The former de facto law minister hoped the PH leadership council would, at its meeting later this month, discuss the possibility of Hindraf becoming an ally.
“Although Hindraf will never be registered as a political party, Waythamoorthy and his friends can still be helpful allies to the Pakatan and help the coalition win crucial Indian votes in Johor, Perak, Kedah and Negeri Sembilan.
“I know first-hand what Hindraf’s impact was in 2008, and although it is no longer the force it once was, it can still be harnessed and re-energised.
“Waythamoorthy is eager to help Pakatan and has made a series of friendly overtures to opposition leaders. Let’s reciprocate and bring Hindraf into the fold for that final push to the elections.”
Zaid, who is now a DAP member, said in a statement today that if there had been one weakness in the opposition camp since 2008, it was the overconfidence of its popularity with Indian voters.
He said although there were Indian members in PKR and DAP, there were still large groups of poor Indians in the estates and urban ghettos “who are as communal as other races in the country, and who feel comfortable only with an organisation of their own kind”.
“If Malays still feel assured only if Bersatu (PPBM) is an all-Malay party, and if the Chinese feel assured because DAP is a predominantly Chinese party, then we must be fair and accept the inevitable conclusion that Indians also want political representation through an Indian-based party.”
Zaid noted that Waythamoothy had his detractors, but added that this was normal in politics.
He said: “A man who resigned from his position as deputy minister because he saw nothing worthwhile coming from the many Indian blueprints the prime minister waved around cannot be that bad.
“He is articulate and passionate in his belief that we must address the many problems of our country’s marginalised community. He may have made some unreasonable demands in the past, but then how do you get noticed in this country if you don’t try to shake people out of their comfort zone?”