'The PM, Rosmah and other ministers travel in convoys; there are wedding, funeral and even treasure-hunt convoys. Do they all need police permits?'

Police clamp down on HRP convoys, scores arrested

Oranje: The world is watching Malaysia. Hindraf is gaining momentum with its fight against racism. All these arrests will not go in vain. It's part and parcel of advancing human rights in Malaysia.

Let there be more arrests and torture. The people would rise against this tyranny one day. The days of the Umno tyrants are numbered.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: Since when does a convoy need a police permit? PM Najib Razak, Rosmah Mansor, and ministers travel in convoys; there are wedding and funeral convoys; there are even treasure-hunt convoys. Do they all need police permits?

This is blatant abuse of police powers under the guise of enforcing the law. Does enforcing the law include slapping women? Very soon, the Indians are going to hit back. There is a limit to everybody's patience and tolerance.

But then these same Indians voted for the Pakatan Rakyat in 2008 in huge numbers with a swing of 80 percent. So what has changed in the last two years? The BN's tactics are still the same - bribery, intimidation, ‘instant noodle' projects, etc, as in the past, but why the swing towards the BN now?

Granted, most poor Indians are less exposed and poor, so it is easy to influence them but why hasn't Pakatan been able to stem this tide. I do not agree with everything that Hindraf or HRP (Human Rights Party) does but putting aside the cause, their arbitrary arrests and detention by the police deserves condemnation from all quarters. It is a civil liberties issue.

I frown upon communal politics but realistically it is going to take decades to change this. Pakatan should admit it and start working with all groups on a wider platform for social justice, fairness and equality. No one party has a monopoly over virtue. What is important is winning seats so that the reform agenda can succeed. Politics is all about accommodation.

Md Imraz Ikhbal: To Hindraf and all its supporters - still want to support Umno/BN and punish Pakatan? Does Umno/BN acknowledge Indians and give them due recognition? Does this incident vindicate your words and prove you right? Syabas dear Indian brethren, vote for whichever government you deem is best for you, verily you deserve it.

JBGUY: Now is the time for all Indians to unite and force these racist Umno people out. Hindraf should join forces with Pakatan for the greater good as it cannot stand alone. Pakatan too should consider joining forces with Hindraf, and together they can achieve more.

Enough is enough, all Indians including MIC and PPP members should rally against the racist Umno-controlled regime.

Tiagu: This is a great lessons for all Indians in Pakatan and MIC. If we think Umno is bad to promote racism in the country, Pakatan is worse for keeping quiet. Only Hindraf has the guts to speak up.

Go on Umno, keep arresting us. The more the merrier. I'm sure the Hindraf guys are proud to be arrested for the cause of human rights. The world is watching. Hindraf has links worldwide and will keep pushing the human rights agenda.

Annoymous: Why does HRP put all the photographs of respected historical figures beside their photographs? You are nothing to compare to Gandhi. Why is there are so many poor Indians around? Because the rich Indians never bother about helping the poor Indians.

You're still locked in the denial syndrom. The caste system has always been there. There are so many Indian lawyers, doctors, chettiars, millionaires, successful businessmen - what have you all done to help your own countrymen?

Learn from others, see how they contribute back to the society. Blame yourself, not others.

Christ Follower: Stand united, you will succeed. If not, you'll fall. Our country practices double standards: one party can burn and demonstrate but if HRP organises a peaceful demonstration, it's considered illegal. What type of democracy do we practice?

Michael Ng: The Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) will always practise double standard at protests. So Indians, do you still want to support BN? I wish you would stay united under one strong group instead of being destroyed by your selfish Indian leaders in BN and the ‘frogs' who have jumped out of Pakatan.

Thisia: When the Malays protested after one of the mosques was asked to lower the volume of the azan, did the police stop them? No. But when Indians show they are not happy, then it becomes national threat.

Retnam: Hindraf and P Uthayakumar don't want to support Pakatan for one simple reason. They want Pakatan to continue losing until it finds that they need Hindraf's support. Then Hindraf will demand seats in return for their support.

And guess what? Hindraf wants the strong Indian seats such as Sungai Siput, which is being meticulously nurtured and built up by PSM. What kind of opportunists these Hindraf leaders are? What are they going to achieve by becoming MPs? Can they change the fate of Indian Malaysians with the stroke of the pen?

Gandhi: Multiracialism is only sweet to feel and it's so hypothetical that it's like a pot of gold at the end of rainbow. The elections of PKR proved that it's not practical. The top posts, all went to one race. The point is non-Indians are totally unaware of the plight of Indians. Why should they?

Do they know Tamil schools are in a pathetic condition? Are they bothered about 10As students not getting into the tertiary institutions? Hundreds of stateless Indians suffering to eke out a living.

There is no harm in highlighting each race's problems and acting on it. Pakatan states still have not settled the land issues for Tamil schools and temples. Are the non-Indians going to raise these issues? No way. I don't expect Pakatan to do wonders, but these basic needs will do.

Keturunan Malaysia: I can assure you that not everyone in Umno subscribes to racism, directly or indirectly. There are Umno (Malay) members that simply hate what the present batch of racists leaders are doing to the original Umno of old.

Let's impress upon and persuade those Malaysian brothers and sisters of ours to go out there and support the march. I am a Chinese. I am 500-600 miles away and if I cannot be there to support, I will at least be here to put in my two-sen worth.

Anonymous_417c: The police action is reminiscent of Hosni Mubarak's action against the Egyptian masses to continue his authoritarian regime. If the pro-Umno police continue this way, they will see an end to their charade, even if it takes 30 years. What happened in Tunisia and Egypt is sending a shiver down the spines of authoritarians, even those who appear to profess democracy.

Manjit Bhatia: Isn't it wonderful to see Malaysian democracy flourish, its practice as impeccable as its rhetoric? Isn't it wonderful to see the police do its best to protect Malaysia's democracy at all costs? Isn't it just wonderful that Malaysia has such an enlightened leadership, that its democratic future is assured forever?

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