If you’ve been following the Malaysian Macaca Mutiny (1,2,3,4) with any degree of interest, you’ve got to love the way these protesters are making the Malaysian government look bad.

Mottai* Malaysian Macacas
img: via TOI Online

The Malaysian government and law enforcement has employed tear gas and water cannons, slapped their leaders with murder charges which magically disappeared and tried linking them to terrorist groups.

In the face of overwhelming systematic oppression, all these Malaysian desis have done is peacefully protest on the streets holding pictures of Gandhi. Perhaps their counterparts (protesters) in India can pick up some pointers from these folks.

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This tactic is a tried and tested technique and has worked well in certain Western nations.
1. Arrest individuals of ethnic minorities
2. Nations or groups related to #1 protest
3. To prevent a foreign relations disaster, pick out a world renowned terrorist group
4. Accuse #1 of having links with #3
5. #2 backs off.

Malaysia has now played that card well and India has backed off. [link]
Could these charges be true? Certainly within the realm of possiblity. The timing and accusations seems too convenient though.

Thoughts? Opinion?

More developments in the ongoing saga of ethnic minority [ÜD post] Indians versus the Malaysian authorities. Peaceful demonstrators are herded into a temple compound and bombarded with teargas and water cannons [link via]. The irony of it all – people of Indian origin living abroad protest peacefully when they gather in mobs (gandhigiri), while mobs in India – the less said about them the better (gandoogiri, I prefer to call it).

Malaysians of Indian origin protested outside the British High Commission seeking reparations from the UK for sending Indians to Malaysia as indentured laborers a century ago. The protest also highlighted the discrimination the ethnic Indians – mainly Hindus – face from the Malay Muslim majority government. In recorded history, state-sponsored oppression of minorities, particularly religious minorities has never been a good model for nations faced with religious diversity and multi-culturalism. As a side note, the demand of reparations for a centuries-old colonial (mis)deeds, if anything, seems to dilute the demand for equal treatment of religious minorities in Malaysia in this particular instance. [link]