It’s no more Malaysian Indians. It’s now Malaysian Malayalee’s, Telugus, Punjabis, Bengalis, Christian Indians, Jaffna Tamils and the Tamils who are also fragmenting as Gounders, Chettiyars, Mudaliyars and many more bickering caste denominations.

MALAYSIAN INDIANS WILL LOSE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION

From 1957, MIC has been a coalition member of the ruling Barisan Nasional government, with the prerogative to represent the Indians in this country. The current political climate does not favour the continuation of this imperative legacy. There are symptoms that MIC may lose her constituencies and will be forced to accept the new terms and conditions for its survival.

Unlike other political parties the Indians have disintegrated into smaller component parties and will eventually fade into oblivion. The community has been butchered into caste based ethnical compartments for their selfish gains. It’s no more Malaysian Indians. It’s now Malaysian Malayalee’s, Telugus, Punjabis, Bengalis, Christian Indians, Jaffna Tamils and the Tamils who are also fragmenting as Gounders, Chettiyars, Mudaliyars and many more bickering caste denominations. It is not divide and rule by third parties unlike the colonial days. This is self-sabotage from within the community, initiated by some selfish, self- cantered community criminals, moving in the pretext of leaders. 

The number of political parties representing the minority Indians is unbelievable and embarrassing. Five Tamil Medias for a small readership circle. So many caste based NGO’s is alarming. All this tantamount to the reality that a divided race will lose its political representation in this country. The Indians will have no political power to bargain. Individual Indians will thrive but the community at large will suffer. Indian Institutions like MIC will become irrelevant and collapse. The community Institutions will become fragmented and will wait like beggars to gather the bones left over by the ruling government, which ever party that may rule the country.

Indian Institutions like MIC have not failed. It is the leaders who have failed. It is no point burning the house for the sake of a few rats. Building new Institutions will only lead to self-survival. Not the survival of the community. The Indian community must revert to MIC and use it as a political power base for all bargaining purposes. It is the only party with an asset based, infrastructure intact. Something got to be done to rehabilitate all Malaysian Indians into the party by all means. With caste virus, ego, greed and low mentality, it may be a tough challenge for the well-wishers. There must be a divine intervention. A sense of farsighted vision. Total sacrifice for the wellbeing of the future generations. More so, the silent majority of Indians must stand up to speak for the community’s future generations. Otherwise the history of Indians will be written off very soon and it will be another sad story of Indians disillusionment in Malaysia like Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

Raken Marimuthu
Founder of UNMAI-United Malaysian Indians

For the Reformation of Malaysian Indians.