Ethnic Indians Blame Britain for Sorry Plight

Baradan Kuppusamy

KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 11 (IPS) - As Malaysia marked 50 years as an independent nation on Aug. 31, a team of Malaysian lawyers were in London filing a lawsuit against the British government for abandoning minority Indians to the mercy of majoritarian Malay-Muslim rule while granting independence in 1957.

The extraordinary lawsuit backed by the Hindu Rights Action Force or Hindraf, a Hindu grassroots movement that is beginning to win wide support from ethnic Indians here, blames the British colonial government for the many woes the community faces in Malaysia today.

"We were removed by duplicity and force from our villages (in India) and taken to the then Malaya and put to work to clear the forests, plant and harvest rubber and make billions of pounds for British owners," said Malaysian lawyer Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy who filed the suit in London.

"After a century of slaving for the British, the colonial government withdrew after granting independence and they left us unprotected and at the mercy of a majority Malay-Muslim government that has violated our rights as minority Indians," he told IPS.

The class action suit on behalf of Malaysia's two million ethnic Indians names the current British government as the sole defendant. The claimant demands that the court hold the British colonial authority liable for shipping millions of Tamil-speaking South Indians to Malaya and later abandoning them without adequate safeguards for their position, rights and future.

The suit is demanding one million pounds as compensation for every minority Indian in Malaysia for the "pain, suffering, humiliation, discrimination and continuous colonisation". It also wants the court to declare Malaysia as a secular state and not an Islamic one.

Ponnusamy, who is also Hindraf's chairman, said the majoritarian political rule is backed by a Malay-dominated civil service, police and armed forces which together fail to respect and uphold the basic human rights of ethnic Indians. "Very little opportunities for employment, study and business are offered for minority Indians as compared to the extensive aid created for native Malays," he said.

Most Malaysians are likely to dismiss the suit as a "gimmick" to "shame" the government for trampling on minority Indian rights, but political analysts said there are real grievances underpinning the suit that the Malaysian government ought to address.

‘’The British government is not the proper authority to hear minority problems that are peculiar to Malaysia. Besides Malaysia is an independent country and has been independent for 50 years," said Yap Swee Seng, executive director of SUARAM, a leading rights NGO. "However the suit touches on many problems faced by minority Indians in Malaysia such as lack of opportunities, destruction of Hindu temples, right to an education in their mother tongue and lack of avenues for advancement," he said.

"The Malaysian government must address these issues. Minority Indians are Malaysians and they have a right to a fair share of the national resources," Yap told IPS in an interview. "The suitability of suing London aside, the grievances raised are long-standing and wholly valid and need urgent solutions from the Malaysian government," he said.

The suit also seeks to strike out Article 153 of the Malaysian constitution which provides for Malay special privileges on the grounds that it contravenes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation which bar racial discrimination.

Malay special privileges is an emotive issue in this multi-racial country with non-Malays, who make up about 40 percent of the population, in favour of either ending it or extending affirmative action help to all Malaysians who need it. Chinese and Indians, who began migrating here in the early 19th century, make up 26 percent and 8.0 percent of the population, respectively, of the 27 million population.

In a press statement to local and international media Ponnusamy also said the suit is necessary to draw world attention to the plight of minority Indians.

"The British government cannot detach itself permanently or partially from the many problems it left behind," he said. "It has a moral, legal, social and political responsibility to ensure there existed fair governance throughout her former colonies and any violation of rights must be attended to immediately before it becomes a menace causing an international crisis.’’

"Minority Indians today are the underclass not only in Malaysia but in other former British colonies," he said, adding there was no "mechanism" under the present Malaysian system to remedy the injustice.

Although Malaysia had advanced phenomenally since independence in 1957 the gains have not reached minority Indians who suffer from poverty and marginalisation. Rapid development that uprooted rural Indians, who form about 60 percent of the Indian population, turned many of them into urban squatters.

"They were neglected, abandoned and left to fend for themselves," said cultural historian Eddin Khoo. "The problems of poverty and marginalisation are severe among the Indian underclass."

"I don't want to discuss the merits of the suit but the problems of minority Indians are real and valid and the Malaysian government must attend to it," Khoo said. "They could have filed the suit in London out of sheer desperation at not getting an airing and discussion here," Khoo told IPS. "It shows the situation of the Indian poor is desperate and worsening."

According to government statistics nearly 40 percent of convicted criminals are from the Indian minority. Marginalisation is also reflected in annual university intake which on an average is under 5 percent of the total university intake of over 45,000 annually in 15 public universities.

Nearly half of the 523 Tamil vernacular schools are also not funded by the government and left in a dilapidated condition without basic modern facilities like computers, proper library, sports and recreation facilities and textbooks.

According to Hindraf the percentage of Indians in the civil service fell from 40 percent in 1957 to under 2 percent in 2005.

The suicide rate among Indians is a high 21.1 per thousand in comparison to 8.6 among Chinese and 2.6 for Malays, Hindraf argues.

"Indians predominate as labourers, industrial manual workers, office boys, road sweepers, beggars and squatters," said lawyer and civil rights campaigner P. Uthayakumar. "We want the world to sit up and see our plight and bring pressure on the Malaysian government," he said.

links:
-http://www.ipsnews.org/wap/news.asp?idnews=39221
-http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1893403/posts

their current condition in malaysia with security,welfare and economically are far much better than in india.. lol and now they want more?


lol and the malay should also sue the british govt for bringing millions of indian to malaysia.. so desperate to get easy money..


uhuh wtf? thats too much


and now u want a taste of the NEP too? NEP shud be abolish ya know.. lol


underclass?? they are like super rich in malaysia compared to those in india..

macamnane diorg nk hidup bahagia..
dok sokong presiden MIC yg sama je..
ape yg die dh buat dkt org india..x de kn..
carila pemimpin yg boleh bersuara bangsa sendiri..
bila ade pemimpin bersuara, sure gov will respond..but depends on ape yg disuarakan
tp..aku rase, org india dkt malaysia ini 4-5 kali lg bertuah dari bangsadiorg sendiri di India..
be thankfull la

A bit of a stretch.

The rural indians are actually hardcore poor. The rich indians u see do not represent majority indians of Malaysia.

I agree and I think the govnt should be doing something to help them.

And what did Samy Vellu have to say to this? He's been around for too long!

I think the plight of the Indian is the best barometer of how Malaysians overall are faring. Malay elites have the political power and their Chinese partners control the economic pulse. Our Indians are the everyman that's left to fend for himself. And then there's Ananda Krishnan.

Sorry but neither Brown nor Cameron are going to be vaguely interested.

[size="2"]Hi there my fellow citizen of this beautiful country. If you were on this side of the fence, you would not only see the difference but also feel it. Forget the money part of the case but you have to accept the fact that we are not given a fair shot at things here in Malaysia. Did u know that even the term "Bumiputra" is in Tamil, but sad to say that its not used on us Indians. Why do we have " Bumiputra discount " when we buy houses? Is our money valued less than the malays money? We just want fair equal rights as citizens and nothing extra. Malaysia has and will only survive with the contribution of all the different walks of life it has. We are Malaysians and we will always love and support her as Malaysians and not as Indians. Our Wawasan 2020 will and can be achived only if we are all seen and treated as Malaysians or we will fail to achive it.

CitizenMani

Theres gonna be another rally organised by HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action FOrce). Its gonna be on 25/11 to pass a memorandum to the British embassy. See here: http://www.bmahendran.com/blog/?p=208

http://www.malaysia-today.net/nuc2006/repo....php?itemid=508

The Latest one

Uthayakumar has been arrested many times before. Hehe. But anyway, in my opinion, HINDRAF is suing the British government to get world coverage on the discrimination issues of ethnic Indians in Malaysia.

OMG. I just watched RTM 1 news. They showed clips of various demonstrations and indicated that "Demonstrations will usually end up in violence".

It was so lame.

4 trillion USD...yeah I don't th.....

Don't forget that there is no free lunch .... So, you must fight for your better life .... God bless you ....

Ethnics Indians protest in Malaysia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96FCTKHNA8

This is just to humiliate the government since they won't listen to the Indians.
There's a lot of social unrest in msia atm, and I had to think twice before heading back for a holiday. A few of my female family members were robbed but they were lucky not to be seriously injured.

My colleague just got robbed last Wednesday, after work.

Seriously, the demonstrators should consider wearing goggles and raincoat. XD

I agree that Indians have been marginalised in Malaysia but i do not agree they blame the British for bringing their forefathers to Malaysia decades ago. To be fair, many Indians in Malaysia are still better off than their counterparts in India where the living condition is much worse there. I think only a few Indian Malaysian will opt to stay in India in the present days if given a choice. As much as they have been neglected by the government but come election day, many of these same people who lament their fates will still vote for the government candidates. This has to change and first and foremost, Indians in Malaysia need to remove the ineffective, brash and corrupted Samy Vellu from his post.

This afternoon about 12.00pm, I was in Klang ( near the Masjid India area ), the traffic came to a standstill and i saw many Indians gathering there with the presence of police and FRU. I am not sure what it was all about but I think it had got to do with yesterday's Hindraf rally in Kuala Lumpur.

http://iamamalaysian.wordpress.com/2007/11...ctures-briefly/

http://iamamalaysian.wordpress.com/2007/11...r-did-they-not/

http://www.jeffooi.com/2007/11/hindraf_ral...rity_report.php
(this one with youtube videos)

http://www.jeffooi.com/2007/11/hindraf_ral...ic_minority.php
(also with videos)

http://rockybru.blogspot.com/2007/11/hindrafs-sunday.html
(with many images)

http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com/2007/11...ndred-arrested/
(with images and video)

Comparing India and Indians in Malaysia is not right. The comparison need to be balanced. The main question is that Indians in malaysia is a marginalised group and ethnic Malay muslims have the privileges and quotas in every sphere of life. Which is very wrong. Every citizen of Malaysia need to be treated as equal by Malay government. And Malays need to be sensitive to the issue rather than denying it.

I want to know what Rico & Pancaindera really think about this Hindraf, as representative of Malaysian Indian in this forum.

I do not agree with them blaming the British government as well. That is pretty silly. But if you look at the bigger picture, they're just trying to get publicity on the discrimination issue. How else could they get coverage from both Al Jazeera and BBC? You know how our local media is like.

If they want to shout for equal rights in Malaysia, they will be shunned anyway.

I read today's papers and they said that demonstrators (both for Bersih and Hindraf) could be charged with ISA. Najib indicated that they will be charged with ISA if the demonstration is not beneficial to the community.

I think u may be right that they are using this worldwide publicity to showcase the unequal distribution of wealth and privileges in Bumiputra Malaysia..

Is there really alot of social unrest in Msia now?

hmm. i dont thinkn there is much social unrests due to politics in msia. Except for these two rallies which took place recently (BERSIH and HINDRAF). but ive heard lots of cases of robberies/muggings/snatch thief recently. I dont think it has anything to do with politics. Maybe its about the economy. I hear lots of ppl complainin about rising prices of everythin, but having constant salary.

But its still safe to visit Msia

Unser for these issue
This has become a minor turn major problem,.....thanks to the govt for allowing so many easy entry workers to the country & now it's been creating a mess to the country....

Imagine 10years ago,.....u don't even heard of snatch thiefing.

Agreed.


I still remember it was pretty safe in the 198xs and early 199x. When I was young, I got lost in the mall twice and I am still alive. If it was now, I'd probably be x__x.

For Hindraf and all Indians of Malaysia ... please continue your "peacefully" demo if you want to get support from the world.....

Don't be afraid ... all Indians community in the world, especially "Tamil Tiger", Tamil Nadu State and Indian Government will strongly support your movement because you are in trouble now.

Maybe you have to learn from "Tamil Tiger" ..... If you requested them, I believe "Tamil Tiger" (with their "proven' track record), will encourage to transfer their military skill, experiences and funds to you ....... So, you can "fight" with your blood to defend your right to get a free and better life ...

Wake up ... Don't depend on "Malay government" for your life because they will not care with you ..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/526407.stm

Off to London to see the queen
By : Rehman Rashid

The illegal rally on Sunday sought to petition Queen Elizabeth II for her assistance in securing reparations of RM28 trillion for Malaysia's two million Indians, apparently as compensation for importation of Indian labour into the country during colonial times.

NOON. Somewhere on the upper decks of Buckingham Palace.

[knock knock] "Your Majesty? Are you in there?" [knock knock]

"Who's there?"

"Your serf."

"Your serf who?"

"Your serf N'dour."

"You must be seven seconds away then."

"Actually, I'm right here, Your Majesty. May I come in?"

"Of course not. I'm on the throne."

"There's a group of Indian gentlemen at the gates."

"So what else is new? They've been there since the end of our empire."

"They have a letter for you, ma'am."

"Tell them to take it to Sonia Gandhi."

"They're not that kind of Indian, ma'am."

"Neither is she."

"They're Malaysians."

"Malaysians? Lovely people. Quite charming. They have kings and queens too. Highly civilised, I call it. Last time I was there was to open our Commonwealth Games in '98. There was a spot of rioting going on, as I recall, but they took great pains to spare Philip and I the tear gas."

"Beg pardon, ma'am, but that should be Philip and me."

"How dare you. Go find your own husband, you horrid little man."

"Got one. Would you like me to read you the contents of their letter?"

"Of course not. Just give me the gist of it."

"They love you and want four trillion pounds."

"Of what?"

"Sterling."

"Good heavens. What for?"

"Back wages, I think."

"Goodness gracious, how long were they working for us? I haven't got four trillion pounds. Do I?"

"No, ma'am. Unless you'd like to sell Scotland to the Irish."

"They don't have four trillion pounds either. Can we sell Europe?"

"No longer, I'm afraid."

"Hong Kong, then."

"Ten years too late, ma'am."

"Blast. Well, you'll just have to tell these Malaysian Indian gentlemen to go away, we haven't got the money."

"They say it's just a point of principle, they don't really expect to get four trillion pounds."

"So what's all this about then?"

"They want the Crown to acknowledge they're worth four trillion pounds, and deserve four trillion pounds, even if they'll not get tuppence."

"Oh come now, we can give them that much. Maybe even a whole shilling and a cup of tea. They were our loyal servants, after all. See to it, won't you."

"Very good, ma'am."

"I know I am. But tell me, who's in charge of these people now?"

"At the moment, Scotland Yard, ma'am."

"I meant back where they came from."

"Ah. There seems to be some confusion over that. According to their tourist office over on Trafalgar Square..."

"Nelson! My favourite franchise. I've always wondered if Hardy actually kissed him."

"...they are represented by a political party in a democratically elected government under a constitutional monarchy."

"Like ours?"

"Not in the least. They have nine monarchs."

"Well, so much the better for them."

"But these gentlemen claim they have been left out and ignored for 50 years."

"My husband's been for 60 and you don't hear him complaining."

"But he's not one of your subjects."

"Oh yes he is."

"I stand corrected, ma'am..."

"Just how I like it."

"...but the gentlemen at the gate aren't your subjects either."

"Their country's part of the Commonwealth, isn't it?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And I'm the head of the Commonwealth, aren't I?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"Therefore, they are my subjects."

"It doesn't quite work like that, ma'am. Not any more."

"Then what's the point of being queen?"

"Frankly, ma'am, a lot of us are wondering ourselves."

"I am still queen, aren't I?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And head of the Commonwealth?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And these people need my help?"

"That's what they say, ma'am."

"And four trillion pounds."

"Quite."

"Tell them we thank them for their loyalty, now naff off."

"Very well, ma'am."

"I'd send them to Charles, but he'd only tell them to try organic gardening."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This column will be going on annual leave till the new year or the general election, whichever comes first.

For all Indians of Malaysia ... Your Indian Government will support your movement ....

Hindraf claims there were ethnic cleansing of India community in Malaysia which similar of what was happened in Bosnia. Their action due to demolition of 2 illegal temples that been built on State land without permission. They also claims that temple have been built for more than 100 years ago. The lies of Hindraf probably inspired and influenced by the RSS of India. The RSS or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is a Hindu nationalist organization in India. It was founded in 1925 by Dr.K.B. Hedgewar. The RSS is active throughout India and abroad as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS). RSS also the mastermind of Babri mosque demolition by Hindu devotee in 1992. That is why they want the government of State of Tamil Nadu of India, and India Goverment to get involved.

See this link below:
1. Indian Hindu Terrorists of RSS.
http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=...=1&border=0

http://www.youtube.com/v/5Fgeb_jfqDU&rel=1
http://uk.youtube.com/user/karimm786

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p8z_dL_KSU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdfMTXelMd8


2. Genocide of Gujrat, India by Hindu
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3lzJPLJ50y0&...feature=related

3. Gujarat Masscacre
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk8d1V19P4E

4. Atrocities, oppression on Christians in India by Hindu Rss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBmHYVU2XV8

5. Hinduism: Insulting and Abusing Minorities in India
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dvu9MSy07E

so these terrorist demand $4trillion, they want NEP and they want more temples.. i wonder what will happen next..

As you can see the previous remarks, next… they want to be the Tamil Tigers of Malaysia.

Before their rally on the street, there were series of speech of by their leader to the followers. There were lots of hate-rated elements in their speech. It might sparks tension among other ethnic especially the malay. The authority so worry that these 2 groups would meet up on the street. That is why the police has not given them the permit for their rally.

The thing is that they want more temples. Now you can see their temples every where at the junction, roadside including illegal temples. Where there any possible future proposed new road, their temples will be there. They know that they will get compensation from the government if they asked to shift to other place.

.Looking at population, approximately 60.4 percent of the population practiced Islam, 19.2 percent Buddhism, 9.1 percent Christianity, and 6.3 percent Hinduism. The remaining 5 percent was accounted for by other faiths, including animism, shamanism, Sikhism, Bahá'í, Taoism, Confucianism, and other traditional Chinese religions. But numbers of Hindu temples are more than Churches and Buddhist temples. They know how and what to play with the sensitive matters.

^All propaganda rubbish.

Hindu Militants Destroy Babri mosque


(Babri Masjid and associated complex were totally destroyed on December 6, 1992.)

Propaganda huh? It was true story. RSS has been banned in India, but their influences are every where including in Malaysia. So now every body can say propaganda to every stories too. See the fact - the Babri mosque was destroyed in 1992 because someone has dream of something and believe him self has received message from the superior about the place.

Hey you people don't try to change the course of this topic. Talk about discrimination in Malaysian society on it's ethnic minorities by Malaysian government.


Now this is an utter crap you have posted. Trying to link two organizations with no link at all. Trying to protect ones own interests is not a crime, and Hindraf is doing the same for people of Indian origin in Malaysia. And Babri mosque demolition happened long ago the mosque was built on a temple so it is good that they demolished it. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a very good organization it is a voluntary organization to help in social causes, it has done a lot of work in relief efforts during floods, earthquakes, and betterment of the society.

Btw in Malaysia a lot of Hindu temples have been destroyed in the past.


This is very recent one. There are plans to demolish more Hindu temples in Malaysia. It is so easy to demolish non-muslim religious structures in Malaysia, what a country. What you have to say about that ?

Yes that was a propoganda trash. And for your information, RSS is not a banned organization. Get your facts right. You don't know even 1% of the story behind the Babri mosque demolition so stop making stupid posts full of hatered, it shows you people like would be Osamas'.

This can only happen in Malaysia.

RSS banned in India? You have got to be kidding.

RSS is a service organization, they are not banned anywhere. Even Bajrang Dal isn't banned in India, so I don't know where you have been getting your information. Besides, posting Youtube videos doesn't count as "evidence" for anything. They have zero merit.

I doubt you even know what the Babri Masjid was (or why it was destroyed), and it sounds to me like you are just pulling random topics from the internet to try and talk smack with.

I think its best you focus on Malaysiahere in Malaysia Chat and leave India related topics to India Chat

hahahahahaa kantoi dasar hipokrit

all i know is KL was jammed as $hit that sat night
and then i woke up to pictures of indians running around being flash bombed and stuff on tv
the next morning
the end.
unpolitical aren't i?

The RSS was banned in India thrice during periods in 1948 after Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, during the 1975 Emergency in India, and after the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition. The bans then lifted after the Supreme Court of India declined to uphold the bans due to lack of evidence of their involvement in the such activities.
The RSS continues to be viewed as controversial due its, often violent, commitment to stop conversions of Hindus and to "organise" Hindu society, and by what some academics and commentators have called its "Fascist" tendencies. Its numbers have been strenthened by the rise of its associated Sangh Parivar members, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party.(BJP).
The existence of RSS until now influences the Hindraf movement in Malaysia today. OK I leave this to India Chat.

Raised In Parliament: Demolish Christian Statues, Destroy the Crosses

Those 2 idiots in the parliament, especialy MP Syed Hood bin Syed Edros from Parit Sulong has made stupid statement and old style of politics. I also disagreed with this incident. Just wait their old generation will go off and replaced by the new generation with new thinking. But any way, they were just debating in the parliament. In the parliament, everybody can say any thing they want, and can be racist too. Sometimes even they can quarreling each other among members in the same party. It was not a consensus of the parliament. The issue that have been debated in the parliament is not a policy. Everybody in the parliament are free to voice out their concern in all aspect to represent their supporters. If not mistaken one of the minister have promised not to take action to destroy as what stupid concern and narrow minded of the MP. And there was no demolition of the Christian statues or crosses. Until today the statue and the cross is still at the place.

Ok lets get back to the topic. About a temple in the UTM land. I know that temple, and I know the road widening work in front of the temple is under construction. When I was involved in the design of the road upgrading, I tried to avoid that temple. The temple is near to petrol station run by the Koperasi UTM. Many my hindu friends always tells me some hindu temple can not be disturbed because it has superpower. Well I have no comment on this. But I have my own opinion of this statements. The fact that the temple is still illegal.

But let say, if UTM allow the family to stay there illegally on the UTM land, it will eventually will be turn to the that family. Is this a trend? What about other temples, and some temples that is under operation on TOL status land from municipal council. But when muslim build a surau on the government or private land, they have no choice to give up. Recently the Selangor government has rejected muslims to built a surau on the empty land near their area too. The Selangor state does not want too many Surau or private Mosque to be built in the future. So it applies to temple too.
I believe this is not about discrimination or marginalization, it is actually a response due to the demolition of these 2 temples. To be fair to Hindraf, I think the government should give a permit to Hindraf to voice out, and also to other group. But normally even though with permit, the peaceful really would end up with violence due some uncontrolled individual or small group that probably too emosional or under influenced of alcohol and drug.

If Hindraf really wants your voice to be listened by the government, but then why the Hindraf claims that there is ethnic cleansing?

03/12: MARAH (singkatan): Malay Rights Action Hoard


Category: Articles

Posted by: raja petra


NO HOLDS BARRED


Raja Petra Kamarudin


Dear Raja Petra,

The Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) was reported in the media ashaving filed a class-action suit in London against the Britishgovernment for bringing in Indians to Malaysia as indentured labourersand exploiting them for 150 years, and failing to protect their rightsunder the Federal Constitution. It is seeking sterling pound 4 trillion(RM27.2 trillion), or RM1 million per Indian in Malaysia, less legalcosts.

Wow! RM1 million per person! The MIC President was even quoted assaying he himself was tempted to join in the rally on Sunday, 25November 2007, which police has deemed an illegal gathering.

Since the Chinese always look for an opportunity in a crisis (thecharacter has the two-fold meaning), why don’t the Malays now form aMalay Rights Action Hoard (MARAH) and file a class action suit againstthe British government for, inter alia:

1. Forcing their Raja-raja Melayu to listen to the advice of the British residents.

2. Flooding the country with immigrant labour without asking for the royal’s consent.

3. Not giving a chance for the Malays then to develop mercantile skills(monopolized by the Chinese immigrants; this is the seed of ournever-ending debate on whether to continue the NEP or not) or work hardand develop strong labour practices (monopolised by the Indianimmigrants) thus keeping them idle watching the immigrants work whilethey lepak in the istanaand padi fields, hence creating and perpetuating the myth of the lazynatives (read the late Prof Syed Hussein al Attas eponymous treatisedebunking this myth).

4. Taking away their getah and selling them back at inflated value-added prices with English-sounding names like Dunlop (but our maruah was saved by the historic dawn raid on Guthrie when Londoners were caught with their pants down by smart Melayu like Tun Ismail Md Ali and a certain ex-CEO of PNB/Guthrie who is still in the news many decades on, yellow-robed this time).

5. Taking away their timah and selling them back at inflated value-added prices as containers with English-sounding names like:

Milo (pronounced mai low) and Ovaltine (pronounced O valtin: omit the ‘e’). The song/film Tipah Tertipu should be re titled Timah Tertipu.

6. Taking away their mother tongue and replacing it with a strangelanguage that does not make sense to the logical Malay mind; such wordsas ‘buffet’ (bufey, not buffet), ‘chalet’(cheley, not chalet), ‘vogue’(vog, not vogiu), ‘ferro roche’ (fero roshey, not leceh), ‘quay’(pronounced key, not kueh), ‘hors de ouvre’ (ordev, not horse di uver),‘malaise’(malay, not malais, which is derogative-sounding ), ‘UMNO’(arm no, not umno). Many Malays still suffer from this colonialinfection in their mind when they think in English despite being very Melayu.

7. And causing a 21st century quarrel between erstwhile peacefulneighbours when owing to a difference in semantics, Singapore claims Pedra Branca and Malaysia claims Pulau Batu Putih,a rocky outcrop not big enough to build a squash court for Nicol David:all because the British then did not properly record their agreement tojust operate a lighthouse in 1851, leaving it all to the poorTemenggong who could not find his ayam piru to pluck thefeather and make a pen to write the agreement with (Singapore arguesthat PBP was ‘terra nullius’ or no man’s land at the time the Britishbuilt the lighthouse, conveniently ignoring the Johor-Riau empire a fewkilometers away and adopting the same argument used once byconquistadores Cortez in Mexico and Pizarro in Peru when they ignoredthe Inca and Maya civilizations then in their quest for gold).

It is because of the British too, not Malaysians, that we are now stuckwith the dilemma of using English for teaching Maths and Science, andare still quarrelling about it 50 years after Independence when othercountries like India have mastered their colonial master’s language sowell that even American kids are learning tuition online from English-speaking Indians, as noted by T. Friedman in his excellent bookon the benefits of globalisation, ‘The Lexus and the Olive Tree’.

Sterling pound 40 trillion would do justice as it would enable every Malay to stop working, keep their money in Tabung Haji, even stop politicking (no need to make money this way anymore) and go for haji every year (even consider polygamous unions, if they like).

Oh yes, to add another prayer to the statement of claim:

* For setting up that little Etonish institution in the State of Perak that turned once-humble budak kampong into pouting, bragging, swaggering brown sahibs wholook condescendingly at their less-endowed counterparts across thestreet, in Ipoh, and in other hostels across the land..... (they arestill pouting, bragging, swaggering and looking condescendingly,whether in the government or opposition, way past their biologicalprime, but still very much in charge of the affairs of the land leftbehind by their colonial masters, exuding manliness in the wisdom thatthey preach to all and sunder).

Yours truly,

Budak Kolet

The Malaysian Apartheid
By Sharanya Manivannan

In August this year, I was given the opportunity to travel to Indonesia to participate in a literary festival that counted among its highlights a performance at the Borobudur temple. The deepest impression that the most populous Muslim nation in the world left on me was the co-existence of its rich pre-Islamic history with its current faith: the Ramayana is almost as Indonesian as it is Indian, a Muslim writer friend is named Laksmi, and the glorious 11th century Buddhist Borobudur and 9th century Hindu Prambanan temples inspired, alongside awe and reverence, a deep sadness at how temples in neighbouring Malaysia were being treated.

In just over a month from then I would return to India from Malaysia, where I had lived for nearly seventeen years, frustrated and fearful about the rising ethnic tensions and increasingly blatant discriminations practiced there. No proof, no locus standii whatsoever, of having lived there for so long – no permanent residency, no citizenship, nothing but a frequently-renewed tourist visa when my student one expired and the scars of the ensuing repeated interrogations at immigration. It was a painful departure, but I left with a certain instinctual anticipation of disaster to come. I had been following the spate of illegal and unethical demolitions of Hindu temples in Malaysia for a year and a half, and while a media blackout persisted, a sense that the loss of those profoundly symbolic markers of identity was radicalizing several forces in society, both egalitarian and otherwise, was quite evident to me.

Last week, the simmering resentments of a nation under a formal apartheid exploded. The constitution of Malaysia explicitly privileges the Malay Muslim majority’s access to opportunity, and indeed claim to the nation itself, and the inherent racism of this sentiment is one that trickles down through all sectors of society. The superficial image of multicultural harmony that it had somehow managed to convince the world of has begun to fray in no uncertain terms.

By now, the mass protests highlighting the plight of Malaysians of Indian origin are common knowledge. But perspective on the broad issues of race, class and religion in Malaysia remains distorted not only because this is the first time that open acknowledgement of the reality that is Malaysia is happening on a global front, but also because of what seem to be various internal agendas. That Malaysia has reached a catalystic moment is beyond doubt, but what happens now remains to be seen.

At present, the issue is presented in an almost clear-cut Tamil Hindu vs Malay dichotomy. But this is a fundamentally flawed picture: there are three major races in Malaysia (the Chinese included) and many smaller minority groups. Sub-racially, too, Tamil Hindus do not make up the entire population of Indian origin; significant Malayali, Punjabi and other communities exist, with the usual smorgasbord of religious denominations also. The entire bureaucratic system of Malaysia privileges the Malay above all of these groups.

Historically, Malaysians of Indian origin have been at the lowest rungs of the race/class ladder because of how they migrated there in the first place, usually in the servitude of the British empire. Post-colonial Malaysia did not only keep the divide-and-conquer system intact, it augmented it, making race essentially the be-all and end-all of everything. And yes, the Indian minority does have it worst – socially, economically and politically. But under a political system that thrives on division and uses the threat of discord as a means of ensuring silent acquiescence, everybody suffers. To different degrees, admittedly, and a few, maybe not at all. But by and large, living in a society that judges, rewards and punishes on purely race-based motives takes it toll. To live conscious of inequality makes one a participant, willing or not, victim or not.

So for Hindraf, the organization behind the rally of thousands seen on TV screens all over the world last week, to portray the issue as a Tamil Hindu one only not only detracts from the big picture, but further polarizes communities. For them to also sue Britain and demand compensation amounting to a total of USD$14 trillion is regressive. The point of decolonization is to free oneself from the shackles of foreign rule. Pinning the blame on the former colonizer instead of admitting that the problem is internal and has persisted for fifty years after independence because of internal factors is just evading the heart of the problem.

While a mass demonstration of that sort and scale of drama could help change Malaysia for the better, I do not think that the manner of execution and the lack of follow-up will help anything at all, except perhaps the pre-existing status quo and commonly-held stereotypes that Indians are violent, emotionally volatile and deserving of mockery.

The plight of Malaysians under their deliberately divisive government is both real and needs urgent rectification, and it would be a shame for the sudden international awareness and ire raised to go to waste because of a lack of vision. And yes, the plight of Malaysians per se, not just those who are of a certain origin.

So what is in store for Malaysia? When I consider what a good solution might be, I think of dialogue and debate, of the population willing to speak out, of the fear of the government’s draconian laws toward dissent and criticism dissipating. When I try to imagine an ideal situation, an eventuality I might hope for for Malaysia, I am brought back again to temples. Once more, the sheer symbolism of them, of what they represent, comes to mind.

Once more, I think back to the hijab-ed women selling fiberglass replicas of the Prambanan temple in Indonesia. Purely commercial perhaps, I know I ought to assume in this cynical, globalized world, but I don’t really think so. Something about that co-existence, that acceptance, understanding and perhaps even pride – Muslim women in a Muslim country at the foot of a relic to a faith of a different time for that location, making their living literally under its auspices – gives me hope.

http://sharanyamanivannan.blogspot.com/

Very thought provoking article. Thanks for posting.


You have proved yourself wrong here. The Supreme Court itself had said that there is no evidence against the RSS, and ban was lifted subsequently after that.


I know you have picked up all this from wiki.

I agree, RSS do get violent sometimes. But they only do it if provoked or there is any dire need for it. But it is neither a fascist nor a terrorist organization, it is too far removed from any of these things.


If Hindraf is anywhere influenced by RSS then Malaysia would be in trouble. But I haven't noticed any RSS type tendencies in Hindraf yet.

I fully support Indian action.
As a Chinese i would have to say that Chinese historically tend to keep their heads down, endure and concentrate on business and unless there is no other choice. Politics is of interest only as a means to improve one's business opportunities.

Most businesses in Malaysia are run by the Chinese and, to some extent, the Indians. While the Malays are the government bureaucrats with the hold on political and military power.

The former PM Mahathir introduce the Bumiputra reverse-discrimination laws during his regime as a social-engineering attempt to raise the standard of living of the Malays, the results have been completely predictable. A disproportionate number of places in Malaysian universities are reserved for Malays. And the Malays that do go to university tend to major in religious (Islamic) studies rather the business/engineering/science. Result. The Chinese and Indian send their kids to top schools overseas. Businesses over a certain size, ie., successful, must have Malays on the board and in their employee. Result. Two sets of books and rampant tokenism/corruption.
If the Chinese and Indians left, the Malays would be reduced back to subsistence fishing back in their kampongs. A clear example, Penang , The Malaysian government created a law specifically to attract foreign investment from China. As a result, all of that money is flowing into Penang, which is more than 50% Chinese population. The rest of Malaysia's economy seems to be muddling along.

Finally, having to watch the runaway success of Chinese-dominated Singapore which split from Malaysia really upsets the Malays - denial and rationalization is a national industry in itself.

Unsurprisingly, a minister has claimed that Hindraf is seeking support from militant Tamil organizations in India and Sri Lanka as well as local terrorists and gangsters.

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), a Malaysian rights group, has 'links' with India's 'militant organisation' Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Malaysian minister has alleged.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz said 'the groups are Sri Lanka's LTTE and the RSS, a militant organisation in India', The Star newspaper said Saturday.

Nazri said this was from statements of Hindraf leaders 'who went overseas to garner support that they would meet LTTE leaders'.

The supposed links with the LTTE, declared a terrorist group in the US, Britain, India and other countries, could lead to a ban on Hindraf, which spearheaded a massive protest by ethnic Indians last Sunday, a media report said Saturday quoting Attorney General (AG) Abdul Gani Patail.

However, Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar has denied that his organization has established any contact with the LTTE and has termed the government charge 'baseless' and part of a campaign.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Friday asked the country's police chief Musa Hasan to 'keep a watch' on Hindraf, a group claiming to represent Indian immigrants, whose 10,000-strong protest rally on Nov 25 was declared illegal.

Badawi said should their action threaten national security, the Internal Security Act (ISA) could be used. He said he was aware of Hindraf canvassing for support and help from terrorist groups and local gangsters.

The above quote if from the Malaysia Sun of 8 December

To the Indian nationals posting here, this is really a domestic Malaysian issue, neither the people involved or the Malaysian govnt as far as I understand have requsted the intervention of the Indian govnt. They are after all Malaysian citizens.

Having said that, institutionalised discrimination exists not only agaisnt ethnic Indians in Malaysia but all other minority groups in Malaysia in areas of religion, education, social and economic. The Chinese, the other large minority group, have managed to progress despite the disadvantages probably becasue they were well off economically before the discriminatory practices were introduced. Their Indian brothers were as a group perhaps not as fortunate, and with educational and economic discrimination, have not benefited from the wealth that has grown in Malaysia since the NEP was introduced. Now being less well off and seeing essentially no way to improve themselves, and being judged simpply by who their parents are, they are starting to get more desperate and starting to bite back. If the situation gets worse, more dramatic things can be expected to happen. Desperate people do desperate things. The Malaysian govnt introduced the NEP because it saw that the Malays were getting desperate as shown by the riots. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, will they show the same consideration to the Indians? Perhaps the plight of the Indians today is not as desperate as the Malays in the 1960's, or perhaps it is more so. Anecdotally I'd say that of the 3 major ethnic groups in Malaysia, the Indians are by far the poorest. The ethnic groups in Malaysia are getting more restless, if something isn't done in the near future, I feel more violent outburts can be expected.

WRT the demolition of the Indian temples, the government has a valid point if its been built illegally, to tear it down. However, in Malaysia land has to be provided for free in all new housing estates for mosques to be built from funds supplied either directly or indirectly by the govnt. So why doesn't the govnt if it has to tear down an important Hindu temple provide the land and the funds to build another temple close by to that site. After all the provide millions of ringgit every year to build mosques, what about building 1 temple?

The social unrest just demonstrates, that the people are not happy and something needs to be done brfore things get worse.

Good news for Chinese and Indian Malaysians to get a better life for your family in Australia ...

Great news for the malays then.. less political power to the minority.