Hindraf open house visit: 'We informed them'

Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) National Coordinator RS Thanenthiran said today the movement’s followers who attended the prime minister’s Hari Raya open house on Wednesday were only there to extend their greetings, rejecting criticisms that the move was ‘improper’.

Some 200 Hindraf activists thronged the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) on Oct 1 where Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi together with his cabinet minister hosted their annual Hari Raya open house celebration.

"We sent a letter to Abdullah’s office on Sept 22 for permission to greet the prime minister during the open house and to personally ask him to release all Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees," said Thanenthiran.

"The prime minister’s senior personal assistant Ahmad Yaakob accepted our letter and told us that everyone was welcome at the prime minister’s open house," he said.

Thanenthiran told Malaysiakini today that Ahmad was also informed that besides extending their Hari Raya greetings to the prime minister, the group also intended to personally request Abdullah to release all ISA detainees.

Commenting on the group’s visit, he said no memorandum was submitted with only a greeting card and a teddy bear presented to the the prime minister.

"Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a time to forgive and forget. Anybody can go (to the open house) regardless of what shirt we wear. We were not at all unruly," said Thanenthiran.

Group Purposeky Misled

The Hindraf stunt has come under fire from various quarters who claim it was ‘discourteous and disrespectful’.

MIC president S Samy Vellu said Hindraf’s move could ‘derail efforts by the MIC to secure the release of the five Hindraf leaders being held under the ISA’.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the prime minister’s open house celebration was not the proper venue.

"This is not the time; this is not the correct venue. They can come to wish Selamat Hari Raya and shake hands, but the rest of it, different time, and different date," he said.

Similar sentiments were also expressed by Tourism Minister Azalina Othman who alleged Hindraf’s move would reflect poorly on Malaysia’s image.

Upon arriving at the PM’s open house, the Hindraf activists, all clad in their uniform orange T-shirts, were held back from the public queue and led to a different dining hall to deter them from meeting the premier.

However a small group led by K Shanthi, wife of Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy, later ‘escaped’ and entered the correct entrance via the VIP entrance and managed to meet the prime minister.

"It came as a surprise to me. Foreigners are allowed to meet the prime minister but Malaysian citizens are not," Shanthi told Malaysiakini.

She said police had also ordered her to change her T-shirt or otherwise face arrest but she refused.

Shanti said they had attempted to meet with the premier many times at the Prime Minister’s Department but failed and the Hari Raya open house promised them the only opportunity to come face-to-face with the premier.

"I asked him (Abdullah Badawi) why weren’t we allowed to meet with him but he replied saying that everyone can meet him," she revealed.

Utusan Goes Into Overdrive

Also present at the open house celebrations were supporters of detained blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, who requested the prime minister as well to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia front-paged several comments by Islamic non- governmental organisations saying Hindraf’s attempt to meet the prime minister at the open house was ‘overboard, discourteous and disrespectful’.

"Their (Hindraf) action was an insult to the Muslims’ celebration, it is uncivilised and irresponsible," said Peninsular Malay Students Federation (GPMS) vice president Syed Anuar Syed Mohamad.

"GPMS requests the government to ignore them as Hindraf is not a legal institution. Action should be taken against them, no matter if it is ISA or other legal action," he added.

Shamsul Anuar Nasarah of the Malaysian Youth Council (MBM) was reported as saying that the Hindraf nove was ‘disrespectful and untimely’.