DAP's new plan for Indians an April Fool's joke?
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COMMENT We in Hindraf are really sad to see DAP go this way.
The so-called Gelang Patah Declaration of the DAP is no more than a plagiarised version of Hindraf's Five-Year Blueprint document. Eleven out of the 14 items in the DAP document are straight out from the Hindraf's blueprint.
It came on the 21st day of Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy's Hunger Viratham. It is as if DAP is scurrying to cover its behind against charges of abandoning the cause of the Indian poor.
Not one of the DAP leaders had anything to say for all of 20 days about the endorsing the Hindraf blueprint - which was the key demand of the hunger strike. On the 21st day, DAP pulled Gelang Patah Declaration out of its sleeves, and within 24 hours.
Look at the timing of DAP's declarations and actions for the Indian poor, just days before the general election. What were they doing all the five years up to now? No action in five years and then, a declaration now.
Penang DAP government did not act
Some of the items in this declaration could easily have been carried out by the DAP Penang government in all five years of its rule, but which absolutely were not:
1. Housing for the marginalised. Numerous, large developments have been approved in Penang in the last five years, but hardly any noticeable effort for the marginalised poor.
2. Land for temples and burial grounds. Land is a state matter and they could easily have done this in the state in these last five years, instead of talking about it five full years later, in the declaration and just before the coming election. Did this realisation just come to them or is this their standard modus operandi?
3. Land for Tamil primary schools. Worse here. Not only did the DAP government not grant land to the 23 partially-aided Tamil schools in Penang, but requests for land for Tamil schools in the state coming from the parent-teacher associations (PTAs) were ducked, using a variety of techniques. Land was denied outright or the PTAs were manipulated to avoid causing embarrassment to the state government with such requests.
So, it raises the question: is this DAP declaration merely intended to create an illusion of action, a substitute for real action?
The DAP leaders made a promise to the Kampung Buah Pala residents in Penang in 2008 and they totally reneged on their promise. That is a precedent for the value of all their promises.
This new declaration is put forward as a promise. We wonder how much commitment there is now to this promise. Whatever was eventually done for the Kampung Buah Pala residents was because of the pressure that was brought to bear on the Penang government. It was not out of any obligation to their promise.
The Pakatan argument against Hindraf's blueprint has always been that it is race-based and not need-based. May we ask what this Gelang Patah Declaration is "based on", when 11 out of 14 items in it come from a "race-based" document? This double speak is so typical of what we have been seeing lately with Pakatan.
If you have been following the story: the first Pakatan manifesto had zero election pledges addressing the problems of the Indian poor. Then, after an uproar from the people, they included five items into their revised manifesto, with the additional items coming from the Hindraf blueprint.
Then, seeing that this was not cutting it enough, the number of items taken up, but by the DAP only, has gone up to eleven now.
In 2008, Pakatan hijacked the Hindraf rallying cry "Makkal Sakthi". Now, it is attempting to hijack Hindraf's "Blueprint". It is shameful. Is this all the intellectual capability the DAP can muster? Is copying the best they can do? It is so shameful for a national party to plagiarise. How much commitment can there be in any effort like this?
We are wondering why this Gelang Patah Declaration did not extend to include a very impactful intervention, such as a Felda land scheme allocated for contract farming. Why was this not copied out as well from the Hindraf blueprint, being just a couple of clicks away?
Karpal Singh on March 30 called out to Anwar Ibrahim to endorse Hindraf's blueprint. The next day, his son Gobind Singh is in Gelang Patah, beside Lim Kit Siang, launching this DAP blueprint. What circus is this?
In a YouTube interview, DAP's P Ramasamy (left), the deputy chief minister II of Penang, says there are not even 800 Indian members in DAP nationwide. That is about 0.04 percent of the total Indian population.
The DAP clearly does not represent the Indians. It has no business putting out an April Fool's plan like this to continue to deceive and fool the Indians in the country. This Gelang Patah Declaration is not to empower Indians but to empower the Indian mandores in DAP.
Why was this plan not put into the Pakatan manifesto? Why come up with a DAP document now and then seek endorsement from the partners? Why does it sound exactly like what Hindraf is attempting?
This DAP "blueprint" that has been "endorsed" sounds just like Hindraf's moves. Convenient to confuse the people.
Our advice to DAP is to stop this kind of tomfoolery. No more April Fool gimmicks, please. Rise to the challenge with some real stuff.
The so-called Gelang Patah Declaration of the DAP is no more than a plagiarised version of Hindraf's Five-Year Blueprint document. Eleven out of the 14 items in the DAP document are straight out from the Hindraf's blueprint.
It came on the 21st day of Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy's Hunger Viratham. It is as if DAP is scurrying to cover its behind against charges of abandoning the cause of the Indian poor. Not one of the DAP leaders had anything to say for all of 20 days about the endorsing the Hindraf blueprint - which was the key demand of the hunger strike. On the 21st day, DAP pulled Gelang Patah Declaration out of its sleeves, and within 24 hours.
Look at the timing of DAP's declarations and actions for the Indian poor, just days before the general election. What were they doing all the five years up to now? No action in five years and then, a declaration now.
Penang DAP government did not act
Some of the items in this declaration could easily have been carried out by the DAP Penang government in all five years of its rule, but which absolutely were not:
1. Housing for the marginalised. Numerous, large developments have been approved in Penang in the last five years, but hardly any noticeable effort for the marginalised poor.
2. Land for temples and burial grounds. Land is a state matter and they could easily have done this in the state in these last five years, instead of talking about it five full years later, in the declaration and just before the coming election. Did this realisation just come to them or is this their standard modus operandi?
3. Land for Tamil primary schools. Worse here. Not only did the DAP government not grant land to the 23 partially-aided Tamil schools in Penang, but requests for land for Tamil schools in the state coming from the parent-teacher associations (PTAs) were ducked, using a variety of techniques. Land was denied outright or the PTAs were manipulated to avoid causing embarrassment to the state government with such requests.
So, it raises the question: is this DAP declaration merely intended to create an illusion of action, a substitute for real action?
The DAP leaders made a promise to the Kampung Buah Pala residents in Penang in 2008 and they totally reneged on their promise. That is a precedent for the value of all their promises. This new declaration is put forward as a promise. We wonder how much commitment there is now to this promise. Whatever was eventually done for the Kampung Buah Pala residents was because of the pressure that was brought to bear on the Penang government. It was not out of any obligation to their promise.
The Pakatan argument against Hindraf's blueprint has always been that it is race-based and not need-based. May we ask what this Gelang Patah Declaration is "based on", when 11 out of 14 items in it come from a "race-based" document? This double speak is so typical of what we have been seeing lately with Pakatan.
If you have been following the story: the first Pakatan manifesto had zero election pledges addressing the problems of the Indian poor. Then, after an uproar from the people, they included five items into their revised manifesto, with the additional items coming from the Hindraf blueprint.
Then, seeing that this was not cutting it enough, the number of items taken up, but by the DAP only, has gone up to eleven now.
In 2008, Pakatan hijacked the Hindraf rallying cry "Makkal Sakthi". Now, it is attempting to hijack Hindraf's "Blueprint". It is shameful. Is this all the intellectual capability the DAP can muster? Is copying the best they can do? It is so shameful for a national party to plagiarise. How much commitment can there be in any effort like this?
We are wondering why this Gelang Patah Declaration did not extend to include a very impactful intervention, such as a Felda land scheme allocated for contract farming. Why was this not copied out as well from the Hindraf blueprint, being just a couple of clicks away?
Karpal Singh on March 30 called out to Anwar Ibrahim to endorse Hindraf's blueprint. The next day, his son Gobind Singh is in Gelang Patah, beside Lim Kit Siang, launching this DAP blueprint. What circus is this?In a YouTube interview, DAP's P Ramasamy (left), the deputy chief minister II of Penang, says there are not even 800 Indian members in DAP nationwide. That is about 0.04 percent of the total Indian population.
The DAP clearly does not represent the Indians. It has no business putting out an April Fool's plan like this to continue to deceive and fool the Indians in the country. This Gelang Patah Declaration is not to empower Indians but to empower the Indian mandores in DAP.
Why was this plan not put into the Pakatan manifesto? Why come up with a DAP document now and then seek endorsement from the partners? Why does it sound exactly like what Hindraf is attempting?
This DAP "blueprint" that has been "endorsed" sounds just like Hindraf's moves. Convenient to confuse the people.
Our advice to DAP is to stop this kind of tomfoolery. No more April Fool gimmicks, please. Rise to the challenge with some real stuff.
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