03/12: M'sian PM given a week to meet Hindraf leaders

The Straits Times

THE Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has given Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi a week to meet its leaders and has also issued a list of demands.

The group said it would stop its international lobbying campaign if Datuk Seri Abdullah agreed to cease policies that it says discriminates against minority Indians.

Hindraf, which gained prominence after organising a mass rally on Nov 25, also wants the Prime Minister to create a Second Deputy Prime Minister's post to be held by a non-Malay.

'It can go to anyone, including Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu,' one of Hindraf's top leaders, Mr M. Manoharan, told The Straits Times on Sunday.

Datuk Seri Samy, who leads the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a junior partner in Barisan Nasional, is unpopular among some Indian activists who feel he has not done enough to help his community.

Another demand is the appointment of a Chinese to be Finance Minister because Hindraf feels too many top portfolios are held by Umno leaders.

The last Chinese to hold the top finance post was the late Tun Tan Siew Sin, who was finance minister for 13 years until he retired in 1974.

Hindraf also wants the government to stop tearing down Hindu temples that stand in the way of development.

Additionally, it wants the government to give more aid to Tamil schools and free all Indians held without trial in a detention centre in Simpang Renggam, Johor.

An estimated 40 per cent of the inmates are Indians, many of them held on gangsterism or criminal charges.