Comment

Right after Thursday’s courtroom drama following the denial of bail to 31 ethnic Indians in Malaysia, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) chief P Uthayakumar spoke to Venkatesan Vembu.

Why don’t ethnic Indians in Malaysia have a political voice?
Malays and Chinese account for 90 per cent of Malaysia’s population. We are politically insignificant. And unlike in India or the West, where the interests of minorities are protected, in Malaysia, the ruling party’s racial mindset has spilled over to the opposition and the NGOs. Malays and Chinese do their political calculation and figure that taking up Indian issues is not worth it.

What role has the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) played as part of the ruling coalition?
The MIC is a stooge of the Malaysian government. Its leader Samy Vellu is the most senior cabinet minister, but he has no power. He is there only to create the impression that he can solve problems of Indians.

What do you think of the Indian government’s response?
The Indian government has done its part as a civil society: it has asked the Malaysian High Commissioner in New Delhi to explain why ethnic Indians are being marginalised. We are very happy with the response. Waytha Moorthy, who is currently in India, is getting the fullest support from Tamil Nadu and New Delhi. The international community, particularly India, the UK and the US have an important role to protect ethnic minorities in Malaysia before they get wiped out completely.

What are the Hindraf’s demands?
We have a set of 18 demands, principally relating to access to education, job opportunities and religious worship. In 2003, of the 2 million ethnic Indians in Malaysia, only one medical seat was given in Universiti Malaya. Indians are not given place in technical schools and training institutions. The same with job opportunities: Indians once accounted for 60 per cent of civil servants in Malaysia. Today, we’re down to 2 per cent — and even those are lowly, non-executive, non-management posts.

What does Hindraf’s expect from the Malaysian government?
The government should appoint a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate our claims that racism is being practised against ethnic Indians in Malaysia.

Has your movement become radicalised?
We are committed to pursuing our struggle through legal and peaceful means, but the people have been pushed to the wall. If you push them further, they may indulge in terrorism.

Does Hindraf have links with the LTTE? The Attorney-General said in open court that Hindraf has links with the LTTE. It’s a blatant lie, and a slanderous statement. I wanted to cite the AG for contempt but the judge stopped me.