KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 –
Some 20 members of various Indian groups protested against Perkasa vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Noordin today for allegedly insulting Hinduism in a video released recently.
They demanded that the authorities charge Zulkifli, who is also the Independent Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP, with sedition, failing which they would record the YouTube video on VCDs and distribute them to Indians nationwide “ahead of Election 2013”.
“We feel that the police is not taking stern action,” said Tamil Action Force (TAF) deputy secretary-general Kannan Ramasamy at the protest in Little India, Brickfields, here today.
“He insulted Hindu practices and Hindu gods. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. We don’t need explanations from a Muslim,” he added.
Kannan pointed out that despite lodging police reports two days ago, the authorities have yet to take action against Zulkifli.
Hindu umbrella group Hindu Sangam said last Friday that it had previously complained about apparent insults to Hindus made by Zulkifli, but no action was taken “because he is a Muslim.”
It added that a video of Zulkifli, making what the opposition has said are vicious attacks against Hinduism, had originally surfaced in 2011.
Zulkifli was recorded in a video uploaded last Thursday on YouTube as questioning the purity of the Ganges River in India, which the Hindus consider sacred, claiming that chicken carcasses were floating in it.
The video angered several MIC leaders, who told Zulkifli to “shut up”, apologise and retract his remarks.
The protesters held up banners today with an image of Zulkifli wearing a skullcap, together with the words “Zulkifli Nordin. No point dress a holyman, but talk like a hooligan. Seek for immediate forgiveness.”
Another banner read: “Police and Umno ministers, why delay in action against clear violation by Zulkifli Nordin??? Worry about friendship with Perkosa???”
PKR Puchong division chairman S. Murali, who also attended the protest, said that Indians would be told to vote against Umno in the coming Election 2013, if no action was taken against Zulkifli.
“We’ll make sure all Umno candidates are defeated,” he said.
Analysts have said that Indian voters have largely returned to Barisan Nasional (BN) after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made several attempts to court the community, especially through cash aids like the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M).
The Indians had cast protest votes against BN in the historic Election 2008, after a mass demonstration led by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) in 2007 on Indian issues.
Zulkifli’s video is the second incident of the year in which Hindus were the apparent target.
Earlier this year, columnist Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah upset MIC central working committee member S. Vell Paari after allegedly insulting the Hindu community in an article published in Malay-language daily Sinar Harian on February 18.
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