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A Barisan Nasional MP departed from the norm today when he said the rally organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) reflected the Indian community’s disgruntlement towards certain government policies.
K Devamany (MIC-Cameron Highlands) added that the rally proved the failure of government policies which do not benefit the Indians. The ruling politician made the remark after interjecting Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) who argued that the rally was a cry of desperation from the Indians. "Some 50,000 people took to the streets yesterday. It shows the government's failure and it needs to be looked into carefully," said Devamany. The MIC MP stressed this point again during a different question which saw Deputy Internal Security Minister Mohd Johari Baharum providing statistics on the number of Indians in the military, police and other security forces. Johari said there are 3, 292 Indians in the police force, which makes 3.5 percent of the 94,729 police personnel in the country. "We have also advertised in the media like newspapers, radio and television stations to increase the percentage," he added. High hopes, limited avenues Dissatisfied with the explanation, Devamany said even though the government promised many things to the Indians under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the community's reaction through the rally demonstrated its frustration. "Youths from the lower and middle class participated in the rally. This goes to show that they are given high hopes but limited avenues to achieve. "What are the actions taken by the government to prove that it is serious in eliminating poverty in the Indian community?" he asked. At that point, Lim stood up and told Devamany not to be a hypocrite by practising double standards. He was referring to Devamany's interview with satellite station Al-Jazeera yesterday, in which he condemned the rally. Met at the Parliament lobby later, Devamany claimed that he was ‘set up’ by Al Jazeera which deliberately cut him off halfway during the interview. "Al Jazeera did not allow me to finish my interview. I was initially told that the crowd was unruly and violent. So I gave my opinion that violence must not be condoned. However, I wanted to add that if the crowd came in peace, the police must be cautious in exercising force," he explained. Devamany also stressed that the government must give priority to underprivileged Indians. "More opportunities must be given in the civil service, education and SME in terms of training and funding," he said, adding that the rally was a "voice from below" which must not be brushed aside. "It is high time that the government give consideration to the grievances of the Indians," he said. Resign from MIC Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, commenting on Devamany's response in the Dewan Rakyat, questioned where the latter got the fact that 50,000 people participated in the rally. "Has he been demonstrating with the others to know that there were 50,000 people there?" he asked, adding that parliamentary debates must be based on facts. "If he says that the government has failed, what does he stand for in MIC?" he asked. He said if Devamany feels that the government has failed, the only honourable way is for him to resign from MIC. "I believe the MIC is 100 percent behind the government," he added. |
Waythamoorthy (right) and his brother Uthayakumar (left)are the prime movers behind Hindraf. Apart from often being the first to react with a grassroots presence whenever an incident involves the community, they have also held a successful nationwide roadshow to remind Indians of their rights. 
This was a crowd which is angry with the way Indian Malaysians are being treated. They are fed-up with being downtrodden. They are frustrated with being treated as third-class citizens in their own country. 
Others shared his sentiments. Many have not seen Waythamoorthy or his brother Uthayakumar but have heard of their movement to mobilise the community fo the rally. 
Many carried posters of Mahatma Gandhi to symbolise their pacifist stand, and carried none of the banners and posters usually associated with political rallies. 
While no one disputes that police response had initially been retrained, the kid gloves came off the moment they started arresting the protesters for breaching the court order that banned the rally. Some were dragged along the road and hurled into waiting police trucks. 
On one occasion, police fired rounds of tear gas at their own men, totally missing about 1,000 protesters standing in the vicinity. 
“Never mind about the memorandum. Just let us walk peacefully right up to the high commission,” said a young man who was soon arrested for breaching the court order. 
The show of force must surely be a wake-up call, not just for the community but also for MIC and the government. 
