Sunday, October 16, 2011

THE INDIAN COMMUNITY – A MARGINALISED COMMUNITY?

PM Najib in his address to the Indian community at the 1Malaysia Deepavali Carnival in Klang last night said that the government will strive to ensure that the Indian community will have a better future. He went further to say that “there must be a feeling that the Malaysian soil is the place of birth of all races”.

What Najib said has been said repeatedly by other leaders and including the MIC leaders themselves. This statement is nothing new and I can assure everyone that the same statement will be uttered many times more by our leaders as GE gets closer.

I have been writing about the plight of the Indian community in some earlier postings because I can claim that I know them better than most Malaysians. You know, I grew up among Indian neighbors (my father being a government servant, and we live in a government quarters in a predominantly Indian neighborhood) and I can even tell you their likes/dislikes, cultural and social sensitivities. That is the sort of attachment I have for my Indian friends and if one does not have such an attachment, one cannot claim to have understood the Indian community.

Leaders can say what they want, promise them the sky even, but I know in the end the promises made are either unfulfilled or merely ‘pulling wool over their eyes’. I have seen this being said and done many times and that is why I say the Indian community in this country is the most marginalized community, and neither their own leaders care about it. I am not blaming the former MIC boss Samy Velu for this, but him having been at the helm of the MIC for umpteen years should have ensured his community deserve better treatment and to save them from their economic and social doldrums’.

Now, have anyone had a look at the schools in the estates? Have anyone walked into their estate homes, talked and sat over meals with them? Have anyone bothered to ask whether their earnings are sufficient to maintain their growing families? Have anyone bothered to do a study as to how many of their children get to receive a tertiary education? There are many more ‘haves’ that I can write about, but suffice for me to say that the Indian community, particularly those living in the estate will continue to remain in the form that they have been all these years. I can only say, “Wake up to the realities facing the Indian community, and stop making any more promises”.

To PM Naijb, he ought to visit the estates more often in his meet the people session; not just meeting them at the Community Hall that are been given an instant facelift, and to utter more promises, if he seriously believe that the Indian community are Malaysians as well.


CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

9 comments:

maurice said...

But I see the opposite Dato!Many Indians are successful people.Just look at Ananda Krishnan, Arumugam, Tony Fenandez,and the many famous doctors and lawyers in the country.

Then what about those doing textile business and Nasi Kandar Restaurants throughout the country? Our Indian community have absolute monopoly.They are not doing too bad either in sundry and barber shops business.

The one you mentioned about living condition in the estate, yes it is true,but this just a small part of the story.It is unfortunate that they have been done poorly by their past MIC leaders.I think DSN is trying his best to help every community.Don't think corporate leaders from the Indian community have done much to help the Indian poor either.

What is true today Dato, is that the Orang Asli and the Bumiputras in Sabah and Sabah living in the hinterlands that are truly marginalized from the progress and development of this country..

Mohd Arshad Raji said...

Dear Maurice,

I am not denying that there are a number of Malaysian Indians that are successful; some extremely successful. For the professionals, one need to ask how did they reach the pinnacle of the career? Many will give the answer that they did it on their own; not through any govt funded programme. I know of an Indian family where all the chidren are successful professional; finance by their 'father's bank'. It is sheer grit.

Frankie said...

Najib and his government have lost all creditability and he can continue to shout about "Malaysian soil is the birth place of all races" to no avail. He condones race discrimination by remaining silent when his own UMNO party and the likes of Perkasa openly calls non malays "prostitutes and beggars and pendatangs". And he expects the Indians to fall for his sweet words.

bruno said...

Dato,I cannot agree with you more that the Indians are a very marginalised community.But they been marginalised,sometimes the Indians are to be blamed themselves.They have been taken for a ride,none other then their former president Samy many times over.

But each time,Samy came back and hoodwinked them,and not that they believed him but idolised him,over and over again.In fact you can promised the majority of the poor and less educated Indians the moon,and they will swore their blind allegiance to you.That is how Samy can stay in power for so long.Those that he cannot hoodwinked or intimidiate,he will send in his calvary.His two legged babaric gangsters.

But how Samy has been able to keep the Indians under control for so long is a surprise.Even when the estate Indians,lost their hard earned life savings in Maica Holdings,they still can put up with Samy.And where did the money end up.In Samy's useless skirt chasing son's hands.And it was alledged that this useless son of Sam,caused the death of his mistress,during one of his drunken bedroom roams.

When the news or rumours leaked out,Sam went scurrying to his boss.Sam's boss,Malaysia's most powerful politician leaned on the authorities and Samy's useless son of a gun,got off a manslauther or murder charge.

monty said...

Dato,
Politicians have to lie in order to
survive. That is why most people trust the politicians the least as compared to doctors and clergy. Politicians always talks with 'fork-
tongues',otherwise they cannot become
politicians. Nothing new to this trait which is embedded in their blood.

bruno said...

Dato,a community or people can only be marginalised if they wanted to.It is the people who chose their elected representatives to represent them.If the community or people are happy as playful lambs to be marginalised,that is to be stepped on,look down on and spit on,then they themselves are to be blamed for all the bad things that are happening to them.After all the people who marginalised them are the people who they elected to represent them.

Mej. A R Ramachandran (Retired) said...

On the surface Jibby cries 1 Malaysia, but otherwise to the Indian Community. Of late he has been attending and praising seperately the Punjabis, Telengus,Malayalees etc.This divide among its community is the bane for its successful survival. Jibby and the MIC leaders know this. The Indian community can only be strong as its weakest link.If it simply unites as one, it can be a classic example of a successful community.

mitchell said...

Maurice, oh maurice....3 names which you choose to highlite...OMG two of them, we know how they became successful....as Dato mentioned, so many lawyers and doctors came up thru sheer grit and sacrifice by their parents..Nasi Kandar Restaurants??? Indians??? again OMG. Textile and carpets, I agree but today Pakistanis and Banglas go door to door offering easy payments for textile and carpets..I remember one Indian doctor who use to adopt a child and finance their education until they become successful themselves. Then this child will sponsor another and the cycle goes on...I believe there have been almost 250 children that have benifited from this generosity of the first doctor.

komando said...

The PM is more interested to eat at a two ringgit shop rather than visit a slump called RUMAH ESTET in the Indian kampungs!