It has been confirmed! An Internal Security Act detainee will be contesting in the Kota Alam Shah state assembly seat after all.

After weeks of speculation, the DAP has confirmed that lawyer and Hindraf leader M Manoharan will face incumbent Ching Su Cheng from Gerakan in the general elections.

In a handwritten statement today, Manoharan listed several issues that he would address if he was elected which includes:

  • to ask the Selangor state government to declare Jalan Tengku Kelana as the Little India of Selangor
  • to request for an immediate creation of a Chinatown in the area
  • to ask for Chinese and Tamil schools to be fully aided by the government
  • to ask that Tamil and Chinese be taught in secular schools
  • to get local authorities to glorify the royal town of Kota Alam Shah and provide greater emphasis for drainage and irrigation activities to avoid flooding
  • to ask local authorities to put up police booths and have more police patrolling to reduce crimes in the area.
police tortured victim 110107 lawyer M Manoharan Manoharan pointed out that he is currently unlawfully detained but said this would not hinder him from serving the people in Kota Alam Shah.

“I don’t think my detention would deter me from best serving the constituents. My unlawful detention is temporary and this must never perturb the constituents from voting for me,” he said.

“If you truly believe in the democratic process and the need to have a formidable opposition, then you must necessarily vote for the DAP on March 8,” he added.

The Hindraf factor

This would make Manoharan the first Hindraf leader - out of the five that are currently detained in Kamunting - to run in the elections.

However, he would not be the first ISA detainee to contest in the polls. Chan Kok Kit and Chian Heng Khai contested on DAP tickets in 1978 when under detention.

kota alam shah state seat 230208 The other four - P Uthayakumar, R Kenghadharan, V Ganabatirau and T Vasantha Kumar - were arrested in December last year with Manoharan for alleged terrorists links.

The Hindraf leaders gained fame when they organised a protest that saw 30,000 people hitting the streets of Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25 last year.

This was followed by the movement’s leaders and supporters being charged for a slew of offences, including sedition, causing mischief and attending an illegal assembly.

It was previously reported that the Hindraf supporters had demanded for Uthayakumar to run in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, which is currently held by MIC president S Samy Vellu.

However, Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy, who is in London, said Uthayakumar would not contest because the movement wanted to maintain its non-partisan role .

Kota Alam Shah has approximately 16,123 voters. The area consists of 16.8 per cent Malays, 58.4 per cent Chinese, 24.1 per cent Indians and 0.7 per cent of others.

In 2004, Gerakan’s Ching Su Cheng received 9,309 votes and defeated DAP’s Thye Kim Kiong’s 6,566 votes.

Tomorrow potential contestants will officially file their nomination papers at selected Election Commission centres between 9 and 10am. This will kick off the 13-day campaign which will end with polling on March 8.

However, Manoharan will be personally present at the nomination centre. He will be represented by his wife, S Pushpaneela, who has obtained a letter from the Kamunting Detention Camp saying that he is being held there.