UMNO’s Institutionalized racism – a curse we all need to rid this nation of.

                                           

Racism as defined by Stokely Carmichael and Charles V Hamilton in their seminal book “ Black Power” in 1967 is still very applicable 40 odd years on and here in Malaysia. Their definition of racism is “ the predication of decisions and policies on considerations of race for the purpose of subordinating a racial group and maintaining control over that group.” Racism they go on to add is both overt and covert. Acts by individuals they call individual racism is overt and acts committed collectively, they call institutionalized racism is less overt, and in most instances covert.

The first type , individual racism is the sort we see in the likes of utterances of the School Heads, Senior BTN officials and the Mufti of Perlis and the most recent case of a former police PIBG head taking 6 Indian students to the police station who were interrogated for 10 long hours because they rejected the racist book “Interlok”. This type of racism can be easily captured by reports, by the phone or other cameras and displayed in the youtube, in blogs and such other devices and generally it is brought out by acts of commission. There is generally more public condemnation of this type of racism.

The second type, institutional racism is less overt, is subtle, but systematic and many orders of magnitude more pervasive. It is less identifiable in terms of specific individuals committing the acts. This second type originates in the operation of established and respected forces in society and is far less recognizable and it generally receives little public condemnation.

When scores of Indian youth are killed in custody, there is little uproar, for after all they are the scum of society. When there is widespread statelessness among the Indian poor, too bad these stupid people do not know how to take care of themselves, that is their damned fault. When in desperation Indian individuals and families perish in suicides there is public sympathy and derision at the same time for the dead but not the acknowledgement of the impact the system has had on them. When the primary schools that Indian children go to are in shambles, well they have a choice to go the national schools don’t they. This is after all the natural order of things..is it not, so argue the beneficiaries of the racist system.

Institutionalized racism manifests itself in oppression of multiple forms within every sphere of social relations – economic exploitation, political subordination, cultural devaluation, psychological violation,verbal abuse, police harassment, etc. These operate so normally and naturally and are so much part of the existing institutions of our society that the common people are barely conscious of their operation. Casual racial prejudices have over time transformed into a systematized and codified ideology and practice of racial subordination.

Najib, however in his UMNO general assembly speech on the 15^th of October 2009 said, “If Malays are truly racist as alleged we would not have compromised on the cultures of other ethnic groups being practiced here……..We would also not have allowed vernacular schools to be established, …..The true meaning of racism would be like apartheid as previously practiced by South Africa..”.

So, Najib the leader of the beneficiaries of the system denies the existence of anyhting like institutionalized racism?

To answer this let us take Najib’s suggestion and compare with what existed in the Apartheid regime of South Africa which no one will argue was not a prime example of institutionalized racism.

Here are some key features of South Africa’s Apartheid (Apartness) system:

1) A central feature of the Apartheid rule was the categorization of all the South African People into Whites, Coloreds, Indian and Blacks – their Bangsa. Everything else was built on this categorization.


2) Using this racial categorization it decided where each category of people lived, who they married, who they had sex with, where they worked and how they moved about.


3) The Group Areas Act of 1950 partitioned the country into areas allocated to different racial groups. Bantu Authorities Act of 1951 created separate government structures for blacks and was the first piece of legislation established to support the government’s plan of separate development in the Bantustans


4) They segregated education, medical care, and other public services on the basis of this racial categorisation .


5) They all had to carry Identity cards which indicated their “Bangsa” so to speak.


6) They had the apartheid laws – The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act of 1949, Immorality Act of 1950, The Population Registration Act of 1950 and so on. And they had laws of repression. Laws such as Suppression of Communism Act of 1950, The Public Safety Act of 1953 and the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1953, The Riotous Assembly Act, The Terrorism Act to name a few of the notorious ones.


7) To oversee the apartheid implementation, the bureaucracy expanded, and, by 1977, there were more than half a million white state employees.


Blacks were not allowed to run businesses or professional practices in those areas designated as “white South Africa” without a permit.


9) Each of the 4 categories of South Africans had their own education system.


Now let us look at comparative situations in the Malaysian rgime:

1) A central feature of our system is also our categorization into Bumiputras, Chinese, Indians and Others from birth to death.Everywhere we go we have to declare Bangsa, Ugama – at birth, at school registration, in all the applications we make, at marriage, at death and in many many more situations.

2) Large areas of most cities and towns are segregated not by law, but by practice and without the need for such segregation laws. Clear example is in Penang the Island is mainly populated by Chinese, and the Malays mostly prefer to live on the Mainland. In Shah Alam it is mainly Malays. In Seremban it is mainly Chinese in locations like Seremban Garden, and Malays in Ampangan or Paroi areas. In Kuching you have South and North Kuching for the Chinese and the Malays. In practice but not in law.

3) In several housing areas State Consent is required if one wants to sell the property especially if it is in a predominantly Malay area. It is quicker to get consent for inter Bumiputra sale than it is for a sale across the Bumiputra /Non-Bumiputra divide. Again in practice but not in law.


4) Malaysia has repressive laws like the Internal Security Act to put away who UMNO considers to be trouble makers without having to go through the court processes, the Official Secrets Act to blot out all decisions made by the UMNO controlled Administration from public view, The Printing Presses and Publications Act to control the print media from publishing too much anti UMNO news, The Seditions Act to shut people up from speaking up againts UMNO policies – to name a few of the repressive laws that helps maintain the current regime.


5) The bureaucracy is entirely made up of largely one ethnic group , Bumiputras – eight hundred thousands of them, all implementing UMNO Policy. The Police force is almost entirely Malay, the armed forces are almost entirely Malay. The judicial system is almost entirely Malay. The public Universitieis are almost entirely Malay. The GLC managements are entirely Malay. Again in practice but not in law.


6) Most Government and Government linked businesses are off limits to non- Bumiputras. There is a complete system of screening vendors that limits vendors to almost entirely Bumiputras.


7) Business licences are largely awarded to Bumiputras or must have mandatory minimum Bumiputra participation – Bank Licences, Educational Institutions Licences, Permits in the Transportation businesses and so many more.


8 ) Participation in all government development schemes are entirely for Bumiputras – MARA, FELDA, FELCRA, RISDA, PERDA, KESEDAR, KEJORA to name a few. In practice but not in law.


9) Educational opportunities in Public Educational Institutions are grossly in favour of Bumiputras.


10) Cross religious relationships between Non muslim Malaysians and Muslim Malaysians is a complicated affair, especially if a problem develops along the way.

If we consider these two sets of situations it is apparent that there are significant number of similarities between the apartheid system and the Malaysian system created, developed, finetuned by UMNO from 1957 to 2011. The key difference seems to be the lack of ambiguity in the South African expression in all its laws. In Malaysia a lot of the racism is in practice not in the law. To any right thinking person it is so obvious, the racism that underlies our daily life. Therefore it is really audacious for Najib to say UMNO is not racist – the party that is responsible for this terrible state of affairs. He is in a terrible state of denial still..

Allowing the practice of cultures of the Indians or the Chinese in Malaysia or allowing Chinese Medium and Tamil Medium schools in Malaysia, or of allowing the use of Chinese and Indian names does not in any way define the character of the regime in Malaysia. Allowing all this actually now becomes convenient argument for UMNO to take everything else away, it seems. It is the structure of the economic political system that defines the character of our system. And it is blatantly racist.

I do not say the Malay people are racists. I am saying that UMNO, the political party is. It is indeed a blue blooded racist party – the entire cause for the racism that is so rampant in Malaysia.

Racism is “the domination of one ethnic group over other ethnic groups on the basis of some claimed superiority”. In South Africa – White Supremacy, In Hitler’s Germany – the Superiority of the German race, In the British Empire – the Civilizing Burden of the White Man, in Malaysia, Ketuanan Melayu or Malay Supremacy.

Do we need to say more.

Let us all wake up and in solidarity fight this curse of institutionalized racism. We have no choice if we all Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Dusuns, Muruts, Dayaks want a vibrant prosperous and robust nation in Malaysia.





Naragan
HRP.com

Why no Indian-majority seat? The manner in which the country or the total electorate has been divided into electoral constituencies over the years, has cruelly and crucially affected the Indian electoral strength.

Electoral constituencies in Malaysia are determined in two steps. First, the apportionment of parliamentary constituencies among the various states; and second, the delineation of both parliamentary and state constituencies in each state.The ruling party controls the apportionment among states through amendments to Article 46 of the Federal Constitution. The Election Commission then delineates the apportioned constituencies. As there is a lack of specification of the rules governing the EC on this particular function, the numerous delineation exercises that have been conducted in Malaysia since Merdeka have been carved in particular to favour the ruling Umno government.

In this discriminatory process, the third largest race in the country consisting of more than two million people have ended up been denied and do not have a single constituency of being the majority.

This has been the single biggest contributory factor that has led the Indians in this country to having the lowest demographic index among all races in Malaysia. Even though there are several Indian elected representatives in Parliament as well as in state assemblies, the very fact that they are elected from constituencies where Indians are only a minority, they are in truth toothless to highlight or champion gross marginalisation and discrimination policies of the Indians by the government of the day as they are dependent on the majority communities mainly the Malays and Chinese in their respective constituencies.

Constituency delineation has two aspects that can affect electoral outcomes: the distribution of the total electorate among constituencies (apportionment) and the determination of constituency boundaries (districting). Both have been exploited for partisan political advantage by the Umno government and are common and effective forms of electoral abuses that have been implemented to shortchange the Indian population in Malaysia to become “voiceless” in the ballot.

The government, through the EC, has delineated constituencies with unequal electorates (ie mal-apportionment) to favour themselves with more Malay majority supporters in the smaller constituencies. The constituency boundaries have also been drawn to favour Umno and disadvantage the Indian community, a practice commonly known as gerrymandering.

Worsens racial polarization
The manner in which the country or the total electorate has been divided into electoral constituencies over the years, has cruelly and crucially affected the Indian electoral strength outcome under plurality election.

The bias application of rural weightage, which since 1973 has been constitutionally left to the discretion of the EC has also gravely contributed in rendering the Indian vote powerless. This has aggravated the Indian political dilemma, heightened perceptions of political inequalities particularly for the Indians and worsened racial polarization among Malaysians.

It is indeed shocking and very “backward” to note that while Indians reside in large numbers in many areas like Sungai Petani, Padang Serai, Batu Kawan, Nibong Tebal, Ipoh Barat, Bagan Datoh, Teluk Intan, Tanjung Malim, Sungai Siput, Klang, Kota Raja, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Langat, Kapar, Sepang, Kelana Jaya, Teluk Kemang, Rasah, Cameron Highlands and Lembah Pantai, the EC has not seen it fit to carve out even a single Indian majority constituency but is able to bend over backwards and create Malay majority constituencies like in Putrajaya.

Perlis for example has 15 state assembly seats having less than 9,600 voters consisting mainly Malay Muslims. Putrajaya has only a miserable 5,096 voters but consisting of 95% Malay Muslim majority.

The Indians voters number more than 715,000 but have zero number of Indian majority constituencies. Sabah voters number 802,000 but have 25 parliamentary and 60 state seats. Sarawak voters number 886,000 but have 31 parliamentary and 71 state seats.
The Orang Ulu’s that form just 0.005% of the Malaysian population have four majority state seats crafted and created specially for them. They even have a parliamentary seat (Baram) having 42.8% Orang Ulu’s with a smaller voter composition of 24,398 in total.
The Indians for that matter in comparison consists of 8% of the Malaysian population but have zero Indian majority constituencies. Very “backward” indeed!

Others give voice to minorities
All over the world, democracy is preserved and enhanced by giving a “voice” to the minorities through the ballot by providing constitutional legislative reserve seats so that their legitimate interests will be protected and not drowned by the majority, except in Malaysia.

In Singapore the Group Representative Constituencies (GRC) provides for mandatory Malay and Indian candidates to be listed to total about one third of the total Singapore parliamentary constituencies with the view that minority interests will be protected.
In the Republic of India, the minority Anglo Indians have been granted two reserved Lower House of parliament (Lok Sabha) seats.

In Lebanon, Belgium, Cyprus and even in Zimbabwe, communal rolls and special electoral requirements to accommodate the representation of cultural groups based on religion or language are in existence to protect minority interests.

Nowhere in the whole world are there any civilized democracy practicising nation where the third largest race consisting of 8% of the population but do not even have a single constituency having a majority of its race.

Selangor has the highest concentration of Indians in the country. More than one third of the Indian population in Malaysia resides in the state. However since 1974, through two successive delineation exercises in 1984 and 1994, the difference between the actual parliamentary seats allocated versus the number of parliamentary seats that Selangor should have been allocated has been reduced systematically from -3 to -4, the worst in the entire Peninsular Malaysia!

Based on all these factors and looking at the current state of more than 70% of the Indians in this country marginalised and living in poverty having the lowest demographic index amongst all the races in Malaysia due to no proper representation without fear or favour at the highest level, the Human Rights Party proposed to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reform that thee be at least 53 constituencies where Indians make up a significant majority of voters.

It is because the voter make-up in present state and parliamentary constituencies make the Indian voters the minority and as such their rights are not championed in the assembly houses.

I am not proposing Indian representatives to be elected but merely Indian majority seats be created so that all the woes of the Malaysian Indians will be highlighted at the justified gravity levels of their grievances.

I would even go so far as to propose for a Malay-Muslim representative be elected in such a Indian majority created constituency to give it a truly “multi racial” image in the very same manner as how some falsely claim, Indian representatives being elected in Malay-Muslim majority constituencies as being “multi racial”.




P Uthayakumar is the pro-tem secretary-general of the Human Rights Party.

Only “Neo Democratic Revolution” can bring down UMNO regime

What do you do with a political party that has been in power for 54 years and ruling with an iron fist though they successfully portray their regime a caring one??

Every Malaysian knows that UMNO’s rule is an evil regime. I say UMNO because it is UMNO that rules and dictates in the 12 member coalition. They are well trained by the British in divide and rule policy.

Divide the rakyat into fragments. Divide the opposition into fragments. Cause fear amongst the Malays that the Chinese are out to take power in the Malay land. Cause fear amongst Muslims that the Christians would rule and that is the end of the Muslim monarchy. Cause fear that the Indians are linked to LTTE. These fears is enough to send ripples among the monarchs that if they do not back UMNO, their Sovereign power would be vanished. In fact many do not recognize this was exactly what UMNO used to intimidate the Rulers pre independence in 1957. The Malay rulers were “blackmailed” that they would lose power under British rule as happened to the Princes in Indonesia and India. Thus the Rulers were willing to surrender their sovereign power to UMNO to save themselves as early as 1955 substituting the Resident Generals to Menteris Besars. The British played along, as they knew it was easier to control the UMNO boys who were educated in England. The Malay downtrodden looked at the educated UMNO boys as their savoir. This in turn served the British, as their business interests in the then Malaya would be protected.

So how do we bring down this regime?? Only waves of Makkal Sakthi – People Power can change this. We have seen how this worked to a certain degree in 2007. Two major people uprisings shook the Government. It is now time for all stakeholders to plan and strategize. The Bersih rally on July 9th may be smaller in numbers compared to 2007. Does that mean the power of wave is weakened? Would Bersih alone do the magic??

Bersih is all about free and fair elections. With this should come larger wave of neo democratic revolution! The mindset of the people has to be revolutionalised! The true power lies in the mind of the people. If all Malaysian minds can be awakened from within that democracy is their birthright and not the privilege of few, then truly a neo revolution of people’s power can be a reality.

A complete overhaul in the mindset of opposition leaders is needed. The people need to be convinced of what they would receive out of the neo revolution. Mere rhetoric’s of “CHANGE” is not adequate.

The people would appreciate if some of the following can be implemented;

- Equality in the true sense and respect for human dignity.
- Equitable distribution of the country’s wealth to all its citizens
- Religious freedom in accordance with Universal principles.
- Respect for Individual rights and civil liberties
- Dismantling of all racist policies.
- Overhaul of the Judiciary which has been manipulative and tempering the judicial system.
- Overhaul the corrupted Police force, which play hand in glove with the underworld and hold the country at ransom in the name of National security.
- Allocation of sufficient funds to prevent brain drain and give equal opportunities to professionals to excel and contribute to the country’s wealth.

Now wait a minute. Is the above possible in Malaysia? PAS would not agree to religious freedom according to International standard for fear of losing the Malay-Muslim support. PKR would not support it either.

What about equality? Dismantling racist policies? Does that mean dismantling of Article 153? No no that is not possible as it would offend the Malay heartland.

Revamping the Judiciary and Police force???
Respect for Individual rights???
No lah this is Malaysia. Malaysians would not accept the idea. It’s not our culture!! All these are not possible in this bolehland??

So where do we stand. What change do we seek?

Well this is my answer to politicians.

They have to start thinking out of the box.

Religious freedom according to Universal principles can be implemented without upsetting the majority Muslims if they set off advocating the fairness principles advocated in Islam. PAS and Muslim clerics must develop the courage to speak openly.

Equality can be implemented without upsetting Article 153. All it needs is cracking the head. It would be a win win situation for all.

Overhaul Judiciary- openly say you would rid Judges who are not fit and corrupted. That would gain people confidence and send shivers to the immune in the Palace of Justice. That would encourage and boost the few Judges who are fair and release them from their shackles.

Will the people buy this??

All Malaysians are fair-minded, caring and potentially given very much to sharing and sharing alike. Never under estimate them. They can be easily awakened so long as politicians are sincere and truly desire change. The Malaysian mindset is ready for purification after 54 years of manipulations. They are courageous and looking out for true audacious leaders. Waves of awakening will eventually come from all corners - Malays Chinese Indians, Kadazans ibans Orang Aslis Civil Servants Trade Unions Businessmen. This wave will not only hit the shores of Kuala Lumpur but also erupt from every state, every towns and districts every Kampungs and Tamans.

Be bold. Never look back. Just move on a true and sincere agenda for change and the rakyat will be behind this great movement of “Neo Democratic Revolution”.





P.Wathyamoorthy
Chairman - Hindraf

Malaysia - "Truly Asia"? Or a Cynical Marketing Ploy?

For many years, Malaysia has enjoyed an image that suggests it to be a rapidly developing prosperous nation that is liberal and modern in its outlook and charitable towards all its residents.

Indians particularly marvel at its bright and clean cities with their many examples of modern construction. They also have the impression that unlike the Islamic states of the Gulf, Malaysia is a "secular" country. As a consequence, Malaysia attracts Indian tourists in very large numbers and is a particular favorite with the Gliterati Bollywood crowd.

But sadly, it has taken the HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force) only one rally to expose the myth that is Malaysia. For all its pretence of being a secular nation, the despotic and heavy-handed manner in which a peaceful march was repressed - the cynical manner in which its brave and patient organizers were arrested (without charge and without recourse to due process) exposes the utter hollowness of Malaysian claims to "democracy". Democracy is not merely about rubber-stamping an election ballot every few years. It is also about a process in which all citizens must be free to communicate their genuine concerns - epsecially if they are as systematically discriminated against as are Malaysians of Indian (and mostly Tamil) descent.

Contrary to what one would normally expect from a genuinely secular and democratic nation, Malaysia has systematically practiced institutionalized religious, legal, economic and educational favoritism on behalf of its Malay "bumiputras" - a word that comes from the Sanskrit (bhoomi-putr) meaning son of the soil. Under the garb of "affirmative action" - Malaysians of Indian origin (who were brought to Malaysia by the British Colonizers as indentured servants - i.e. semi-slaves to work on the plantations) are systematically denied a comparable level of funding for educatiotion at all levels. Whereas "bumiputras" are given prefential treatment in government jobs and business contracts, Indo-Malaysians have to fend entirely for themselves.

Considering that the Indians arrived in Malaysia as near-slaves and performed all the most undesirable work, if anyone should have been beneficiaries of affirmative action, it should have been the Indo-Malaysians. To go on and on about the "poverty" of the "bumiputras" while ignoring the far greater historic and present disadvantages of the Indo-Malaysian is simply a cover for closet racism and religious chauvinism and intolerance (since the vast majority of Indo-Malays are Hindus). In fact, as the Star Online (Sep 30, 2005) revealed, Indians continue to earn much less than the national average. Several poor Indian families survive on less than 4$ a day (i.e. less than a third of the average per capita income). The Economist (22/2/2003) revealed that Indians comprise 60% of urban squatters and 41% of all beggars.
Yet, Muslims and Hindu liberals of the Indian sub-continent often point to Malaysia as an example of an Islamic-majority nation that can also respect its minorities. Indeed?!

Consider that when UMNO Youth wanted to have a raucous protest (without permits) just a few days before the HINDRAF protest -they were allowed to have their way on the streets. No one was arrested, there was no teargas, and no governamental outrage. Whereas at entirely peaceful HINDRAF rallies, the government has used teargas right from the get-go and police have beaten participants including women and children. When young girls tried to present roses as peace offerings to the violent policemen, they were coldly refused and the beatings on the rallyists continued. So much for Malaysia's liberal image.

However, police brutality towards Indians is hardly new. Every year, one reads of Indians working in Malysia who are sumamrily rounded up as though they were illegal aliens even when they had all their documents and were hired by government-approved Malaysian corporations. Rarely ever have such Indians even recieved a formal apology let alone compensation for the insult, inconvenience and psychological terror meted out on them.

But police brutality is a life-threatening reality of Malaysia's citizens of Indian-origin. HINDRAF has noted how 60% of crime "suspects" shot dead before trial by the Malaysian police have been Indians. 60% of custodial deaths (of citizens detained without charge or trial) are of Indians. The suicide rate of Indians is ten times that of Malays.

Unfortunately the mainstream Indian media has done a very poor job of exposing the systematic ethnic discrimination that takes place in Malaysia.
Consider the facts:
- Of the 5 major Malaysian banks, only ONE is multi-racial. The rest are controlled by the "poor" Malays.
- The directors of Malaysia oil-giant PETRONAS are virtually all Malays.
- Virtually all PETRONAS gas stations are owned by the "poor" Malays.
- All contractors working for PETRONAS must also be Malays (after all, they are all so poor).
- Malay businesses are NOT required by law to hire any non-Malays. But Chinese-led businesses are required by law to hire at least 30% Malays. No quotas for Indians however. - Only 5% of new intake for the police or army (or even nurses) are non-Malays.
- Business licenses for taxis and other small businesses have only been granted to Malays in recent years, and 95% of government contracts have gone to Malays even though they comprise just slightly above 50% of the population.
- Between 1968 and 2000, 144 Indian primary schools and 48 Chinese primary schools were deliberately closed. At the same time, 2637 primary schools were built exclusively for Malays.
- Of Malaysia's education budget, less than 1% goes to Indian schools even though Indians comprise approximately 8% of the population - a sharp drop from 12% in 1957.

In other words in 50 years, Malaysia's racism has driven out every third Indian from the country. The Chinese-origin population has meanwhile dropped by half to now roughly a quarter. In the period that half a million Indians left Malaysia, 3 million Indonesian citizens were naturalized and given "bumiputra" status. In other words, Indians who had been in Malaysia for almost a century are still not considered sons (or daughters) of the soil, but Indonesians not even born in Malyaysia can be considered "bumiputras".

Every Malay (rich or poor) is given a 5-15% discount to buy a home. The Malaysian government has never built a church or a temple in housing estate. But every housing estate that it builds comes with a mosque.

Taken in its totality, one cannot but help observe that the economic practices of the Malysian government greatly resemble the medieval practice of Jizya that Islamic invaders imposed on all "infidels". In fact, this is not surprising because every Muslim Malay is subject to the Shariat code. In case of disputes between Islamic Malays and non-Muslims, Shariat law takes precedence. This means that even Hindu or Buddhist or Christian or non-religious Indians and Chinese must submit to the Shariat if they ever have the misfortune of displeasing a Muslim Malay.

Malaysians Citizens Against Racism and Discrimination have noted how the Malaysian government has repeatedly refused to accede to demands to abandon its systematic policies of discrimination towards non-Malays and non-Muslims.

Hindus in Malaysia are particularly incensed that even as the Malaysian government has a policy of building mosques in every housing estate it builds for the Malays, it has torn down hundreds of temples built by Tamils on private or plantation lands that were built by their own sweat and by their own initiative. Temples have even been demolished while devotees were still praying inside.

As many on-line bloggers note: "Malays automatically get on a platter what is denied to other communities."

Perhaps, the real tragedy of Malaysia's Indians is not just that they have been victims of such pervasive discrimination but that it has taken so long for it to be revealed to the whole world. What must be especially galling for Malaysia's Indians must be how they have received so little support and help from their mother country. Even as the brave and courageous leaders of HINDRAF languish in custody, the Indian government has remained cynically silent and is on the verge of negotiating a "Free Trade" deal.

This abominable betrayal of a community in distress typifies the present political make-up of the Indian nation. The Congress and its allies and all the liberals in the mainstream media bend over backwards to hide the truth and keep trumpeting how the Malaysian state is a "liberal", "secular" and "friendly" state. Perhaps it says something about how the Indian Congress views "secularism". Positive discrimination in favor of Muslims is fine, but god forbid if non-Muslims - whether they be Hindus, Buddhists or non-religious demand fairness and justice.

The truth is that the Malaysian state - beneath a veneer of "democracy" is actually far more autocratic than Indians realize. It is practising the same type of "divide and conquer" stratagems that the British so perfected during colonial rule. The silence of Malaysia's ASEAN neighbors is also perhaps revealing - how ASEAN is mostly about capitalism and helping the region's capitalists thrive. It is not about ensuring the human rights and dignity of all of the citizens of the ASEAN countries.

ASEAN countries have yet to chastize Malaysia for the enormous inequities that exist in the country. For instance, Islam is the ONLY official state religion. While Malaysia's Muslims are free to propagate Islam and convert non-Muslims to Islam, non-Muslims are provided no such freedoms. In fact, they are strictly enjoined NOT to try and convert Muslims to other faiths. In most provinces, attempting to convert a Muslim can lead to lengthy jail terms and whippings.

Children of inter-faith marriages are automatically treated as Muslims. What is more , in most cases, a Muslim Malaysian cannot even voluntarily give up his or her Islamic faith. In a Nov 19, 2006 article in the New Straits Times, it was reported that in Perak, Malacca, Sabah, Trengannu and Pahang conversion is a criminal offense even punishable by a jail term. In Pahang, converts may even be punishhed by being caned.

Mosques routinely use loudpseakers to call Muslims to prayer which can be at 5:30 in the morning - hours before offical businesses open. When the Malaysian Bar Council described this practice as unnecessary and disturbing, this was condemned.

The Malaysia tax code is also discriminatory. Muslims are given tax breaks that other communities do not get. Moreover, in most provinces, a Muslim may not make a will that favors any person "opposed" to Islam. The latter prescription is easily distorted to prevent non-Muslims from inheriting anything from a Muslim.

The Shariat laws also permit widespread censorship on any film or literature that might even indirectly annoy Muslim sentiment. Malaysian law also requires mandatory IDs that state a person's religion. Recently, a Malaysian Minister decried how too many "effeminate" men were entering Malaysian universities.Some fear that it was presumably to lay the ground for mandatory beards on campus. Others fear that this was intended intimidate ir target young men who might be perceived as gay or bisexual.

But discrimination at Malaysia's Universities extends at many levels. For instance, Malaysia's Open University has weaker admission requirements for "bumiputras". Some years back, it was revealed that Malaysia's universities rejected 500 top-scoring non-Malays, even as it failed to fill 7000 slots that had been reserved exclusively for Malays. For instance, Malaysian universities have a goal of ensuring that 75% of their students are "bumiputras" even though their total population is only now roughly 60%. Websites for several universities openly state their pro-bumiputra focus. According to some studies, non-Malay faculties have shrunk to possibly as low as 5%. Because of negative admission quotas imposed on Indians, a medical education for an Indian in Malaysia is almost impossible.

SEAPA (South East Asian Press Alliance) has noted how the atmosphere at Malaysian universities stifles any form of legitimate dissent. Malaysian laws allow universities to prosecute students merely for speaking to the media without permission from designated authorities. They may not join political parties, or even start their own political action groups. On entry, they must take a pledge of obedience to the government.

In 2003, the Chinese Language Society was suspended because its members campaigned against a law that permitted detention without trial. Students were suspended for expressing their views on native language education. In 2001,
Choo Chon Kai - a chemistry topper was suspended for possessing and selling badges to protest the detention-without-trial law. The same law that has been used against HINDRAF leaders. Unfortunately, there is also a huge paucity of lawyers to defend Indians who are arrested far more frequently than any other Malaysian.

As things stand, the Indian community in Malaysia faces enormous obstacles in its struggle for justice. Without support from its Indian brethren and genuine human rights activists around the globe, their battle is likely to be a very arduous one.

We can only hope that more Indians begin to express solidarity with Malaysia's Indians and other discriminated communities and call upon the Indian government to exert maximum pressure on the Malaysian government to reform itself. Malaysia's odious practices must be widely exposed and the government lambasted for its obnoxious treatment of its Indian citizens.


Notes and References
(Data for this article has been compiled from various on-line sources, including a few (understably) anonymous sources.)

The main sources are listed here:

** For HINDRAF's Summary of Oppression see:
http://hsfn.nl/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=179&Itemid=1

http://www.hindraf.org/

** Minority Travails (by Aditi Bhaduri)

 "Revathi Massosai, 32, a Hindu woman was giving interviews to the media and narrating the harrowing weeks
she had had to spend in an Islamic rehabilitation centre in Malaysia for declaring herself a Hindu. Massosai, born to Hindu parents who had converted
to Islam, had been raised as a Hindu by her grandmother. She married a Hindu man and when she went to register herself as one, the authorities seized herand put her in detention for six months to 'rehabilitate' her to Islam". 
 "In a recent essay 'The Struggle for Democracy in Bangladesh', academicians Amena Mohsin and Mehna Guhathakurta note that in Bangladesh 'The growth of
communal forces, attack on minorities, specially the Hindus, emergence of stunt figures like Bangla bhai, clandestine organizations like Hikmatul
Jihad and the attack on Ahmediyas are viewed with much concern.'" 

 IN a world where voices against Islamophobia, not without cause, are quick to be raised, it might make sense to keep in mind the words of Naeem
Mohaiemen, a film-maker from Bangladesh, specialising on political Islam,'The strange...thing is that even hyper-minority status in other spaces
(North America, Europe, India) have not given the Muslim ummah an extra sensitivity, or sense of responsibility, or even historical prerogative
 (excerpts from MINORITY TRAVAILS by Aditi Bhaduri on Cobrapost)

http://cobrapost.com/documents/minoritytravails.htm


* Other sites referenced:

http://www.bangkit.net/2007/05/21/hindraf-al-jazeera-live-interview-samy-vellu-challenged-to-reveal-list-of-100-over/
"On 19.5.2007 on the 4.00p.m, 5.00p.m and 6.00 p.m news, Al Jazeera broadcasted over Astro channel 20, and worldwide, the indiscriminate Hindu temple demolishments in Malaysia."
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSKLR16504820071125
http://www.nearinternational.org/alerts/malaysia20050107000000.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_religious_freedom_in_Malaysia#Apostasy_under_state_law

http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=466&Itemid=34
http://malikimtiaz.blogspot.com/2007/11/personal-dignity-of-hindraf-supporters.html

http://www.worldpress.org/2298.cfm
http://www.geocities.com/seachange_2000/kq_uniquotas.htm
* "In Malaysia, racism is allowed but protest against racism is not "
- A Secular Hindu blogger
http://omong.wordpress.com/2007/11/29/in-malaysia-racism-is-allowed-but-protest-against-racism-is-not/

The untold story of a forgotten people

No one in Malaysia wants to know about this particular minority group. Not BN. Not Pakatan. Not even the editors of a few papers who refused to tell their story. Shame on them!

Theirs is a story of a forgotten group, whose lives mean nothing to others. This neglected lot isn’t detected under anybody’s radar. They have been abandoned, even by their own kind.

This group is commonly dubbed the ‘underclass’. Their story does not sell newspapers. They have no public appeal. They are not newsworthy.

Who are they? ‘They’ are Malaysian Indians.

On April 26, MIC deputy president, Dr S Subramaniam, claimed that Indians were ashamed of their community and were looked down by the other races. According to him, 45% of the country’s crimes involved Indians.

This is a serious charge:  The Indian population of 2 million (out of 29 million people), is responsible for almost half of Malaysia’s crime.

When Subramaniam suggested immediate remedial action to combat the increasing criminal involvement of the Indian youth, he claimed that MIC had worked tirelessly with various government agencies.

The MIC was formed in 1946 and its original aim was for Indians to fight for the independence of the motherland, India. Of lesser importance, the MIC was to check social problems, promote racial harmony and co-operation as well as obtain a fair share of the economic pie for the Indian community.

It has been 54 years since independence, and many Indians will claim that BN/MIC leaders have done more than enough to help themselves only.

The leadership of S Samy Vellu, the MIC’s longest serving leader since Oct 12, 1979 was not without controversy as his tenure was marked by allegations of corruption and a decline in Malaysian Indian welfare.

It is not just the high crime rate involving Indians that must be resolved. Many Indians have no birth certificates or identity cards. They are stateless.

‘Hey, who cares?’
Many Tamil schools are in a deplorable state, lack funding and are situated on illegal land. Several Hindu temples lack proper land titles or are built on illegal land. Many centuries old Hindu temples, with significant historical attachment and cultural identity have been demolished.

Nearly 90 percent of Malaysian Indians are of South Indian origin, principally Tamilians, Malayalis and Telugus.

If Chinese or Malay communities were treated as badly, there would have been a severe backlash. “But hey, who cares? They are only Indians,” is the common reply.

The Indians record the highest percentage of deaths whilst under police custody, so why is the bar council relatively silent?

Today, the Indian community has progressed from mainly plantation workers to one consisting of entrepreneurs, intellectuals and professionals.

Despite this, the general perception toward Indians has remained intact. Malaysia’s survey of race relations still paints an unflattering, stereotypical image of Indians in Malaysia, in much the same way people generalise with comments like “Malays are lazy, or Chinese are greedy”.

Malaysia’s Indian professionals are highly successful and form the bulk of the country’s top lawyers and doctors. Conversely, the other end of the social spectrum, comprises Indians who lack confidence and are failures.

The poorest labourers in Malaysia are Indians who survive on a ‘hand to mouth’ existence.

In 2000, TimeAsia reported that Indians had the lowest share of the nation’s corporate wealth: 1.5%, compared to 19.4% for the Malays and 38.5% for the Chinese.

The Indians record the highest rate of suicide of any Malaysian community. Gangsterism and violent crime was largely associated with Indians. In 1994, 128 of the 377 murders committed in Malaysia were by Indians. Some 15% of the Indians in the capital are squatters.

The Economist reported that in 2003, Malaysian Indians comprised “14 percent of juvenile delinquents, 20 percent of wife and child and 14 percent of its beggars. Less than 5 percent of successful university applicants were Indian.”

Many people assume that the marginalisation of the Indians happened during former Prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s era. It did not. It happened much earlier, possibly around the time of Independence.

The Indians were a source of cheap labour in plantations and construction sites at the expense of their political and social mobility. Malays benefited from state patronage and the Chinese, stronger in numbers than Indians, exploited their business and social networks.

The Indian middle class excelled but the Indian “problem” is exacerbated because of the lack of interaction between the well-to-do Indian middle class and the Indian working underclass.

It is a Malaysian problem
The low self-esteem amongst the Indians, their lack of interaction and the marginalisation of working-class Indians is reflected in their poor performance in business, equity ownership and employment in professional sectors and the civil service.

A Malaysian Indian entrepreneur who runs an IT firm in Cyberjaya, said: “There are two main reasons behind the backwardness of Indians. One is that we are a minority here, and two, the politicians who represent us do not promote our cause.”

Bumiputra politics place Indians at a disadvantage both in education and work opportunities.

Local university seats and scholarships are all awarded under a racial quota system. Even after getting a degree, many say that discrimination is commonplace. Indian doctors are reportedly excluded from lists of approved doctors for civil servants or company employees.

When rubber plantations were converted into housing estates and golf courses, many displaced estate workers drifted to urban areas to form Indian ghettos which are a hot-bed of crime.

Indian Malaysians are in a bind. Most have resigned themselves to their plight while discontent simmers within the community. Malaysia cannot afford to alienate its Indians.

For 54 years, the MIC acknowledges yearly, that the Indian community needs help.

But Malaysians must realise that issues affecting the Indian community are not just an Indian problem. It is a Malaysian problem. What happens to our fellow Indians, affect both the Malays and Chinese.

Tamil Nesan quoted Subramaniam as saying that 45% of the country’s crimes involved Indians. But he forgot to highlight two things; The first is the race responsible for much of the white-collar crime. Second is the race which robs the rakyat blind by raiding the treasury.

Mariam Mokhtar is a political observer and an FMT columnist

Hindraf, Sabah and S'wak activists take human rights case to US, Europe

An ad hoc apolitical human rights movement has been making the rounds of several American and European cities this month, flogging its case on alleged human rights violations in Malaysia against the Indian community, the underclass in particular, and other marginalized and disenfranchised groups in the country.

 

The lobbying was spearheaded by Hindraf Makkal Sakthi in association with the United Kingdom-based Human Rights Foundation Malaysia (HuRiFoM).

At the European meetings, activists from Sabah and Sarawak as well as The Sarawak Report website and Radio Free Sarawak co-founders - Clare Rewcastle Brown and Peter John - were also present.

“The purpose of our visits was to hold briefings and also convey three specific requests to the US Government,” said Hindraf chair P Waythamoorthy in a telephone call last night from London.

“The visits were also to lay the groundwork for May/June meetings in Washington and one in Brussels at the European Parliament in Sept.”

The Washington discussions, stressed Waytha, was the follow-up to a letter to the Malaysian King on Mar 21.

3 specific requests
Waytha disclosed the three specific requests as viz. the US Government to send a delegation of Senate and Congress members on a fact-finding mission to Malaysia; the US to make representations to the Malaysian Government to ratify and respect all UN Human Rights Conventions; and the US to make representations to the Malaysian Government to enact laws to protect minority rights and freedom of religion.

The briefings in Washington, according to Waytha, included seven stops for meetings with the Senate and House of Representatives.

The other stops included the State Department, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Tom Lantos Commission, and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

“The American officials received a copy of the Malaysian Indian Minority & Human Rights Violations Annual Report 2010,” said Waytha. “We will be releasing the report to the public soon after lodging copies officially with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.”

Religious rights
The presentations in Washington, continued Waytha, also touched on the “continuing persecution” of the Christians in Malaysia and denial of fundamental religious rights to other non-Muslim groups.

Specific acts brought to the attention of the US officials were the government’s ban on the printing of the Bible in Malay, the use of the term Allah and many other terms by Christians, and the difficulties faced by mission schools and in building places of worship including by Orang Asli Christians, he added.

“It’s an open secret that the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, the natives, continue to be marginalized and disenfranchised,” said Waytha.

“The US Government has been urged to study the continuing influx of illegal immigrants into Sabah and their placement on the electoral rolls through backdoor methods. There are international laws against such practices.”

Another particular case cited, disclosed the Hindraf chief, was the building of a statue in Kudat to the Goddess of the Sea – Mazu – which had to be aborted after the state government stepped in and halted the project.

The thrust of the April presentations in Washington, acknowledged Waytha, focused on the Hindu and Indian community in Malaysia and took in as well the increasing encroachment of Syariah law and the Syariah courts, “inferior” establishments under the Federal Constitution, into the jurisdiction of the civil courts and secular life.

Other activists
Again, the reference point was the Mar 21 letter to the King, said Waytha, and the Hindraf 2010 Report.

“We can’t stand idly by and allow the creeping Islamisation of Malaysia to go on in violation of the Federal Constitution and its secular nature,” he said.

“We have to do something about such illegal activities before the situation further worsens and reaches a point of no return.”

Hindraf has so far this month held human rights briefings at the Netherlands Parliament in Amsterdam on April 18, the Belgium Parliament in Brussels on April 19, at the United Nations in Geneva on April 20 and an informal briefing in London last weekend.

Besides Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, and Washington in the first half of April, the earlier meetings in the United States also took place in Florida before Europe.

Hindraf was accompanied at the European meetings by activists from Sabah and Sarawak, and The Sarawak Report website and Radio Free Sarawak co-founders, Clare Rewcastle Brown and Peter John.

The Common Interest Group Malaysia (CigMA) chairman Daniel John Jambun and the movement’s organizing secretary, Kanul Gindol, represented Sabah at the European meetings initiated by Hindraf. CigMA Advisor Jeffrey Kitingan, according to Jambun, endorsed their trip.

Jambun is also HuRiFoM Advisor while Gindol is its Borneo Director besides working on Sabah versions of The Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak.

Interlok: Umno’s subjudicationist and racist agenda against the Indian poor

Umno’s insistence on retaining Interlok after all the public outcry and allowing only 19 out of 106 proposed amendments is akin to proposing the editing of Satanic Verses and lifting its ban in Malaysia.
 

What is the motive for still being adamant on retaining this book if not for Umno’s racist and supremacist agenda in continuing to subjudicate especially the Indian poor?

It is in direct contravention of Articles 8 and 12 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees equality before the law and that there shall be no discrimination against any citizen on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of birth.

We are unable to accept the book whose original version had the racially insulting and derogatory and degressive “paria” word, “dark skinned Indians”, “memamah sireh seperti kambing”, etc. as the racist basis and thereafter retaining the remaining parts in the book for example replacing “paria” with “golongan yang sama”.

The Umno education minister by accepting a mere 20% or 19 out of the 106 amendments proposed by the Interlok panel makes a mockery of the said independent panel. The three Indian representatives were, as usual, ultimately made use of to endorse Umno’s racism.

The lesson yet again learnt from this is that the Indian elite should in future refrain from accepting such “Indian mandore” positions.

We once again call for Interlok to be replaced by the Nov 25, 2007 Hindraf Rally novel by P Uthayakumar (see www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com).

It analyses amongst others the real racial and religious harmony and co-existence that existed even immediately after independence 54 years ago, and which has today regretfully ceased to exist, and the gross acts of Umno racism that led to Nov 25 Indian poor popular uprising.

Also in the hope that the present Form Five Malay, Muslim students in particular, as the future leaders would be able to better understand and hopefully undo the gross injustices meted out to especially the Malaysian Indian poor.

Irrespective, HRP and Hindraf will continue with our struggle beyond Interlok which is really Umno racism on a day to basis meted out against the Indian poor.

Our latest firm and uncompromising stand against Umno racism and religious supremacy is evidenced by the 53 Hindraf Makkal Sakthi human rights defenders being maliciously prosecuted within one week of this month alone.

They are the only human rights activists in the world to have ever been prosecuted for merely being a member of a human rights NGO. Over 300 were arrested on Feb 27, Hindraf rally alone (123 or 109 plus the 14 candle light vigillers officially acknowledged by police).

By P Uthayakumar

Pro tem secretary general

Human Rights Party

PRESS STATEMENT- HINDRAF RESPONSE TO MUHIDIN YASSIN

PRESS STATEMENT

The audacity of the Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to purportedly close the INTERLOK issue with the support from their toothless allies goes to show the impunity that the UMNO fascist government reigns  with an iron fist against the sensitivity and feelings of the minorities.

In essence, the Deputy Premier encourages such segregation of its citizenry by imbibing such sardonic literature into the school curriculum for the juveniles.

Such blatant lies that is being disseminated by UMNO media tools such as the Utusan Malaysia and Malay Mail is a clear indication on the political direction of UMNO to maintain their status quo in creating the Master and Slave methodology between the Malay supremacies and fanatics towards the minorities.

All reasoning, logic and concern that had been brought forward by various non partisan and non political organizations have been totally ignored and shot down to ensure that artificial concept of “Ketuanan Melayu” over the minorities is entrenched in the juvenile stages of the youngsters similar to the civil service with the BTN ideology. 

By planting, seeding and enhancing racism through juveniles amongst Malaysians, the UMNO government is steadfast in enhancing its radical, unreasonable “Ketuanan Melayu” nationalism political ideology through public policies for its Malay supremacy and fascist mindset to continue in perpetuity.

There is nothing much to be expected from the toothless allies of UMNO who waits for the bones thrown to them but rather the public who need to rise against such outright and blatant disregard for the feelings of the minorities whose ancestors had broken their bones to ensure that Malaysia is today what it is because of their sacrifice and contribution to ensure that their future generations amongst the majority will prosper in tandem rather than being hijacked by a racist and fascist UMNO agenda.

INTERLOK is not a closed chapter, but a chapter that needs every Malaysian to look into their conscience and question for their peers why do we need racism and fascism amongst us for the benefit of such moronic like the UMNO elites and their stooges.

INTERLOK is a bludgeoning hammer into the aspiration of our forefathers and more particularly into our pride and dignity.

We, at HINDRAF are not going to allow this “Interlok” to be closed but will work with the public to continue to pressure for this literature to be withdrawn ultimately.  

“Rights not Mercy”

Thank you

P. Waytha Moorthy

Chairman

HINDRAF

by S. Jayathas

HRP