Hindraf leader back in Malaysia! Good or Bad?

Found this article online from The Star. So s this good or bad for the nation? I hope he really does what he say, which is to help the Indian community; and not just cause more political instability to our beloved nation.

Hindraf leader home after four-year exile

By MOHD FARHAAN SHAH
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

JOHOR BARU: Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader P. Waythamoorthy has returned home after his self-imposed exile in London since November 2007.

Waythamoorthy, who was all smiles, said he did not have much problems getting through immigration although his passport was briefly taken away by officials at around noon at the Sultan Iskandar Immigration, Customs and Quarantine (CIQ) complex here.

“I asked the official if there was a problem because I was on the wanted list and the official said yes,” he said, adding that several officials then asked him to head to their office but when he declined, the officials later allowed him to pass.

He said he was happy to be back.

Back for good: Waythamoorthy showing his passport during a press conference held at Austin Hill Golf Resort in Johor Baru.

“My smooth entry and the issuance of a passport to me shows that the Government recognises our struggle,” he said during a press conference at a resort here.

Waythamoorthy said he wanted the Government to recognise Hindraf.

“We want the Government to recognise our efforts. We want to engage with both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to highlight the issues faced by the Indian community,” he said.

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had shown sincerity in his initiatives to help the Indian community.

“We are happy with this matter but would like the Prime Minister to make good on his promises,” he said, adding that he was planning to conduct meet-the-people sessions soon.

He said he did not plan to join any political party as his main priority was to help the poor in the Indian community.

Internal Security Act Should be Known as Internal Oppression Act

Some of you may know that today is Blogger's Unite for Human Rights. So I have thought about many many things that I wish to write about. Finally I decided why should I write something that is happening miles away in another country, when we have humans rights violation happening in our own country. As you all may know or not, is that recently they have been so many talk about the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Malaysia. Supposedly ISA is to protect the country and its people but if look at it from a humanitarian point of view then you will understand that it violates human rights.

Recently, the Hindraf 5 and so many other people have been jailed under the ISA this include the beloved Anwar Ibrahim. So why is this human rights violation?

Well firstly, I think it is very unfair for anyone to be held for whatever reasons without the rights to defend themselves. Without a hearing to defend themselves, they are just kept in the prison where their health and living conditions are not taken care of. Everyone should have the rights to freedom and to defend themselves. I can't image myself being held, your freedom is taken for granted.

The reason that I think that this a severe case of oppression is due to the Hindraf case. These people organised a 'peaceful' rally to voice their concern to the government but instead the 5 leaders are held under ISA apparently for rebellion. So the way I see it is that you voice your concern through public rally then you will end being held under ISA (clearly proven since the same thing happened with the BERSIH rally). Is this not oppression? where is our freedom to express ourselves? I thought that Malaysia was a democratic country where each individual needs are taken care.

However, this law exists in so many many countries in many different variation, in United Kingdom there is Terrorism Act 2000 and a similar act exist in USA. Everyday many people are held under these kinds of law which imprison for indefinite amount of time so something they may or may not be guilty of. The thing that saddens me even more is that the people in our government (ie all the ministers) are given the power by the 'rakyat'. We voted them in, we gave them the power, we made them to be who they are and yet they continuously do whatever they wish. Clearly the Malaysian 'rakyat' have spoken out, I have seen posters, blogs and website that called for the freedom of ISA detainees. IF ISA is really necessary the please treat those people with some humanity, they are people and not animals. Finally to conclude this article I include a letter send to Pak Lah by K Kalaivaniy (mother of P Uthayakumar ):



YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi,
Dear Mr Prime Minister,

I am the 67-year-old and proud mother of P Uthayakumar one of Hindraf leaders detained by your goodself under the Internal Security Act. I write as the mother of Uthayakumar and on behalf of all Malaysian mothers who have been deprived of the love, care and attention of their sons detained under the ISA.

Only a mother who had raised and nurtured her son would understand the torture of forcefully being separated from him. Like me, there are many other mothers in this country currently being denied to be freely with their sons. On behalf of them, I write to appeal to you as a father figure of this beautiful country to immediately release them.

No mother on earth would condone her son committing an unlawful act and going unpunished but no mother would be able to digest the fact that her son is held for his political beliefs without being charged with any offence.
Like my son, many sons are being held under the law for their political beliefs or held on mere suspicion and without proof that they have committed offences. I wish to state that, like me, many mothers are suffering every day thinking of the uncertainty and unjust punishment and torture their sons are going through.

Many mothers are older than me and their days may be numbered. Every other day in detention is an eternal punishment to the mothers meted out by the country. Dear Prime Minister, let not a single mother leave this earth not being able to cuddle and hug her son for one last time.
I beg you on behalf of all mothers - be he a JI suspect, Hindraf leader or anyone - no mother would want to leave this earthly life with the burden of not speaking to her son one final time. On behalf of all I pray to the Lord Al-mighty to give you the utmost wisdom to see this great unjust committed on our sons.
I beg and appeal to you. Please release them and shut down the Kamunting detention camp.




This is a plea where we all should respect and join, let us be humans and free those ISA detainees. Think about the thousands of people world wide that have been held in similar situation. Their freedom and rights just taken from them just because they have a different political idea, or may be guilty of something or for just standing up against those who oppress them. I can't begin to imagine the feeling of those people and how they survive in those horrible detention camps. Power hungry politicians abuse their power and detain people under ISA in the name of freedom, security and democracy, but they forget one thing people will always be people. Treat others with some humanity. Let us unite and speak up against those that oppress us.