Sam Mi 'Oh' Va Lu

Samy Vellu Calls For Hindraf 5 Release

The MIC has again called on the government to immediately release the five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on Dec 13 last year.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said today R. Kengadharan, 41, M. Manoharan, 47, V. Ganabatirau, 35, P. Uthayakumar, 47, and K. Vasantha Kumar, 35, should be released unconditionally.

He said they had been detained for almost nine months now and that "it's about time that they are released as they pose no danger to the security of the country.

"The government should not hold them any longer as it will prolong the Indian community's ill-feelings towards the government," he said in a statement. Samy Vellu said the punishment meted out to the five Hindraf leaders did not correspond with their actions.

"They only voiced out the problems and the frustrations of the Indian community. Similarly, the MIC has also been doing the same for the past few decades ... so why detain them any longer?" he said.

Samy Vellu said many Barisan Nasional (BN) "die-hards" among the Indian community had voted for the opposition in the last (March 8) general election as they felt that the five Hindraf leaders had been detained unjustly.

"It is not because they loved the opposition or they wanted a change but rather they vented their anger on the (BN) government," he said.

He said the BN could regain their support if the five Hindraf leaders were released.

"I had asked the prime minister (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) to release them on several occasions and also raised the matter at two BN Supreme Council meetings," he said, adding that he would raise the matter again when he meets Abdullah soon.

Source: Malaysian Insider, 21st September 2008, The Malaysian Insider

[With the Indian accent] "Aiyoyo ini Sammi, nanti cakap itu Hindraf 5 tak boleh lepas keluar. Sekarang dia pula cakap sama itu kerajaan panggil mereka bagi Hindraf keluar. Apa macam sama dia fikir saya pun tak tau. Tapi saya tau sama dia ini cakap tak serupa bikin la. Nanti dia cakap macam itu, lepas itu dia cakap macam ini. Buat pening kepala rakyat semua la."

Just a little flashback on what is Hindraf and why the 5 leaders of Hindraf end up in ISA.
Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) which is made up of the coalition of 30 NGO committed to preserve the Hindu community rights and heritage in Malaysia (Wikipedia, 2008). The 5 leaders of Hindraf together with 30 000 of the supporters took the streets of Kuala Lumpur last year because they accused the government for sidelining their ethnic and demolish hundred of Hindus' temples.

According to the government, they sent the 5 to detention under ISA because they posed a threat to the nation and attempted to destroy the country (Mage's P Lab, 2007).

After nearly 10 months since the Hindraf 5 were detained, again MIC call the government to release them. WHY?

My 'WHY?' is not referring to the call for the release but is referring to the attentiveness of MIC after the March 8 which we saw a great lost in the election by the party. If MIC is attentive enough to the Indians at the first place, 30 000 of them won't took the street, thousands won't be sprayed with water laced-chemicals, beaten up with kicks and batons and 5 of the leaders wouldn't be in ISA now.

It is good that 8 March political tsunami act as an eye-opener to several component parties of Barisan Nasional and they realised that they have been 'kaw-towing' to their 'big brother' all these while.

Even Samy action was a little too late, but at least he is back on his track as MIC chief. Not much I can comment now. What we, the people can do is to sit down and watch how Samy turn his words into action and hopefully it bear fruits.