HINDRAF – Which Way Forward?

By SV Singam

Much has been said about Uthayakumar's declaration that he intends to form an Indian-led multiracial party. While many are opposed to this idea for any number of reasons, there are those who strongly support the idea.

They feel that DAP will remain Chinese-based and PKR will mainly address Malay needs. Therefore they feel that only an Indian-led party can really look after Indian interests.

My feeling is that the "multiracial" tag offered for the new party is only to pretend to embrace the multiracial model of the Pakatan Rakyat. I honestly cannot see many Chinese or Malays joining this party. What can this party offer them that DAP or PKR cannot offer? Why would the Chinese or Malays want to support a newcomer to the political scene with no track record? The kind of non-Indians I see joining this new party would be those who are frustrated by non-recognition or lack of promotion in their old party. These failed leaders may cross over and bring with them their followers. Is this the kind of leadership that will bring the new party to success?

If the mass migration of Chinese and Malays from other parties does not happen, the new party will remain an Indian party with an almost entirely Indian membership. This Indian political party will only have Indian support and can only speak for the Indians. The Indians being such a small minority, they will not have much bargaining power and can only get anything by negotiation with the other communities. Whatever they can achieve on the national stage will only be with the cooperation of the other communities.

This Indian party, when negotiating with other parties, will actually be negotiating with the Malays and Chinese, even if it is negotiating with PKR or DAP, because their thinking and terms of negotiation will be on a racial basis. So when these Indians negotiate with the other races over apportionment of resources, they will actually be asking the other races to give up part of their entitlement for the benefit of the Indians.

Now, why would another race give up their entitlement for the Indians? After all, they would have their own needy to look after. So if the negotiation is fair and everything is apportioned by racial quota, the Indians can expect nothing more than around 8%. They can argue about historical disenfranchisement and all that but it will be a hard argument to sell in a race-based entitlements negotiation. If the non-Indian leaders are kind enough, they may offer 10% or even 12% of the share, but not much more.

On the other hand, since it is acknowledged that the Indians have been marginalised for so long and have been exploited by their own political leaders as well, no one will disagree that the number of hardcore poor Indians is disproportionately high. For the sake of argument, let us assume that, even though the Indian population is only around 8%, among the hardcore poor the Indians constitute some 20%. I believe this is not an unreasonable figure.

If the affirmative action programs initiated by the PR are need-based instead of being race-based, the poorest and the most needy of all races will get help first. In this case, among the hardcore poor, the Indians can expect to get 20% of the help.

Can a race-based political negotiation deliver this kind of assistance to the needy? Think about it!

Forming a race-based political party is nothing more than a mark of continued mental enslavement to the divisive politics of the BN. These shackles must be thrown aside and the new political paradigm of multiracialism must be embraced.

A desire to defeat the MIC and teach them a lesson is a morally bankrupt reason for taking up a political cause. Forget about forming a party to entice MIC members. All you will accomplish is to replace MIC with another similar entity merely having a different name. The mentality and expectations of the members and leaders will remain unchanged and history will repeat itself. Trying to entice Indians from the other PR parties will be tantamount to a sabotage operation to infiltrate the BN agenda of racial divide and conquer into the PR. The Indians of Malaysia should be able to rise above such low aims.

Dear leaders of Hindraf, embrace the multiracial approach espoused by the PR and educate all Indians to understand that this is the best way forward. PR parties must be populated by Indians who are able to understand and accept this new thinking and give up forever the old MIC rubbish. Do not waste your efforts in seeking to form yet another race-based party that can only fail your members the way the MIC has failed them for so many years. Join an existing multiracial party and add your strength and value to the progress of a united nation of Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

Be bold. And lead your people along this new path to success. The future beckons.