Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email (Email details deleted.) From: waytha moorthy <waytha@...> To:Subject: HINDRAF STRUGGLE TO CONTINUE- PRESS STATEMENT 3.1.08 Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 03:15:26 +0800
RE: HINDRAF’S PEACEFUL STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE MINORITY INDIANS WILL CONTINUE TO THE END
HINDRAF WILL NOT GIVE UP EVEN IF WE ARE FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE.
MY STATEMENT TO AP TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT
On the 30th December 2007 I was interviewed by a journalist from the AP who had spent about 1 ½ hours interviewing me. I am equally disappointed that a small portion of the interview had been blown out of proportion to mean I am giving up the struggle of Hindraf or that the struggle is likely to die soon.
I wish to clarify the following:
a) I will continue to lead HINDRAF even if I’m on the move throughout the world.
b) HINDRAF’s struggle will not die “soon” as I have many plans lined up and will reveal to the Malaysian Indians in stages and with the support of PEOPLE POWER which we are witnessing now we will together continue to advocate and assert the rights of the Minority Indian community.
c) I will do all possible within my means to lobby support from the British Government Parliamentarians and Human Rights Organizations and these include our demand that the 5 Leaders of Hindraf be released unconditionally and the Minority Indian Rights which has been neglected over the last 50 years be protected. Thereafter I plan to continue the lobby to Europe, United Nations in Geneva, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
d) HINDRAF would also be organizing various peaceful protests throughout the country to highlight the plight of the 70% poor underclass Malaysian Indian society and for the release of the 5 Leaders of which I would announce the first plan on Monday 7th January 2008.
e) In the interview I was questioned what if after years (5-10years) of campaigning and lobbying the Government still doesn’t budge?
My answer was even if we are fighting a losing battle we will continue with the battle because not all battles are meant to be won. Great warriors do not worry about dying in the battlefield. If we are meant to loose we will loose so that someone else who take up the cause after us will win the war. If we loose after years of campaigning so be it we will call it a day. No one organization (including HINDRAF) can ever claim we are here forever and will continue forever. Nothing is permanent in this world and it also applies to HINDRAF.
PEOPLE POWER can continue with the struggle but the ultimate power lies in the Government. In Malaysia Indians are minority and the reality is we can’t form a Government to change the situation. So the responsibility lies in this Government to make the necessary changes in the interest of the minority Indian community.
f) In the said interview I repeated my statement which was given to the AFP about 2 years ago when I commented on the issue of temple demolition. I had then said that (on the issue of temple demolition) eventually we too would fail the community but I fear the outcome after that. “At the moment devotees are crying and begging but eventually they would not plead and cry any more”.
My fear which I had highlighted about 2 years ago came true when we all saw what happened at Padang Jawa Temple demolition. Devotees who were for the first time protecting the temple with their bare hands and yet the authorities had violently attacked them and though devotees were injured in the attempt they were arrested and charged with criminal offences.
I again wish to reiterate my fear. The Government has successfully locked up voices of peaceful struggle for democratic rights and dissent. People have no one they can trust to lead them as they are all locked up. All their hundreds of appeals, memorandums and letters to the Prime Minister written on their behalf by these leaders have gone to waste bins. What can you expect them to do next? These are poor people who are not educated to articulate their grievances in a refined manner. In these circumstances I honestly feel our “chapter” (HINDRAF’S peaceful struggle) has been forcibly closed by the Government and so they must expect a new chapter to be opened but we are not part of that chapter. If a new undesirable chapter is opened in the history of Malaysia then we hold the Government solely responsible for they have killed legitimate voices of dissent and peaceful democratic struggle by HINDRAF.
g) I was also quoted to have said the following, “…..if they can give us real concessions we are willing to keep our mouth shut I don’t look at myself as a sacrifier”.
1 ½ years ago I was interviewed by members of the Police Special Branch who had wanted to know my intentions of leading HINDRAF and my activities. Everyone would know that at that time HINDRAF was practically dealing on issues of Religious conversions (Article 121 1(A)) and Temple demolitions. Yes I did tell the Special Branch then that if the Government resolves at least the temple demolition issue and permanently gazettes all temples existing prior to independence I will “keep my mouth shut” and leave the public scene.
h) I will never regret for initiating HINDRAF and leading it to its current struggle. The Malaysian Indians have been cheated by the UMNO led Government over the last 50 years using “coalition” Indian political parties to pacify the Indian community whenever they complain their rights are trampled upon. The UMNO Government’s “divide and rule” policy seemed to have succeeded but not any longer. The Indian community can no longer be cheated
But my heart goes to the 5 HINDRAF leaders who have been made scapegoats by the Government. The irony is even our legal advisers namely Mr.R.Kengadharan and Mr. M. Manoharan who were purely acting for HINDRAF as legal advisers were not spared. They were both vigorously and couragesly defending us when various sedition and criminal charges were levelled against us. Their incarceration in particular are not acceptable for it goes against all tenets of basic Human Rights to detain lawyers who defend their clients. It proves the Government is vindictive and malicious and had intended to warn would be advocates of HINDRAF to “stay away” from representing us.
P.Waytha Moorthy
Hounslow
Middlesex
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'I'm not giving up Hindraf struggle'
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| Yoges Palaniappan | Jan 4, 08 12:57pm |
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Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) chairperson P Waythamoorthy, who is currently in United Kingdom, has claimed that he was misquoted in an interview conducted by the Associated Press (AP) on Dec 30.
In a statement released from Hounslow, London today, Waythamoorthy said his comments to AP was "taken out of context".
In the interview which was widely published both locally and in international media, Waythamoorthy was quoted as saying, among others, that Hindraf has to close the chapter and that it would not be part of the next chapter if there is any. Clarifying today, Waythamoorthy said: "The government has successfully locked up voices of peaceful struggle for democratic rights and dissent. "People have no one they can trust to lead them as they are all locked up. All their hundreds of appeals, memorandums and letters to the prime minister written on their behalf by these leaders have gone to waste bins. What can you expect them to do next? "These are poor people who are not educated to articulate their grievances in a refined manner. In these circumstances I honestly feel our "chapter" (Hindraf's peaceful struggle) has been forcibly closed by the government and so they must expect a new chapter to be opened," he said. However, he added, if a "new undesirable chapter" is opened in the history of Malaysia, the organisation would hold the government solely responsible for they have killed legitimate voices of dissent and peaceful democratic struggle. The government's responsibility He said that he was also asked in the AP interview on Hindraf's position if the government failed to make any changes even after five to 10 years of campaigning. "My answer was even if we are fighting a losing battle, we will continue with the battle because not all battles are meant to be won. "If we lose after years of campaigning so be it, we will call it a day. No one organisation (including Hindraf) can ever claim we are here forever and will continue forever. Nothing is permanent in this world and it also applies to Hindraf," he said. He added that it was the responsibility of the government to make the necessary changes in the interest of the minority Indian community.
He also said that he was misquoted when he told the interviewer that he would keep his mouth shut if the government agrees to give them (Indians) two or three real concessions and that he did not look at him as a sacrificer. He explained that was what he had told a police special branch officer who interviewed him one and a half years ago that he would "keep his mouth shut" and leave the public scene if the government resolved at least the temple demolition issue and permanently gazetted all temples existing prior to independence. "Everyone would know that at that time Hindraf was practically dealing on issues of religious conversions and temple demolitions," he said in his statement today. Struggle to continue He reiterated that he will continue to lead Hindraf even if he was on the move throughout the world. He stressed that Hindraf's struggle will not "die soon" as reported in the AP article.
"I will do all possible within my means to lobby support from the British government parliamentarians and human rights organisations and these include our demand that the five Hindraf leaders be released unconditionally." "Thereafter I plan to continue the lobby to Europe, United Nations in Geneva, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand," he said. In his statement, Waythamoorthy said that he "will never regret for initiating Hindraf and leading it to its current struggle". "The Malaysian Indians have been cheated by the Umno-led government over the last 50 years using coalition Indian political parties to pacify the Indian community whenever they complain their rights are trampled upon. "The government's divide-and-rule policy seemed to have succeeded but not any longer. The Indian community can no longer be cheated," he said. Peaceful protests The five – P Uthayakumar, M Manoharan, R Kenghadharan, V Ganabatirau and T Vasanthakumar – have been detained under the Internal Security Act last December for allegedly being a threat to the national security. They have been detained for two years at the Kamunting Detention Centre. "The irony is even our legal advisers Kenghadharan and Manoharan who were purely acting for Hindraf as legal advisers were not spared. They were both vigorously and couragesly defending us when various sedition and criminal charges were levelled against us," said Waythamoorthy. He also said that Hindraf would be organising various peaceful protests throughout the country to highlight the plight of the underclass Indian society and for the release of the five Hindraf leaders. He said he would be announcing his next step of action next week. AP interview excerpts Some excerpts from Waythamoorthy's AP interview : "We are fighting a losing battle, we know. We try our level best but if we don't succeed, we have to call it a day, isn't it?" "We have to close the chapter. There may be a new chapter, but we may not be part of the next chapter… I know, eventually we will also fail." "We want the minority Indians to be given their basic rights If they can give us two or three (real concessions), we are willing to keep our mouth shut." "That's what I don't understand: why isn't the government conceding? We are not asking for super rights, we are asking for basic rights." "What we can, we will still do. But if the whole struggle is going to die, what can we do?… As it stands now I don't think we can accelerate." |
"I am disappointed that a small portion of the interview had been blown out of proportion to mean I am giving up the struggle of Hindraf or that struggle is likely to die soon," he said.
"People power can continue with the struggle but the ultimate power lies in the government. In Malaysia, Indians are minority and the reality is we can't form a government to change the situation," he added. 
"I have many plans lined up and will reveal to the Malaysian Indians in stages and with the support of people power which we are witnessing now we will together continue to advocate and assert the rights of the minority Indian community," he said. 
He also said that he felt sad for the five Hindraf leaders who have been made scapegoats by the government. 
