every Malaysian voice calling for the immediate release of the 5 HINDRAF leaders is indeed imminently needed to snowball the pressure on the BN Government to release them unconditionally or to charge them with whatever charges in open court!
We should begin to call for the release of the 5 HINDRAF leaders at all levels.
The blogs, the internet and the sms media should be activated immediately!