Two opposition parliamentarians have been appointed by Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy to act as advisors for the movement.

The duo - M Manogaran (DAP-Teluk Intan) and S Manikavasagam (PKR-Kapar) - have been informed of their appointments and have accepted their new role for the Hindu rights movement.

man-tortured-at-brickfields-police-station-311208-s-manikavasagam The two politicians were among the 10 coordinators dropped by Waythamoorthy last week as part of a revamp in the movement's leadership structure.

However his decision to suspend the coordinators was met with protest among the movement's grassroots supporters, including the supporters of these two members of parliament.

Waythamoorthy's decision to absorb Manogaran and Manikavasagam ( left ) now is seen as an attempt by him to pacify the angry supporters and to ensure the movement is not handicapped by a lack of leadership.

Waythamoorthy is heading the movement, banned by the government last October, form London since November 2007. He was assisted by a team of local coordinators.

However he dropped them all on April 17 and replaced them with a three-man interim committee.

Among those dropped from the line-up included the movement's top coordinator RS Thanenthiran who had been helming the group locally in Waythamoorthy's absence.

It is not certain if Thanenthiran would be absorbed back into the newly established Hindraf leadership.

Hindraf not forming political party

Waythamoorthy today told Malaysiakini that the new team of leadership would be made up of new faces.

He also said that these local leaders will no longer be referred as coordinators.

"The new restructured team would consist of advisors and directors for various fields," he said.

Among the new positions to be filled by the new appointees would be the human rights director, economic, social and political rights director, public relations director, and finance director.

p waythamoorthy Waythamoorthy would remain the movement's chairperson.

He also said that any former coordinators and other Hindraf leaders who were interested in forming a political party would be advised to temporarily detach themselves from Hindraf.

"This is to protect Hindraf from allegations that it is converting into a political party.

"However we will accept them as ‘political friends' within Hindraf just like how we have accepted Manogaran and Manikavasagam," he said.

Thanenthiran is learnt to be harbouring hopes to form and lead a political party under the Hindraf aegis.

Beware of the BN agents

Meanwhile Manikavasagam said that Waythamoorthy's move to restructure Hindraf was a strategic action to face new challenges and to prepare the Indian voters for the next elections.

"I had very lengthy discussions with Waythamoorthy and I am convinced he knows what he is doing.

"He plans ahead and is a far sighted person whom many people do not understand," he told Malaysiakini .

Manikavasagam said the Hindraf leader had informed him that he wanted to prepare the people to work together with the opposition "to remove the current BN government".

"I urge all our supporters to be patient," said the member of parliament who also warned the supporters to be aware of some individuals claiming to be the real Hindraf leaders.

p uthayakumar sedition trial 030209 01 "There are proxies of BN who are trying to confuse the people by claiming they were the original founders of Hindraf and had invented the slogan Makkal Sakthi (people power).

Calling these people as cheap-publicity seekers, Manikavasagam said that they were not even present when Hindraf was formed in the office of lawyer P Uthayakumar ( photo ) who is now under the ISA detention for his role in the movement.

Such people are tools of the BN to confuse our supporters, he added without naming anyone.