What protests can achieve
Singapore Democrats
04 Dec 07
The recent protest in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian Indians has led to
the government there sitting up and paying attention to the plight
of the group.
The huge rally was aimed at protesting against unfair treatment of
ethnic Indians in the country.
As a result, the government of Abdullah Badawi has announced that
it will set up a complaint hotline for the Indian community to air
its grievances.
The protesters held pictures of the Mahatma Gandhi to signify their
peaceful approach to the demonstration. It has been reported that
the ensuing violence was caused by the riot police who shot teargas
and fired water cannons at the peaceful demonstrators.
And even though activists criticise the hotline as a political ploy
to distract the people, it is not a comment that the protest has
been ineffective.
If anything the activists are vowing to keep up the pressure
through such open and peaceful show of strength by the
people.
Whatever the analysis the plight of the ethnic Indians in Malaysia
have, while previously been ignored and neglected, been brought to
the fore.
Together with the Bersih protest where opposition parties and NGOs
came together in another massive peaceful demonstration to demand
free and fair elections in Malaysia the weekend before, the Indian
protest is the most effective way yet of making the government
responsive to the needs and desires of the people.
This is the power of political and civil rights; this is the how
democracy can make our own Government more sensitive and responsive
to our needs.
http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/articleprotest_Malaysia.html
