Slipper on poster of Najib’s face was to ‘send a message’, says angry retiree

Retiree M. Krishnan says he had placed a slipper over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib's face on a poster because he was angry with Putrajaya for doing everything wrong. – Pic from Friends of Barisan Nasional Facebook page, October 19, 2014.Retiree M. Krishnan is a man angry with Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

And it is this festering anger which prompted him to put a slipper over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's face on a poster during a protest against the latest fuel subsidy cut outside Parliament last week. He was later arrested for the act.

"My presence that day had nothing to do with the subsidy cut. I am angry with the government, they are doing everything wrong, they abuse the law because they don't understand it, they are the laughing stock of the world, and I want them to know that," Krishnan told The Malaysian Insider in Kuala Lumpur this week.

In Krishnan's tale is a story of frustration with the public delivery system as experienced by low-wage earners like him.

He depends on Socso payouts for a living, having sustained a workplace injury, and lives in low-cost public housing where the upkeep is poor.

The photo of him holding a slipper to a poster of Najib's was published on Facebook by the “Friends of BN – Barisan Nasional” page.

For doing that, the 56-year-old former crane operator was arrested.

But it was not the first time. He had pulled a similar "slipper stunt" at an earlier protest in May over defects in his public low-cost flat, and said he would do it again.

"I've done it many times before and I've even been arrested for it, but I will continue to do it again and again until they get the message, that we want to be treated as equal citizens," Krishnan said.

His most recent arrest was on October 11, three days after the anti-fuel hike protest outside Parliament. Putrajaya slashed subsidies on October 2, raising the price of RON95 petrol and diesel by 20 sen per litre.

Krishnan was held for more than 24 hours as police investigated him for intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal intimidation. He was later released on police bail.

His story of a string of disappointments with Putrajaya goes back to his childhood; he was a stateless person, deprived of citizenship, until the age of 12.

From then on, every little "mistake" or "injustice" by Putrajaya has irked Krishnan, who was born in Kajang, Selangor, including the fact that he is listed as "keturunan India" (of Indian descent) in official documents.

"Why is it that I am keturunan India? I am not born in India.

"I want to be known as keturunan bangsa Malaysia, I am Malaysian," he said, speaking in Malay.

Following news of his arrest, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang questioned the justice system which got Krishnan arrested for merely holding a slipper to Najib's picture.

Krishnan, however, remained defiant. "I refused to sign the 112 statement at the police station because it was written in Malay, if I am keturunan India, then they should at least have it written in Tamil, that is the only language I can read anyway," he added.

He said he did not think he needed a lawyer, as he was capable of speaking for himself and was aware of his rights under the law.

"I am not afraid, I know my rights, if they charge me, I know that they are abusing the law and I did nothing against the law.

"I am registered as an OKU (physically challenged person) and so I am protected by the Agong," said Krishnan, who suffered an accident while working as a crane operator.

He said his presence at the protest against fuel subsidy cuts was to send a message to the government – that the constitution and the Rukunegara protects Malaysian citizens and Putrajaya was wrong to abuse the people's rights.

Krishnan insisted that he did not belong to any political party, but was sympathetic towards the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which he lamented had lost its relevance after its internal leadership spat.

During his recent remand, Krishnan had told his three adult children that he was being held but told them not to visit him.

"I don't want them to openly support me or come into the picture because I don't want the authorities to go for them," said Krishnan, who lives on his own in his low-cost flat in PPR Sri Alam, Sungai Besi.

He also does not mix around with his neighbours given his "reputation" for joining protests.

"I don't want to make them feel uncomfortable when they hang out with me, so I just keep to myself," he said.

He regularly attends protest gatherings after finding out about them in the Tamil newspapers, mainly the Malaysian Nanban.

For a low-wage earner on the margins like him, there is enough to protest against on a regular basis.

For instance, the numerous trips made to Kuala Lumpur City Hall to complain about defects in his low-cost public housing unit since he first received the keys three years ago. No remedies have materialised to date.

"They come and take photographs and then I don't hear from them, what kind of administration is that?

"I even have a letter from Datuk M. Saravanan (former deputy Federal Territories minister) recommending that I be given a replacement unit but they don't seem to comply," he said.

This was the reason Krishnan performed the same slipper stunt in May this year.

As a dependent on Socso payments every month, he said he should rightfully be receiving RM1,100 as he earned a salary of RM2,200 working as a crane operator before his injury, but he was only receiving RM750 now.

"For all the weaknesses of the government that we have to endure, my slipper act is my contribution to this country, to my children and their children to come.

"We need to send a strong message to the government, and this is my way of making a point," he said.

- TMI