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".
"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.
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.
"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.
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 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.
"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
He also said that he felt sad for the five Hindraf leaders who have been made scapegoats by the government.
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."
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