I read with utter disbelief that Premier Najib Abdul Razak has chosen Perkasa deputy chief Zulkifli Noordin as the BN candidate for the Shah Alam parliamentary seat.

First off my mind is of course the obvious, does BN have no candidates of its own left?

And isn't Perkasa supposed to be a non-partisan ‘NGO' or at least that's what they try to call themselves?

Well of course we know better, Perkasa is Umno's contractor to fan ‘Ketuanan Melayu' and racism against the non-Malays, without it seeming to come directly from Umno so that Najib can still go around and pander 1Malaysia to the rest of us with a straight face.

But I guess since it's campaign season, all facades are off.

And since former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has rooted for Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, it seems very sure that Zul is Najib's bed buddy to balance the equation.

Which makes me wonder, where are all the usual, noisy protectors of Hindu rights in the country on this?

Last I recall, they bashed DAP for ‘plagiarising' their blueprint for simply doing what they have been calling politicians to do for the last five years - take care of Indian and Hindu issues.

They also bashed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim though he admitted he forgot about them in Pakatan's manifesto and added in a few key points such as the stateless issue (which PKR leaders like N Surendran have been fighting for all this while, anyway, without any acknowledgement from Hindraf).

And yet, Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy has gone to see BN thrice, and was ever so elegant in response when Najib unveiled his manifesto to include some plagiarised items from the blueprint.

Uthayakumar and gang were literally silent. No angry letters from Hindraf adviser N Ganesan, either.

Their excuses of engaging any party interested in their blueprint is of course, by now, exposed as bogus.

Hindraf had sent dozens upon dozens of letters to Najib over the past three years or so, and they have been completely ignored.

They threw watermelons at his door, but he didn't even chuckle.

And remember Uthaya's response to Najib last December when the PM courted them? Implement these demands by Dec 31 and then we'll talk. Yada yada yada.

So what now? Hindraf has been silent on Zulkifli's anti-Hindu rant (which some suggest he even lied in apologising since the content of his speech and the alleged time frame are inconsistent), silent to Ridhuan Tee's anti-Hindu rant, and silent on the Najib 1Malaysia administration's silence against all of the above, including the teachers who had called their students ánjing and balik India .

And of course the year-long battle with Muhyiddin Yassin over Interlok has been long forgotten, that it took them THAT long to finally change it (due to pressure from many corners, not just Hindraf).

And what about the deaths of C Sugumar, A Kugan, and a whole list of others? What happened to S Banggama's case? Is she being granted her Hinduship?

It seems all of Hindraf's venom has been aimed squarely at Pakatan, which on two levels augurs hope for the Indians, 1) in providing a general all round better government that does not have racism and divide-and-rule as its modus operandi , and a general corruption-free government so the country has more money all round, hence more for the Indians and 2) for having specifically promised to tackle at least a dozen issues related to the Indians.

For example, they have promised to settle the stateless issue in 100 days, while BN just two weeks ago claimed there are only 300 stateless.

Comment, Uthaya? And I noticed Hindraf even call Bersih co-chair Ambiga Sreenevaasan a mandore, just because she doesn't champion strictly Indian issues (fair elections is not an Indian issue, Waytha? Unfair delineation biased against the non-Malays not an Indian issue, Uthaya?).

Come on, Ambiga is a shining example of someone every Indian youth can aspire to be, a forthright and selfless leader who speaks for millions and respected by all Malaysians of every colour, who has courage to stand up, really stand up, to the evil in this land.

But when it comes to Umno, which Hindraf had been screaming at as racist and accused of ethnic cleansing up until end of last year, it seems too eager to forgive.

If it is painfully clear to us that the two brothers are interested squarely in getting seats from Pakatan for their own political career, and in claiming sole credit for uplifting the Indian community (the Hindraf brand, perhaps soon to be incorporated into the ‘201' ‘1Malaysia Rakyat Didahulukan' products advertised daily ad nauseum on Astro Vaanavil and Sun TV), then it is all their fault for giving that impression.

It is really that obvious, Uthaya, Waytha? Really. I think former Hindraf member S Jayathas is right.

Something is going on with Hindraf's leaders.

I really pity their members, because they think they are working for a good cause and some whom I have met are really sincere and hardworking.

But here is news for you, Hindraf. The poor Indians aren't as stupid as you think they are.

Way back in 2009 already some told me that they think your press conferences on this and that are just ‘political stunts' and a waste of time, that you are not doing anything concrete.

The only truth is, if you really want to uplift your community, only a change in government will achieve that.

Anything else, you are just shoving one up the community's back.

You want proof? Just take a look at how Umno is treating its 50-year long bedmates MCA, MIC and Gerakan.

My only wonder now is, do you two really care? Right now, I think not.

With Zulkifli running for election in Shah Alam, and Uthaya just next door in Kota Raja, they may soon be the best of buddies.

Maybe Uthaya will even get to be Najib's new Minister for Minority Affairs, to right all the wrongs of the past BN leaders who had "made mistakes".

Yeah, right.