Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) de facto leader P Uthayakumar has slammed Pakatan Rakyat’s manifesto for overlooking its 18-point demand to assist the Indian community.

He said that while Pakatan supremo Anwar Ibrahim has offered to fix an omission in the manifesto by adding in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang’s oil royalty, Hindraf’s demands did not receive the same treatment.   Uthayakumar, who is also the Human Rights Party pro-tem secretary-general, questioned whether the manifesto transcends racial boundaries as Anwar had claimed on Tuesday.

“There are zero provisions in the manifesto to undo these 56 years of ongoing Umno racism-cum-injustices victimising the most vulnerable community in Malaysia, like the Indian poor.

“(Although) Pakatan shouted ubah (change), the manifesto does not include undoing these injustices,” Uthayakumar said in a statement today.

To illustrate his point, Uthayakumar described the condition of a 61-year-old Indian Malaysian woman named Pushpagantha, who is suffering from several diseases and had approached Hindraf for help yesterday.
“The Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun Nasional) and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) government loans do not reach the Indian poor like Pushpagantha.

“Neither are they in Pakatan’s manifesto,” he said, adding that the woman had asked for land for agricultural purposes.

Yesterday, Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy expressed “extreme disappointment” with the manifesto, saying that it has neglected the interests of the Indian Malaysian community.   He also lamented the fact that Pakatan has not endorsed Hindraf’s five-year blueprint, which he said offers a “permanent, practical and comprehensive” solution to the problem of marginalised Indians for a “mere” RM4.5 billion a year.