The Malaysian Insight

A DECADE after Malaysia’s largest street protest by ethnic Indians, Hindraf insists it is the best option for the community, but detractors say the Hindu rights group has become irrelevant.

Observers argue that infighting and power struggles within Hindraf have made it virtually non-existent, adding that it has lost touch with the real needs of the Indian community.

Hindraf came to prominence on November 25, 2007, when it rallied tens of thousands of Indians in a massive street protest in Kuala Lumpur.

The rally, sparked by the demolition of a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, also demanded that the government address issues such as statelessness and the displacement of rubber plantation workers.

Laywer P. Waythamoorthy, who now heads Hindraf, insists that the Indian community has benefited from a slew of government aid and programmes following the protest.

“We have broken the slave mentality and chain of fear for the Indian community by regaining their dignity without being subject to indiscriminate institutionalised marginalisation,” Waythamoorthy said in an interview with The Malaysian Insight.

“After our movement, the government came up with various programmes to uplift the Indian community.”

In April this year, Prime Minister Najib Razak launched the 10-year Malaysian Indian Blueprint, committing some RM1 billion in allocations for the community.

Low-income ethnic Indians stand to benefit from an injection of RM500 million into unit trust investment schemes.

More Indians will be given places in public universities, polytechnics and colleges, while study funds will be offered to students from lower-income families.

Indians who have been in Malaysia before 1957 will also be granted citizenship.

Losing momentum

However, sociologist and community observer Dr Denison Jayasooria said the 2007 movement was no longer in existence both in essence and in goals, following infighting among its five original leaders.

He acknowledged that Hindraf’s efforts had “given tremendous visibility to the issues concerning the Indian community”, but added that it had lost much of the clout that it had gained, post-2007.

“The Hindraf of the past, especially in 2007 and 2008, captured the imagination of all, including the working class and professionals,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“The problem now is that the Hindraf movement of November 25, 2007, is non-existent.

“Some are now directly in PKR or DAP, adopting into multiracial parties,” he said, referring to Hindraf’s key leaders, P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, K. Vasantha Kumar, V. Ganabatirau and R. Kengadharan, who were arrested and jailed for almost a year and half after the rally.

Denison, who is also co-chair of the Malaysia Civil Society Organisations for Sustainable Development Goals, said as a result of power struggles, the momentum of 2007 was not maintained.

“There is a need to build a more united partnership among all the actors. While we can ‘agree to differ’, there is a need for greater solidarity within the community, rather than having too many political splinters and too many leaders with little movements.”

He said there were still many unresolved issues facing the Indian community that must be addressed to raise the living standards of the people.

“The issues and concerns highlighted by Hindraf are still relevant as the bottom section of the Indian community, especially the urban poor and Bottom 40 (bottom 40% of households) group, still faces many of the unresolved issues.

“There are many issues regarding urban poverty and low income, especially among the displaced. Issues pertaining to crime, gangs and violence are still unresolved, including deaths in custody and police brutality.”

These reasons are what Waythamoorthy claims to be the motivation for his recent appeal to partner Pakatan Harapan in the 14th general election.

“Indians feel that they are not represented in the political equation. MIC is a total failure.

“The Indian leaders of PH are bound by the bloc’s vision and mission, hence, they are unable to voice the needs of underclass Indians.

“Therefore, they (Indians) see us as their choice.”

However, Indian leaders within PH have questioned Waythamoorthy’s intentions of aligning himself with the opposition, as Hindraf had pledged support for the ruling Barisan Nasional in the last election.

DAP’s candidate for Cameron Highlands in the last election, M. Manogaran, was reported to have said Hindraf would need to support PH in the coming polls without contesting seats, to put to rest concerns that some within the opposition pact may have.

“PH welcomes Hindraf with open arms, but it’s all about trusting our partners,” he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today recently.

“Since you went against us in the last round, this round, you should support us without contesting.”

In 2013, Waythamoorthy was appointed senator and deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, but he resigned from his posts in February 2014.

He cited the government’s failure to deliver on its promises to the Indian community.

Indians came to Malaya as labourers under the British, and worked as traders, policemen and plantation labourers, while others worked in the colonial administration because of their good command of the English language.

Many remain in plantations and rubber estates, and became displaced as urbanisation occurred. Many end up as the country’s urban poor, forming a significant number in the B40 category, earning not more than RM3,855 a month.

An estimated 695,000 Indians out of a 1.7 million population are in this category. – December 3, 2017.