Something else to reflect on this Thaipusam. From Malaysiakini:
Dressed in a frilly dark-red dress and wearing pom-poms in her hair, five-year-old Vwaishhnnavi was all decked out to deliver a letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. What she wanted was a ‘date’ for Valentine’s Day.
I’m speechless.
The girl is Waythamoorthy’s only daughter. The daughter of a man who cannot come back home because of how he will be made to suffer, the niece of a man who no one can be confident of seeing again anytime soon.
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Adults have been no less proactive. Malaysiakini reports 130 people are on hunger strike, but the number could be far more.
Commentator Senthil (whose bro I have the honour or having met personally) wrote:
I dont know if you realise this Nat.
But many have already been fasting betwen 2 to 3 days together with the Hindraf 5 , many are doing it silently and without publicity.
as thaipusam an asupicious prayer week, makes it even easier for the indians to go on hunger strike.
you can check with my brother selwam who is in penang and into his 2nd day of fasting without food.
Its like the values of Mahatma Gandhi working its way into malaysia.
first massive rallies of non violence, then detention without trial and now hunger strike of ahimsa’s way.
its a real great thing achieved as many malaysians are at heart with them in this strike and are doing it with them.
God bless
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This comes a bit late, but Helen Ang also asked me to highlight her pieces on Hindraf here and here.
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In this festival of purification, 5 Malaysians sit and rot in a prison, with no hope of a fair trial.
Najib says they are there because to appease a phantom mob of Kg Baru rioters, Malaysians whose guilt has not been proven ‘must’ be punished. Sadly, MCA is only too happy to agree.
On Feb 16, a community who has borne the brunt of not only these but decades worth of injustices have only flowers to give their Prime Minister.
I’m planning on bringing him one too.
MCA. what the shit this CMF said. CMF, let me tell you this. you can threaten with this may 13 shit but you aint get my vote. and i have told my wife, who is incidentally pro-MCA for the past years. this year, not to vote your bloody stupid MCA and she happens to be registered in PJ Utara.
Take a hike, CMF
Nat, what Senthil said was absolutely right. Penang Thaipusam was the evidence.
There was a refreshment station of Hindraf in penang thaipusam. They were selling Hindraf orange colour T-shirts with the wordings ‘Makkal Sakthi’ (People Power). It was quite surprising that many were wearing the tshirts rather than traditional dhoti or modern tshirts or fashionable hip-hop costumes as usual. The youths rallying in the crowd were shouting Hindraf Vaalga. Suddenly we hear someone shout Hindraf from somewhere and the whole crowd scream Vaalga! There were devotees bearing 6 kavadi’s with pigeon design,symbol of Hindraf 5 in ISA.
At the night Hndraf co-cordinator Thanenthiran gave a powerfull speech and the crowd waited patiently untill he finish. Even i can see adults when shaking hands saying Makkal Sakti. It’s totally new for me and others also. But it’s not a wonder tough. They realise it and they appreciate the 5.
Walking towards the temple,i stopped a guy wearing the Hindraf t shirts and asked him – why you wearing this tshirt? why you support them? do you know them? what they did for you?
He looked at my eyes and asked, can you show me a single leader who fast for an hour for indians? can you show any leader who come down to street to against the whole government just for us? and can you imagine any leader go to jail for us? You cant! But they do. As simple as that.
first, if that moorthy guy (the rest 4) did not join hindraf rally, he won’t end up in kamunting. he should aware of the consequence to go demo in malaysia. if he really miss his daughter and understand his daughter feeling miss papa, then he should not participate. he only let one more ppl suffer for his action only, not aab or police but himself. let the rest with no worries behind do the job instead.
Denzok
No reform in history was ever achieved without people who were willing to pay the price. The Hindraf 5 knew well about the consequences and yet for the sake of their community they were willing to put their interest and that of their families after the interest of their community.
But I guess the majority of the middle class in Malaysia think like you and the BN is also trying to make us think the same by raising the issue of May 13 every now and then. Think of the consequences. Think of ourselves and families. We will then become a nothing but a self-centred society
Samy Samy where are you
I challenge you to come of view
All the richness of no use
When your time is left a few
Should your greed continues
When sufferings are in queue
While you are enjoying BBQ
Out of cue
Out of phew
You are somebody we never knew
[...] This is what Hindraf wanted: [...]