12/12: Demos by Umno Youth and Hindraf have nothing in common

(Bernama) -- Attempts by certain people to equate the demonstration by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) with efforts by Umno to stand for the rights of Palestinians are difficult to be accepted because the gap in their struggles is very wide, like between the earth and the sky.

The public may still remember when Umno Youth vice chief Khairy Jamaluddin and 10,000 other Malaysians of various religions stood together in a wave of anger towards the United States (US) for defending Israel that openly murdered the Lebanese and Palestinians.

The rally on July 28 last year in this capital city, initiated by Umno Youth, finally managed to hand over a memorandum to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was here for the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, calling for the world power to broker a ceasefire to end the Israeli military campaign.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) senior lecturer Dr Siva Murugan said the demonstration by Umno, participated by people of various races and religions, was a genuine global struggle compared to the one by Hindraf that was desperate in trying to champion its personal interest.

"The issues fought for by Umno Youth and Hindraf are far different. It is clear to the people that both have different ideologies though in principle, they voice out oppression against a particular race," he said.

Dr Siva said Hindraf actually tried to cloud the eyes of the Malaysian people by saying that it was fighting for the Indians in the country to the extent that it was willing to use violent means including "battling its own people and authorities."

"Peaceful demonstrations are not something new in the country and often allowed by the authorities. The issue now is Hindraf has exceeded the line by disrupting public order and challenging the authorities," he said.

He said an assembly bent on radicalism and extremism should not be accepted by the people in the country.

"It is not our way. It is not our culture. I agree with the government's firmness on Hindraf who tries to promote violent demonstrations," he said.

Dr Siva said Hindraf was not only challenging the law of the land but also other principles enshrined in the Federal Constitution including by questioning Malay privileges and trying to challenge the Malay rulers institution.

Malaysian Association for Community Development president Norizan Shariff said the demonstrations by Umno Youth and Hindraf had nothing in common.

The one by Umno Youth, he said, was the only way to protest against the Israeli aggression after international powers refused to prevent Israel from year to year from murdering more Palestinians.

"There are two things completely different. Umno Youth tried to stop the aggression in Palestine when the world saw Israel attempted to commit ethnic cleansing at rampant.

"It (Palestine) required assistance after no help came from the international community. Because there was no platform to voice the issue out, it was channelled through a demonstration in Malaysia and other places as well," he said.

On the other hand, Hindraf deliberately created issues and had their own agendas, he said.

"In Hindraf's context, all their allegations are more of a claim that has yet to be proven," he said. In fact, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu also disputed Hindraf's accusations, he said.

Norizan said Hindraf leaders had adopted a wrong strategy by staging a demonstration which clearly showed it was not sincere in its struggle and drew criticisms from the majority of people in the country.

"They did not meet members of the government first. Instead, after staging the demonstration and breaking the law, only then they wanted to meet the government," he said.

On Hindraf's allegation that the government had violated the people's basic rights by disallowing public assemblies, Norizan said: "No one has denied them the freedom to assemble but only if it does not make the people worry.

"If they say their basic rights have been violated when their assembly have been disallowed, what about the rights of others who are disturbed by their actions at the assembly?" he asked.