Hindraf Leader Lodges Police Complaint Against Malaysia's PM, Other Officials

An ethnic Indian leader filed a police report Saturday against Malaysia's prime minister, the attorney general and police chief for claiming his protest group has possible terrorist links.

"These allegations? I just laugh at them," P. Uthayakumar told reporters after lodging the criminal report against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the others at a police station in a Kuala Lumpur neighborhood. Also included in the complaint are Law Minister Nazri Aziz and the state-controlled media.

Abdullah, Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan have claimed in public statements that Uthayakumar's Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf, is being investigated for possible ties to terrorism, including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka. The LTTE has been branded a terror group by the United States and European Union.

"We have got zero links with terrorism. We have got zero links with LTTE. We do not support violence. We are a nonviolent group," said Uthayakumar, a human rights lawyer, outside the police station. A dozen supporters gathered around him holding portraits of India's independence leader and icon of nonviolence, Mohandas K. Gandhi.

"I have never met anyone from LTTE in my life," he said.

The government has stepped up its crackdown on Hindraf since it organized a rally by Malaysia's ethnic Indians on Nov. 25 to protest the community's economic plight and alleged racial discrimination by the Malay majority government. At least 20,000 people participated in the unprecedented protest, which has triggered fears of ethnic unrest in this multiracial country.

On Friday, the government revoked the license of Hindraf Enterprise, a company set up by the group to receive donations. The state Companies Commission of Malaysia said Hindraf Enterprises was conducting unlawful business "prejudicial to national security and public order."

Indians form 8 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people and are at the bottom of the social and economic scale. Malays make up about 60 percent and control the government. Ethnic Chinese are 25 percent and dominate business.

Hindraf is demanding equality and fair treatment for Indians, saying an affirmative action program that gives preferential treatment to Muslim Malays is tantamount to racial discrimination.

"They have gone overboard when they say we have links with terrorism. They are trying to divert the issue of Indian grievances", Uthayakumar said.

He said he feared the government would use the allegation to arrest him under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.

In the police complaint Uthayakumar accused Abdullah and the four other parties of making "false, malicious seditious, criminally defamatory, racially inciting and inflammatory statements."

Such a complaint is usually followed by a police investigation. Criminal charges are then filed by the police against the accused if necessary.

Uthayakumar said he does not expect the police to take his complaint seriously. But he said he did it as a symbolic gesture, and challenged the government to produce evidence within 24 hours to show he has terrorist links.

Uthayakumar has also threatened to sue the government leaders for defamation to seek 10 million (US$ 2.9 million; €1.98 million) ringgit in damages. (International Herald Tribune)

***** The Attorney General has already made a public fool of himself by his illogical contention of 'attempted murder'. He has clearly shown that he is nothing more than a testes-carrying hamba abdi of the umnoputeras. As for the IGP, he too got carried away by his gratitude to the government for extending his service and made scandalous accusations which cannot be backed up with proof. In the eyes of those who can think for themselves, the entire lot of Barisan Nasional politicians long ago lost all credibility. When they speak, whether they tell the truth or blatantly lie, it is always taken with two spoonfuls of salt. For such is the reputation as hoodwinkers of those in power both at the level of the politicians and senior civil servants.

Now that Hindraf has called the government's bluff and a police report has been made, the onus is on the accusers to furnish proof of their allegations. Of course they can't because all they have done thus far is to lie and lie and lie. But I wouldn't put it past this government to 'arrange' for a few down-and-out Indian sods from somewhere, then either threaten or bribe them to 'confess' to terrorist links, produce fudged documents and by extension or association, blame these guys in Hindraf for the whole thing and lock them away. Semuanya will then be OK!
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