New party for Uthaya

(The Star) KLANG: Hindraf’s P. Uthayakumar launched a new multiracial party called the Human Rights Party (HRP) with an objective to champion the rights of marginalised sectors of all communities.

He announced that he was giving up practising law and would fully concentrate on being a political activist and to lay the groundwork for the next general election.

He added that the outlawed Hindraf movement would continue to be apolitical and be led by his younger brother Waythamoorthy, who is still in self-exile in London.

Uthayakumar said HRP would function as a pro tem organisation pending approval from the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to its application made on June 18.

Speaking to reporters after the launch of the party at the Hokkien Hall here, Uthayakumar, who will be the party secretary-general, said HRP’s top echelon would be announced later.

He also identified 15 parliamentary and 38 state seats that the party would contest in the election.

He suggested that Indians in these constituencies register as voters to create Indian-majority areas and “to bargain for the marginalised.”

The former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee also launched his book, Malaysian Indian Political Empowerment Strategy: The Way Forward, which was conceptualised and written during his 514 days in detention in Kamunting.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Makkal Sakthi Party secretary-general Kannan Ramasamy offered Uthayakumar to take over the party instead of waiting for ROS approval for HRP.

He said the party’s top leaders are willing to relinquish their posts for the “Hindraf Five”, namely Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, V. Ganabathirau, R. Kengadharan and K. Vasantha-kumar, all of whom were just released from ISA detention.

In Seremban, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Indians would eventually lose out if they chose to be represented by several political parties.