I refer to the Malaysiakini report Stop labelling Hindraf as 'racist' .

Dear Dr Kua,

Your above article on the Hindraf movement is thought provoking although I cannot agree with many of your points raised.

Firstly, your assertion that if the November 2007 uprising organised by Hindraf had not happened, we would not have had a political tsunami in March 2008 is highly contentious.

There were already wide pockets of dissatisfaction with the BN regime over corruption, arrogance, rising cost of living, unfulfilled promises, social injustice and institutional abuses before the election. The tsunami was caused by all races, not just Indians.

The Chinese were dissatisfied, the youth were disgruntled and without the 5% Malay swing, there would be no tsunami . The Bersih rally before the Hindraf rally brought even more protesters to the streets.

The Hindraf rally and the subsequent treatment of their leaders were contributing factors but to say that Hindraf caused the tsunami is like saying Hishamuddin Hussien’s keris waving or Mohd Khir Toyo’s pre-Deepavali temple demolition single-handedly caused the political tsunami .

However, this is tangential to the question of whether Hindraf is racist. As you have no compunction about labelling Perkasa as racist, let us examine the difference between Perkasa and Hindraf.

Both of them are mono-ethnic and fight only for their race. Both claim that their race is economically backward and demand affirmative action for their race. Neither of them give two hoots about the poor of other races.

The only difference between Perkasa and Hindraf is that one is Malay-based, the other is Indian- based and one has the ear of the government while the other is oppressed by the government.

Shall we define racism by the extent to which their members are poor or marginalised?

Where do we draw the line to be ‘politically correct?’ If we use this guide stick we should note that the actual number of poor Malays exceed the number of poor Indians so have we been politically correct to label Perkasa ‘racist’?

To me it is very simple. If an organisation is composed of one race and demands for racial rights and excludes the deserving of other races in their demands, then it is racist. If Hindraf wants to operate in this manner then it should accept the racist label and move on.

If Hindraf refuses to look beyond the racial lens this is its right but I do not support them and neither should any right-thinking Malaysians including Indians. If one race can make racial demands then so can other races.

If their demands are accepted then this provokes similar demands from other races. Shall we carve the country into racial ghettos populated by Perkasa, Cigma, Hindraf and Sui Qui with each of them demanding for their racial rights?

Dr Kua, 53 years of BN’s race-based politics has done enough damage to the country. Hindraf is not the way forward for the future, it is a repeat of the past. Hindraf leaders are unable to break out of the racial prisons created by BN to compartmentalise and control the races.

No doubt we sympathise with the marginalised Indians but let us not repeat the mistakes of the past by condoning race-based affirmative action. Such affirmative action weakens the race and becomes entrenched as a racial right which is almost impossible to remove. It is also a recipe for hijacking of resources by those strong enough to grab them.

When the economic need has passed, the reason to maintain it is justified by proclaiming ‘special rights’ and ‘racial supremacy’. Indians need the support of other races to join the mainstream of development. But by fighting from a narrow, racial platform Hindraf is fighting an ineffective battle without multi-racial support.

It must re-invent itself to fight for issues irrespective of race. It can choose to fight for issues which mainly affect the Indian community if it wishes such as alcoholism, statelessness, crime, estate workers, gangsterism or deaths in custody.

What is wrong in fighting for issues in a colour-blind manner instead of viewing everything through a racial prism? What credibility has P Uthayakumar when he shouts loudly over death in custody involving Indians but keeps eerily quiet when non-Indians are the victims?

Is he a true social activist or a race champion trying to leverage on base emotion of race to promote himself politically?