P.Uthayakumar’s Speech at Human Rights Service Centre Dinner 6/3/2010 Hokkien Hall,Klang.

This evening  (Iniya poluthil) I am going to speak on only one vasagam.

Oru Vasagam ……………

This one Vasagam is how we have to create the forward moving (mun nokki chellum) political empowerment strategy, that is the creation of Indian majority Parliamentary and State seats.

This has never been done before in Malaysia’s 53 years of Independence.

Article 8 of the Federal Constitution provides for Equality before the law.

But in reality only when it comes to voting, we have equal rights. As a minority we only have one bullet that is our votes.

Our vote is the most powerful weapon we have. That is why you see both the ruling party and the Opposition party aggressively wanting our votes. But after getting our votes they are not interested in our problems and abandon us thereafter.

And at the next general elections we end up having no choice but to vote again either for the ruling party or the opposition.

But under the Indian Political Empowerment Strategy that I had unveiled via my book in this very same hall about eight months ago on 19/7/09, we don’t have to vote for the ruling party of even the opposition parties. We can now vote for ourselves and fight our own battle. How are we going to vote for ourself?

The critical Indian problems today that peaked with the 100,000 people 25^th November Hindraf Rally is because in all the 50 years of Independence we never had even one Indian majority Parliamentary or State seat  out of the 222 Parliamentary and 576 state seats.

The 14 Government and Opposition Indian MP’s win either on Malay or Chinese votes or a combination of up to 70% Malay and Chinese votes but are unable to speak up for the Indians without fear or favour.

As such the Indians never had the empowered political voice at the highest political policy and decision making levels.

Thus our critical Indian problems today as we never had any Indian majority seats and have been excluded from the national mainstream development of Malaysia for 53 long years.

For example in Penang, there are 5 ADUN and two MPs’ but when it came to preserving the only remaining Indian heritage village of Buah Pala in Penang, they could not do anything to prevent its destruction.

The One Indian MP and one Indian Exco Member in Kedah could not do anything to stop the demolishment of the Ladang Batu Pekaka Hindu cemetary by the Kedah PAS government.

Similarly the two Indian MPs one Exco and one ADUN in Selangor could not stop the demolishment of the Ampang, Hindu temple.

And despite two years now the land title for even the Padang Jawa hindu temple that was one of the main causes of the November 25^th Rally vis a vis the 8^th March General Elections has not been issued even by the new Selangor State government.

The 14 Indian MPs cannot do anything to set up a special school like the MRSM for the 817 Tamil School students who had scored 7As for focused development of the human capital they represent.

The 14 Indian MPs cannot get the Indian poor included in the 450,000 10acre land ownership schemes like in FELDA, Felcra, Risda etc.  Generally they are powerless to protect and promote the interests and rights of the Indian minority community in this country.

This is plainly because with the current Mandorist arrangements they have with the Tuans and Towkays, these Indian representatives are not empowered to represent the Indians. They have to toe their party lines, and their party lines do not include protecting and promoting Indian interests and rights.

DAP can speak up for the Chinese because they are elected by the Chinese  in their 28 Chinese majority constituencies. In Kedah, for example, there is only one DAP ADUN and he could solve the Kedah pig farm demolishment problem within four days. This is because he is empowered ie he was voted in by the Chinese majority and does not have to fear losing Malay votes.

Since none of the Indian ADUNs or MPs are elected by an Indian majority electrote, the Indians land up having no real political voice at all in the country. So no one effectively and truly promotes and protects Indian interests and rights in this country be it the Government or even the Opposition parties whom we had voted for in the last general elections.

Therefore we have no choice, but to elect ADUNs and MPs who will promote and protect Indian interests and rights. This will happen only if these MPs’ and ADUNs win on Indian votes.

What this means therefore is that we have to create Indian majority seats. For a start  we focus on one State seat and one Parliament seat in each of the seven States which I hereby launch. Firstly DUN Sri Andalas and Kota Raja Parliament seats in Selangor, DUN Lunas and Padang Serai Parliament seats in Kedah, DUN Perai and Batu Kawan Parliament seats in Penang, DUN Buntong and Ipoh Barat Parliament seats in Perak, DUN Port Dickson and Teluk Kemang Parliament seats in Negeri Sembilan, DUN Tanah Rata and Cameron Highlands Parliament seats in Pahang and DUN Tiram and Tebrau Parliament seats in Johor.  

What this means is that we will register as voters in these constituencies and make those constituencies Indian majority constituencies.  Then whoever is elected from that constituency will speak up for the Indians in their state because they won on the overwhelming Indian votes.

 If we can do this  with the 1,250,000 Indian vote bank as at 2010, we would collectively and efficiently eventually be able to send into Parliament and the State Assemblies 15 Indian MPs’ and 38 State Assemblymen to be able to influence policy making and decision making at the highest political level. When we get into Parliament and the State Assemblies we go on our own strength and become empowered.

We have thus far conducted three Think Tank meetings at our HRP HQ in Bangsar training future MP’s and State Assembly not to become politicians per se but political activists who will have the interest of the people first and not the typical self serving politicians.

 All these seats form from about 30% to 46% Indian voters for DUN except Tiram and around 20% Indian voters for Parliament seats.

Step One

Identify all unregistered eligible Indian voters in the constituency and the other parts of Selangor and register them as voters.

Step Two Those attaining 21 years to register immediately as voters.

Step Three For example the Indians make up 33% of the voters in Sri Andalas. If one Indian voter brings in one other voter to vote in Sri Andalas then we would have a 66% Indian majority seat.

Step Four Sri Andalas Voters to get their relatives and friends to change their voting constituency to Sri Andalas. To do this, they have to change their IC address to an address in Sri Andalas.

To change the IC address you need to go to the Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara personally and fill out a form for change of address.

People ask if this can be done. For example Lim Guan Eng not only moved as a voter from Melaka to Penang but has in fact become the Chief Minister of Penang. So, if such people can do it, surely we too can do it.

There will be many challenges and problems in undertaking this momentous task.

 Anyone who thinks this will be easy, or wants to find shortcuts or gives up at the first obstacle needs to learn the meaning of “delayed gratification”.

This task is especially for our children and grand children and for our future generations to come.

Our strongest weapon is word of mouth. So we need to go out beginning today and start spreading this message rather urgently to at least ten other people as the elections can be called anytime from this year to 2013.

If we put our minds to it we will change all of that. It is totally in our hands.

We never imagined that the 25^th November Rally would ever take off. Similarly if each and everyone of us work as hard and show the same level of commitment and dedication as in the 25^th November spirit we will certainly succeed in this our struggle.

Thank you.

P.Uthayakumar