Hindraf Rally : A wake-up call for all

Time to come out the denial syndrome

The mammoth rally initiated by the Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) on 25 November2007 may have noble aims, to highlight the plight of Malaysian Indians, nevertheless it backfired on the organizers, who were chastised as anti-national and trouble makers, out to incite racial riots. There were calls for drastic punitive actions against them, including arresting them under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and even withdrawing the citizenship.

Though some of us may not agree with the way the protest was carried out, but the vast majority of Malaysians would sympathize with the deplorable and desperate state of the Indians. It is a fact that on the whole the Indians have been marginalized from the mainstream of national development over the last 50 years.

I am not a legal expert to understand what actually transpired between the British and the newly formed Malayan government at the time of independence. In fact most Malaysians do not know the details of what was really agreed upon and promised to the various communities then. All we know is that with the departure of the British colonialist we became legitimate citizens of this newly independent and sovereign country, where the constitution guarantees certain rights to members of the various communities.

It does not need an expert to realize that the Indians have lost most of what they had then – the jobs in estates, government and private sectors. Today opportunities for education and jobs are hard to come by. The public sector is monopolized by the Malays and the private sector by Chinese, leaving the Indians in limbo. Poverty and social ills are the highest among them. The country had prospered tremendously over the last 50 years but sadly these developments by-passed the vast majority of Malaysian Indians.

Who is to blame for this socio-economic deterioration of the Indian community? The British who brought them here, UMNO-led BN government, the Malaysian Indian Congress(MIC) or the Indians themselves?

All these groups have to a certain degree contributed to the pathetic state of Indians today. The British might have been responsible for bringing the Indians to Malaysia but I do not think we can take them to task now as their role in the plight of Indians has become history today.

The mammoth demonstration is an indication that all is not well as far as the Indian community is concerned. It should be a wake up call for all concerned, the UMNO-led BN government, the MIC and the Indians themselves, to make amends before it is too late.

The UMNO-led government

The UMNO-led Alliance and subsequently Barisan Nasional (BN) government contributed drastically to the deplorable state of Indians. In a hurry to uplift the socio-economic status of the Malays,UMNO had overlooked the needs of the other races. The New Economic Policy (NEP) aimed at restructuring society as a whole was over-enthusiastically implemented in favor of the Malays; in the process the Indians who dominated the civil service at that time were replaced and subsequently neglected.

UMNO as the ruling party must bear in mind that it also has the moral obligation to take care of the minority groups. It must protect and safeguard the interests and especially the security of the minorities. Otherwise in the long run, a neglected community will not only be a liability but a threat to their own security as well. There are already fears that a Sri Lanka-like state may be in the making if the Indians are neglected further. The more successful among them may migrate leaving behind the unskilled and lower category of Indians. Being pushed against the wall they have no alternative but to turn against the authorities.

The Hindraf rally must act as a lesson for the government that it should be responsible to the all the races. Poverty is just not only among the Malays but transcends race and religion. It has to be tackled without bias or prejudice. A neglected group, however small, would be a liability to all.

It is time for the government to look into the grouses of the Indian community, a community that had stood by loyally with UMNO through thick and thin. We have reached a state that only UMNO,not MIC, who can help overcome the predicament of the Indian community in Malaysia .

The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)

The MIC,despite of being a senior partner in the BN government has miserably failed to uplift and safeguard the interests of the Indians. Greed, nepotism and corruption have gained strong footholds in the party which is causing a serious split in the already small minority. The recent fiasco at the recent Maika Holdings AGM is a clear illustration of this spit that is deepening by the day. The MIC which was in the blood of the earlier generation of Indians is fast losing its appeal among the younger generation.

Samy Velu,after being at the helm of MIC and in the government for more than 25 years, is still not able to improve the wealth of the Indian community as planned. In fact Indian community’s share of the national wealth has decreased over the years. If the present trends continue they will even lose the present 1.5% equity. This would further aggravate the social ills prevalent in the community - poverty, unemployment, gangsterism, alcoholism and possibly terrorism.

The Hindraf rally should be a wake up call to Datuk Sri Samy and his MIC that they do not enjoy the support of their people as they used to before. In fact the younger Indians are slowly deserting the MIC out of frustration, anger and despair. It is time Samy Velu and his comrades who have been there for so long make way for the more capable, talented and zealous younger Indians.It is time for the younger generation of Malays, Chinese and Indians to re-negotiate and chart a new course in which the nation should steer.

The Indians themselves

The Indians, regardless of their religious believes, seem to spend too much time, energy and money to maintain and preserve their cultural and religious traditions. I do not deny these are good and necessary but they must also seriously indulge in activities to develop their socio-economic well being as well. There is a need to strike a balance between the two as the latter is equally important in today’s world.

In the past they depended too much on government handouts for their economic development. This could have worked well before but not anymore. The economic race is tough and very competitive. Nobody is going to help them achieve their economic targets if they themselves do nothing about it. Gone are the days when the expertise and skills of the Indians were sought after by other communities. Today we see a situation where businesses and trade are confined to one’s community.

The Indians are right to continue fighting for their constitutional rights and that struggle must continue. At the same time they have to revise their strategy in keeping with the realities of the times. This can only be done by acquiring latest knowledge and skills in the field of economy, science and technology and accept modern concepts to apply them in their endeavors to achieve prosperity. Depending solely on past laurels and divine help will not take them anywhere as God only helps those who help themselves.

What has the Hindraf rally achieved?

The Hindraf leaders I am sure are well aware that being of a minority group that forms only 8% of the population, they cannot fight the mighty BN government. They know that confrontation would only bring disaster to them. Violence is not their way as demonstrated by their display of the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, the symbol of non-violence. They had tried to take their plight to the highest level but they were ignored at every stage. When their sole representative in the government, the MIC, had no time for them, can they expect UMNO and the government it leads to do so?

The condition of the Indian community was going from bad to worse. The last straw was the demolition of their temples and desecration of deities which stripped them of whatever dignity that remained. They had to make their voices heard and the only choice they had was public show of dissatisfaction. That led to them taking to the streets in open defiance of the government and police.

The amazing thing about the whole affair was the generally peaceful manner the demonstrators conducted themselves at the demonstration. If only the police had not intervened they would have marched peacefully to the British Embassy, delivered the petition and dispersed. They had proven that the accusations leveled at them as gangsters, criminals, thugs, trouble-makers, traitors and stooges of the opposition are uncalled for.

Another encouraging outcome that came out of the Hindraf rally was the reaction by other races especially the Malays. There were fears that the action by the Indians could trigger a racial conflict. Despite attempts by certain irresponsible politicians to make it a racial problem, the Malays generally appeared to be sympathetic to the plight of their fellow Indian citizens. In fact many among them are also in a similar poverty-stricken situation as the all-powerful UMNO who champions their cause is plagued by corruption, nepotism and cronyism. The ordinary man on the street, be it Malay, Chinese or Indian, is finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet with the escalating cost of living.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s repeated assurances that the government would be fair to all races should be commended. His reluctance to use the ISA despite pressure from within his party should also be appreciated. His willingness to meet the leaders of Hindraf despite all the accusations against them is also praiseworthy. This is in deep contrast to the combative and confrontational attitude of his predecessor. Does the Prime Minister’s softer and more conciliatory stance an indication of the beginning of a new era of tolerance to public opinion?

The issue in question here is not whether the Hindraf leaders had uttered seditious words or whether they have committed an offence in organizing an illegal rally. The real issue is that over 30,000 Malaysian Indians from all walks of life and from all corners of the country had risked their jobs and lives to descend onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 25 November 2007 to plead to the government to help them out of the doldrums. They are pleading to the government, they helped to elect, to restore their legitimate and constitutional rights. For every one who turned up there may be hundreds who could not do so for various reasons. All of them cannot be wrong or stupid.

Samy Velu and his MIC should not pretend that nothing is happening. They should not pretend that all is well with the Indians. The MIC and the UMNO-led BN government should come out of the state of denial, acknowledge the pleas and take measures to overcome those problems that plague not just the Indian community but all Malaysians.

Dr.Chris Anthony