I refer to the Malaysiakini report Hindraf picks opposition MPs as advisors .

The recent actions and comments by P Waythamoorthy, RS Thaneninthran, S Manikavasagam and other self-proclaimed leaders of Hindraf are bewildering and comical. For too long they have been getting way with their opportunism because of the reluctance among Indian Malaysians to publicly criticise them and cause dissension. It is also because of the tremendous empathy for the there ISA detainees.

They must not misconstrue the silence and goodwill as an acceptance of their egoistic behaviour and other transgressions. More importantly, they should stop deluding themselves that Hindraf is Makkal Sakthi. Hindraf and Makkal Sakthi are not synonymous as Waythamoorthy, his cohorts and a mercenary writer have been spinning.

Makkal Sakthi is the collective spirit and will of a people who have been suffering injustices for years. It is the reawakening of an oppressed people. Makkal Sakthi is a living, but invisible and leaderless, force yearning for change.

It is this force that brought thousands of Indian Malaysians onto the streets and contributed to the unexpected results of the March 2008 general election. This fire will never die unless and until the government, whether formed by Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, addresses the Indians' grievances comprehensively and fairly.

As for Hindraf, it is important to separate fact from fiction and inflated egos from social action for the betterment of the community. Waythamoorthy and his cohorts have to be honest in doing this. The Ponusamy family did not found Hindraf.

This fact can be deduced from Waythamoorthy's numerous press statements in the two years before the major rally on Nov 25, 2007. He had always emphasised, as reported widely both in the online and traditional media, that Hindraf is a coalition of 50 Indian Malaysian NGOs.

This clearly shows that the coalition formed Hindraf and appointed Waythamoorthy as its spokesperson. He derived his legitimacy from the NGOs and is accountable to the coalition for all his actions. He cannot act according to his whim and fancy.

But after the rally, he is behaving as though Hindraf is his family property. In a bizarre twist, he ‘sacked' representatives from the Hindu Sevai Sangam, the original driving force and funding agent of Hindraf, for supposedly being ‘government agents' after the organisation opted to pull out of the coalition because of Waythamoorthy's attempts to create a personality cult promoting himself and his brother and other abuses.

How and why has this happened?

Hindraf became a household name after the rally and most Indian Malaysians were proud to be associated with it. There was also a lot of confusion after several participants were charged with attempted murder and the subsequent ISA detentions. The dedicated social activists from the NGOs were concentrating on these more urgent matters.

They were also busy quietly laying the groundwork to channel the people's anger and energy towards voting for the opposition political parties in the forthcoming general election to teach the arrogant Barisan Nasional a lesson. They deliberately shunned the limelight to avoid attracting the attention of the authorities.

In the meantime, all kinds of people including street politicians, stunt men, con-men, publicity- seekers, unsavoury characters and opportunistic elements took advantage of this disarray and leadership vacuum to jump onto the Hindraf bandwagon. Some of them called themselves ‘coordinators' and sought media publicity through theatrical activities.

Waythamoorthy encouraged their actions and formed a pact with them since he needed these ‘coordinators' for his long-distance remote-control leadership. This way, he did not have to account for his actions to the founding NGOs.

There are several reasons why he disassociated himself from the NGOs after using their expertise, resources and organisational structure to mobilise a large turnout for the rally. Firstly, it is an ego-boosting exercise for the Ponusamy brothers, Waytha and Uthayakumar.

They had this false sense of indispensability and delusion that Hindraf is all about them. Myth- making crept in.

Secondly, he does not have to account for the millions donated by Indian Malaysians and overseas Indians for Hindraf's activities. It appears to have become his family kitty now.

Thirdly, it will be easier to prevent public scrutiny of the other transgressions of the Ponusamy brothers. One that comes to mind immediately is the civil suit filed against the British government. The move is nothing more than a dramatic way to attract international attention to the socio-economic neglect of poorer Indian Malaysians.

But that's not what Waythamoorthy and Uthayakumar promised poor Indian Malaysians when collecting donations. They gave these people the false hope of winning the case, much to the chagrin of sincere social activists. Though Waythamoorthy has been living in London all this while, he has allowed the case to lapse. Naturally, he has a lot of explaining to do.

Why is Waythamoorthy attempting to ‘restructure' Hindraf now? After all, most informed Indian Malaysians are aware from the beginning that characters like Thaneninthran are there for political positions. His opportunism during the Bukit Selambau by-election merely highlighted what is already known to many.

Waythamoorthy is now maneuvering to pre-empt any possible move by the two recently released ISA detainees to clean up and consolidate Hindraf's activities to meet its original objectives. R Kengadharan and P Ganabatirau enjoy more legitimacy as leaders since they faced the consequences of their actions and did not flee the country at the slightest hint of trouble.

They also faced teargas and police water cannons along with the other Nov 25 rally participants, while Waythamoorthy chose to stay in the police lockup even though he could have come out on bail a day before the event.

To sum it up bluntly, Hindraf was a successful broad-based social movement that has been hijacked by the Ponusamy brothers to serve their agenda and massage their over-inflated egos. Waythamoorthy and his gang of pretenders should realise that they cannot continue to hoodwink the ‘makkal' with their opportunistic agenda for long.

It's high time they do some soul searching and return to the consultative process with a broader section of the Indian Malaysian society. This was the reason Hindraf grew in strength within a short period and captured the imagination of the downtrodden. The original Hindraf was not about personality cults, egos, myth-making or money spinning scams.

It was born out of a concern for the plight of a grieving widow who was struggling alone against an arrogant and heartless religious bureaucracy to claim her husband's body for cremation. If at all a hero or symbol is needed, it could be S Kaliammal, who is seen as a modern-day Kanagi by the Indian Malaysian poor (Kanagi is a legendary figure in Tamil classical literature who razed the Pandian capital after the king unjustly executed her husband).

Nevertheless, Makkal Sakthi's collective spirit is still alive and kicking, guided by an army of faceless and selfless people. Their structures are still intact for they are not fly-by-night social activists. They have been consistently working with the grassroots for decades.

They seek no publicity, positions or rewards. Their only motivation is to see a better future for all. Therefore, with or without Waythamoorthy, and his gang of pretenders, the Makkal Sakthi movement will flourish.