MINISTER in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy has finally announced the formation of an Indian-based party – the Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) – to provide representation to Indians, but largely Tamils, in the country.

With the party’s formation, he will resign as Hindraf chairman.

Hindraf, a household name among Tamil Malaysians, will be soon relegated to the background, headed for its eventual demise in the political scene.

A movement that brought thousands of Indians to the streets of Kuala Lumpur in November 2007, giving rise to collective demands for the advancement of the Indian community, might not be there. With Hindraf gone, the debate on unshackling from Malay hegemony might just be rendered academic in nature.

Why he did not retain the name “Hindraf” in the new party is a tragedy and concern for Indians, who had thrown their support behind Hindraf, which, in turn, served as a political catalyst for change in the 2008 general election. Without the Hindraf support, I doubt states like Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Perak would have been won by the now-defunct, then-opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat.

It is political suicide to kill off a genuine movement and replace it with a party that is new and lacks identification with rank-and-file Indians.

Indians will never forget their experience with Hindraf, and how such an outfit brought dignity and respect, and not to mention, how it served to eclipse parties like MIC and IPF. With the emergence of Hindraf for Indians, it was a virtual death knell for Indian-based parties in Barisan Nasional.

Rather than reviving a genuine people’s movement, Waytha Moorthy has made the cardinal error of abandoning a ship that was not sinking to form a new party that has little relevance for the subaltern sections of Indian society.

The question is: how are Waytha Moorthy and his friends going to get the support of ordinary, poor Indians?

Rather than strengthening or transforming Hindraf, he has sought to placate extreme religious and racial forces by abandoning the movement.

It is not surprising for a leader who could not defend himself against attacks from the right wing, for being responsible for the Seafield temple fiasco. He merely sought to hide behind Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In times of need, he did not get the support of the Indian community. Neither did he expect them to support him. He thought – and still thinks – that Dr Mahathir will be his saviour.

I have nothing against Waytha Moorthy forming a new political party. Forming one is one thing, but getting support is another. He might have a long way to go.

His problem is not MIC, but whether he could steal away support from DAP and PKR. Beyond this, whether MAP can be accepted within the Pakatan Harapan fold remains unanswered.

Earlier, PH made one exception in the admittance of Bersatu. I doubt that PH components are prepared to allow in MAP.

Well, for the past year or so, Indians in general have not been happy with PH’s performance. Some think that ethnic parties are still needed to advance Indian interests.

Perhaps, Waytha Moorthy might be thinking along these lines, although how he will wiggle out of the multiracial rhetoric remains to be seen.

If Indian leaders like him are not fighting for the rights of ordinary people, how can the new party obtain the desired leadership? – July 16, 2019.

* Ramasamy Palanisamy reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.