A challenge to Home Minister Hishammuddin
Earlier this week, the Home Minister issued a statement in Parliament saying, amongst others, that I had left the Country on the 28th November 2007 to lobby International support and to make efforts to meet leaders of the LTTE.
The above information was apparently obtained from intelligence reports.
This baseless and unfounded allegation by Hishammuddin that I had made attempts to make contact with LTTE is absolutely ridiculous. I openly challenge Hishammuddin to provide the proof to the Malaysian public.
If that was the case why did the British government grant me political asylum status under the United Nations 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugee owing to fear of persecution by the Malaysian government for social activities that was carried out by HINDRAF? For the public’s information, LTTE is a recognised organisation both in England and India. In that case even the other Hindraf lawyers who had faced illegal incarceration are equally exonerated from such malicious allegation.
On 5th December 2007, it was the Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail who made this unfounded allegation against innocent Hindraf supporters in open court during the bail application hearing. Thereafter, on the 13th December 2007, the Inspector General of Police and the Former Prime Minister made similar unfounded allegations against the HINDRAF Lawyers.
When challenged to prove those allegations they went mute and the facts were twisted that the Lawyers had raised religious sentiments when the lawyers had merely advocated the rights of freedom of religion under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I have always maintained that I am a Human Rights Advocate and have never deviated in my duty to uphold the Malaysian Federal Constitution and protect the Rule of Law.
I have no fear of the UMNO regime and its prison and have proven myself when I voluntarily denied bail upon arrest on a politically motivated sedition charge on 23rd November 2007.
I now challenge Hishammuddin to do the following:
a) Immediately issue a fresh International Passport under my name (I will not accept the old passport which has been invalidated and most likely “marked invalidated” by the British Immigration Office).
b) Arrest and charge me in open court for treason upon my return for the alleged “attempt to make contact with LTTE”.
The “criminal” charge would give me an opportunity to prove that this Government has no evidence whatsoever and the whole works of the system right from the former Prime Minister, Attorney General, Inspector General of Police to the current leaders have lied and misled the Malaysian public and deliberately demonised HINDRAF, my colleagues and me.
If Hishammuddin fails to do the above he should publicly apologise to all Malaysians and Parliamentarians for misleading them.
P.Waytha Moorthy
Chairman
HINDRAF
