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By K. SUTHAKAR
PENANG: Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) legal adviser P. Uthayakumar has declined to contest against MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu for the Sungai Siput parliamentary constituency.
Hindraf co-ordinator R.S. Thanenthiran said Uthayakumar preferred to remain apolitical so that he could serve the Indian community more effectively.
“I met Uthayakumar at the Taiping Hospital where he was receiving treatment last week and he told me he did not want to contest in the general election.
“But he will support other Hindraf leaders if they want to contest since they will be championing Indian rights,” Thanenthiran said yesterday.
There has been speculation that Uthayakumar and four other Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act may contest in the elections.
Last week, 200 estate workers staged a peaceful demonstration at a temple in Ayer Tawar, calling on one of the five Hindraf leaders to take on Samy Vellu in Sungai Siput.
The detainees’ legal counsel M. Kulasegaran, who is also DAP vice-chairman, said recently that he would meet them on Feb 12 to ascertain if they wanted to contest in the election.
He said the party would offer two of the detainees – M. Manoharan and V. Ganabatirau – who are DAP members, seats to contest in the election.
DAP offers ISA detainees 2 seats
IPOH: The DAP will offer two of the five Hindraf leaders being detained under the Internal Security Act a chance to stand as its candidates. Party vice-chairman M. Kulasegaran said this was due to calls from the people to pick the duo who are DAP members. DAP chairman Karpal Singh is scheduled to lead a delegation of members and lawyers to meet the five detainees today, he said.
“DAP will offer the two detainees M. Manoharan, 46, and V. Ganabatirau, 34, the Sungai Siput and Seremban parliamentary seats for contest,” he said yesterday.
Kulasegaran said the decision by the detainees would be made known to the party’s candidature committee. The committee, headed by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, has been tasked with announcing the names of candidates.
Meanwhile, Election Commission secretary Datuk Kamaruzaman Mohd Noor said candidates detained under the ISA will need to be temporarily released if they wish to personally submit their nomination forms. Otherwise, their papers could be submitted by the proposer and seconder or by either of them.
Past DAP candidates who stood for elections and became MPs while under ISA were Chian Heng Kai and Chan Kok Kit. Chian won the Batu Gajah seat in 1978 with a 6,281 vote majority, while Chan won the Sungai Besi seat in 1978 with a majority of 33,687 votes.
MP: HINDRAF is promoting its 18-points memorandum, which covers illegal temple demolition (hinduism) and tamil schools (language). Majority of malaysian indians are tamils, and using “Hinduism” provides better coverage as opposed to Tamil Indian Rights Force (TINDRAF). In the end, the group is fighting for equal rights for all Malaysians, just that the Indians are among the most marginalised. The Hindraf leaders have explained about the name, but I can’t find it at the moment. BTW, what’s a “travida tamil”? Does it mean there’s other type of tamils?
vanakkam. i’m a travida tamilan and not an hindu. i’ve a question about the hindraf. is the hindraf is for the hindu rights or tamilan’s rights? if it is for tamilan rights, it will fight for the all tamilans’ rights.. not for a particular group? i dono. pls explain. this is for clarification only.
there are so many type of Tamils . No wondar it took 50years to see such unity.
‘travida’ is a consequence from Tamil Nadu influence . Majority i used to know has ‘god denial’ syndrome .
So much debate on ‘Hindraf’ name . Though it says ‘Hindu’ but look at it’s demands …… they covers overall Indian issues .