Others wade through legal minefield
K
and Umagandhan Krishnan are a duo with a purpose – to help the less savvy among us negotiate the legal and official processes that will help them get what is rightly theirs.
They have targeted their efforts to two main groups – stateless people and those who have yet to exercise their right to have a say in Malaysia’s future.
The task ahead is challenging, but the two men are unfazed.
As Dinesh pointed out, there are about 150,000 stateless children in the country.
“Children are the most vulnerable and it’s through no fault of their own,” he told theSun.
The 34-year-old human rights lawyer has seen his share of such cases, including adults who do not have an identification card or birth certificate.
“The situation is dire. It is made more complex with their lack of understanding of the law,” he said.
To address the issue, Dinesh and his friend Umagandhan set up a free legal aid service under a non-profit organisation they call “Puratchi”, which means “revolution” in Tamil, last year.
Since then, they have taken up 50 cases. Most of their clients are those who still do not have proper identification cards.
Dinesh attributes the situation to a lack of understanding of the law, and a fear of meeting lawyers to ask about their rights.
“Firstly, they assume that they have to pay for the legal advice, which isn’t necessarily so.”
Umagandhan pointed out that in most cases, social issues are also legal issues.
It is for this reason that, he said, they set up a
booth at Batu
Caves during the recent Thaipusam celebrations to offer advice and assistance to those who need it.
They are now planning a roadshow to all the northern states.
“We will go to the rural areas where people are less aware of their rights,” he said.
Despite having met just a year ago, the duo have become very good friends.
The two men refer to one another as “my brother”, bantering easily and interjecting in each other’s conversations.
“We empathise with people easily,” Dinesh said, to which Umagandhan added that “we need to empower the young to be independent and to not be left out of society”.
Both men agree that it is an uphill battle.
“It can be demoralising but we believe there is always a chance to change their lives,”
Umagandhan said.
Dinesh cut his teeth in the courtroom.
It was in 2015 and he was among a
few lawyers representing 60 anti-GST (goods and services tax) protesters.
The protesters were facing remand but Dinesh was the only lawyer at the Shah Alam lock-up where the proceedings was taking place.
“That became my first pro bono case.
“I told the police I knew what to do but my heart was thumping very fast.
“But I managed to reduce their remand from four to two days.”
Umagandhan’s initiation into activism began early.
As a teenager, he saw his father, a headmaster, rally like-minded individuals to get the Indian community to register as voters.
He estimated that at that time, there were more than 370,000 who were eligible to vote but had not registered.
“I formed a self-funded coalition and organised voting camps and managed to get 18,000 people to register as voters,” he said.
Dinesh and Umagandhan’s efforts have drawn others to their cause.
They now have a team of seven lawyers who help regularly.
“We hope that through our service to the people, we can change mindsets.
“There’s always a solution to a problem,” they said.