Making All The Dumb Moves

I have lost count of the number of times I watched this video.



Judging by the way the police handled this event, it is evident the Malaysian government hasn't learned anything at all. This exemplifies the reason why it is so unqualified to lead a nation which is desperate for change.

In my honest opinion, the Malaysian government has played into the protestors hands. They have been taken in - hook, line and sinker.

To begin with, the premise for suing the British government was ludicrous. Firstly, a class action suit almost never wins. Secondly, the notion of demanding the Queen appoint counsel against herself is ridiculous.

Thirdly, there is no way of distributing the money to every Indian in the country, should they by some twist of fate, win their bizarre lawsuit.

Initially, I never took it seriously. It appeared to be some ploy by a bloke with too much time on his hands and too little to do. But men in that situation usually back off when pressure is applied and make a quick disappearing act.

Not this HINDRAF dude.

He was obviously anticipating some form of government intervention in the form of an arrest (which didn't surprise any of us) and so took action to ensure someone else could lead in his absence.

Today's protest made me think. What was the purpose behind this protest? Simply to hand a memorandum to the British government to be imminently (in my opinion) filed under "No Further Action"?

If the government had allowed this group to march unhindered to the British High Commission, it would have been a very disappointing outcome.

There might have been a tiny little column in the International Herald Tribune about our "democratic" ways.

Al-Jazeera would have likely ignored us.

And the Washington Post wouldn't have even bat an eyelid.

But no. They had to kick up a fuss. Do it communist-dictatorship style. Fire tear-gas, spray chemical-laced water from a cannon, make violent arrests, swagger around and shout threats. Make it look like a street battle.

I swear the authorities act worse than our worst hooligans. I'm sure the Mafia get personal training from them.

And so, all the above mentioned news-sites got more than a whiff of our shenanigans. WE EVEN ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF THE WASHINGTON POST, DAMMIT!!! And of course, our front page spot on Al-Jazeera :)

And then, we made the news in Canada, UK, Australia, China, India, Thailand, Italy, Iran, Estonia, South Africa, Bulgaria, Azerbajian, Ireland, Turkey and god-knows-where-else.

Heck, there are over 150 articles dedicated to reporting on HINDRAF's protest! And it sure as hell makes the government, with all its claims of democracy look very bad indeed.

To me, this sorry handling of protests and rallies signifies the incompetence and desperation of the Malaysian government. They are aware that the only reason they can stay in power is by dodgy elections, racial sentiments and a facade of peace.

The infamous "Pantang Dicabar" remark sounds so impotent now.

It's obviously going to take much more than dirty tricks to convince the public of a re-election.

Police Tear-Gas And Spray Chemicals On Protestors

There's much more action down at the frontlines. Al-Jazeera has the news: Ethnic Indians protest in Malaysia

Evidently, this time, the crowd has been generously returning the tear-gas cannisters to the FRU who have launched or fired it at them. :)

"It's really quite phenomenal scenes, given that this is a country that claims to be an open democracy."

- Hamish MacDonald, Al-Jazeera.

I reckon you haven't seen much of those in your career, mate. I've lived here 28 years and this is the first time I'm seeing them.

Oh... and what democracy??



There is nothing complicated about this situation. All the protestors want to do is march peacefully to the British High Commission to deliver their memorandum, after which they will definitely disperse.

I have it on good knowledge that every single road leading into the city is jammed for miles because of roadblocks and FRU units cordoning off the area!

And the only reason why this persists is because the police (as ordered by the ineffectual government) are preventing the protestors from doing what they want and need to do.

In other words, the completely unnecessary traffic jam, destruction and mounting violence stems SOLELY from the government itself and its obvious inability to govern a nation.

I'm fairly certain this protest is going to turn bloody.

Hamish MacDonald of Al-Jazeera

I did think he looked a little young on the video clip.

Turns out I was right, this Aussie is only 25 years old. That's quite impressive, he's already been sprayed with chemical-laced water at such a tender age.

Definitely more glory awaiting him in the future..

There's more about him here if you're interested. :)