The HINDRAF Conundrum

Well, I guess the government (or I should say UMNO) has its tail up against HINDRAF - judging by the media blitz in the mainstream media. Not a day goes by without the trumpet of accusations and comments about this hitherto low-key group. Wow, what a way to get publicity!!

Well, let's recap. It all started with a memorandum to the British Prime Minister: allegedly about the plight of migrant Indians and their subsequent generations brought to this country over the last two hundred years, and to claim compensation from the British government (about RM 1 million per Indian - hello, as if that is ever gonna happen!!?) for bringing them to this country. The organisers then planned a rally for support to hand this memorandum to British High Commission officials, which was held on 25 November.

Of course the authorities did their usual stunts: denial of police permit (of course...), warnings over the mainstream media, then followed by the now-oh-so-popular road blocks which aimed to cause inconvenience to the public. Still the sympathy and support were with the organisers of this rally.

Coming on the heels of the BERSIH rally, one would really expect nothing other than an over-reaction from the UMNO-controlled police. Being a single-race, minority group rally it played right into their hands; as has been reported widely - the reaction was swift and brutal. Despite what the mainstream media tried to portray, first hand accounts were of a peaceful rally initially, until the police started shooting. The rest is history.

Well initially there was some support from the odd coalition member, and of course the opposition; however as news of the actual content of the memo got out the numbers of supporters began to dwindle, even among those that initially supported them. Even the Opposition is distancing themselves from the group. Come on now: ethnic cleansing? And how would you try to garner support for your cause by making such, as well as other, allegations? It doesn't help matters if the issue is politicised in India, or if the HINDRAF leaders seeks foreign support.

Sensing victory (if you could call it that), the mainstream media pushed on the advantage...

So we have allegations of links to terrorist groups and possible use of violence to further their cause... If this does not alienate the moderates in this country, I don't know what will. It would probably do more harm than good to the Opposition parties, as they are being painted as pulling the strings behind the scenes!

But is there more than meets the eye here, as alleged by this juicy piece? After all everyone likes conspiracy stories...why one earth do you think that X-Files was so successful? And away from the rally site to Batu Caves, where a witch hunt is ongoing against 31 individuals - attempted murder? Even the Attorney-General has descended from his lofty abode to lead this witch hunt!! Oh, how the whole issue is being blown out of proportion! After all, eyewitness accounts paint a very different picture from the 'official, yet contradictory, accounts!!

It just goes to show how 'desperate' the government is!! Even to the extent of revoking the business licence of a company just because it is named Hindraf!

The whole HINDRAF issue has opened a can of worms. Discontent has been building up over the years among the minority groups. Like a dormant volcano, it may appear to be calm outside, but pressure is building on the inside: it has to erupt somewhere, and somehow. It is just a matter of time. The coalition may say they have MIC and PPP to look after the welfare of the Indians; while we cannot deny that they have made strides in improving the outlook for Indians, they (not we!) must also admit there has been severe shortcomings - just look at how the issue of the MAIKA scandal has been handled all these years.

Looking past the blown-out-of-proportion issues, we are still left with the tough meat to chew - a minority group has come out openly to highlight the issue of discrimination. It is no secret that this happens in this country, whether overtly or covertly. The ball is in the coalition's court - whether to grab the bull by its horns (i.e. acknowledging the issue and addressing it) or to continue to turn a blind eye in the name of Ketuanan Melayu or NEP. There's no prize for guessing this one correctly...

Who knows, it might be the Chinese next...stranger things have happened!