Set up Minority Affairs Ministry, says Hindraf
The movement says that it will throw its backing to any coalition that sets up the ministry and endorses its five year blueprint.
G Vinod, FMT
Hindraf today demanded the government to set up a Minorities Affairs Ministry right after the general election.
Hindraf national advisor N Ganesan said this at the movement’s fifth anniversary gathering, held at the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, to commemorate its hugely succesful November 2007 rally.
“Let Hindraf run the ministry as we are the only NGO that is steadfast in our cause.
“We will only throw in our support to the coalition that will endorse our demand and our five year blueprint,” said Ganesan, addressing the nearly 2,000 attendees.
In Nov 25, 2007, tens of thousands of Indians marched to the nation’s capital seeking for a betterment of the Indian community plight but the incident was marred when police used heavy handed tactics to break the crowd.
Following the Hindraf rally, the traditional Barisan Nasional supporters threw their backing to Pakatan Rakyat in the general election in the following year, denying the ruling coalition its customary two thirds majority at the Parliament, and delivered five states to the opposition.
Hindraf’s six demands
At the gathering today, Hindraf also made several demands in its five year blueprint. They are:
1) Stop displacing Indian plantation workers and provide reasonable compensation, as well as, offer skills training to them,
2) Resolve Indian stateless issue,
3) Provide equal education opportunity to all Indian students via meritocracy,
4) Provide equal job and business opportunities to Indians,
5) Stop police brutality and death in custody, and set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), and
6) Stop institutionalised racism and ratify United Nations convention against racial discrimination.
Ganesan said that Hindraf would be able to resolve the six issues affecting the Indian community through the Minority Affairs Ministry.
He also urged the government to allocate RM4.5 billion annually to the ministry for that purpose.
“And don’t tell me that the amount is big. Budget 2013 is worth RM230 billion and the amount we seek is not even five percent of the budget,” said Ganesan.
