Hindraf-BN to ink deal to improve Indians

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Apr 18, 2013

(FMT) – Hindraf will be signing a MoU with Najib Tun Razak later this evening in which BN will agree to do more to uplift the lot of the Indian community.

Indian rights movement Hindraf will be inking a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak later this evening to put to paper the government’s commitment in uplifting the Indian community.

Some of the concessions agreed by Najib is said to come directly from Hindraf’s five-year blueprint.

Hindraf’s blueprint, among others, highlights issues related to displaced Indian plantation workers, the need for tertiary-level education for Indian students, job opportunities in the government sector, financial loans to Indian entrepreneurs, and the establishment of a Minorities Affairs Ministry.

The MoU today is a result of weeks of meetings and negotiations with Najib on the Hindraf proposal for the Indian community

Hindraf had a meeting with Najib on March 25, and following that there had been a series of talks between them.

The first indication that Najib was willing to look into Hindraf’s proposals came when he included the setting up of a special unit to oversee Indian affairs in the BN manifesto.

Though this was a far cry from the ministry which Hindraf sought, it however gave them the belief that Najib was willing to meet them half way to help uplift the Indian community.

Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy had previously said that Hindraf would support whichever party that endorsed its blueprint. Alternatively, he had declared that Hindraf supporters would abstain from voting if neither Pakatan nor BN was willing to endorse the blueprint.

He had also embarked on a hunger strike on March 10 in order to get either BN or Pakatan Rakyat to endorse the Hindraf blueprint. He ended his hunger strike on March 31. By this stage, the movement and Najib had officially started talks.

He had also expressed his disappointment with Pakatan and its leader Anwar Ibrahim for not taking them seriously despite having several meetings.

With the MoU being inked today, it looks certain that Najib and BN would be benefiting from Hindraf’s support although it is uncertain as to the extent of Najib’s acceptance of Hindraf’s proposals.