Many quarters condemned Hindraf for their "peaceful" demonstration involving some 30,000 Indians last week. There were strong warnings and condemnation from the government and the MIC chief "to work within the system." They said that there are many other ways for the community to highlight their "miserable" requests.

Maybe they all forgot that there was actually some effort, presumably by Hindraf, to work within the system. A group of Indians did submit a memorandum to the government a few months ago asking the prime minister to look into their plights. What did the officer in the Prime Minister’s Department who received the memorandum do with it? I believe that if you were to ask the top person, he would say that he knows about the memorandum but needs to study it first.

But as usual, nothing was done. Or perhaps they are still contemplating what needs to be done. After all, at eight percent of the population and less than 1.5 percent equity, who cares about us? When Hindraf made the next move in suing the British government and submitting a memorandum to the British embassy, they are labeled extremists. They are called a traitor to the King and all sort of other names.

Hindraf’s lawsuit of four trillion dollars from the British government has in fact embarrassed the government a great deal. Of course, the protest would not and need not have taken place if "high ranking" people had invited these people for a dialogue.

Maybe all is not lost. The president of MIC has an even more brilliant idea to solve this problem.

He is now setting up a hotline for people to complain. So you think you are marginalised? Give the hotline a call. People are ready to die for structural changes to elevate the community, but we have a visionary president still braying about setting up a hotline.

But wait, it looks like the hotline is not Samy’s idea after all. It was our prime minister’s advice. There they go again, yet another quick fix. Sad, very sad indeed that at this age, we have a president from the yester-age.