Bring “HINDRAF - Makkal Sakthi” Synergy to Another Level

The Hindraf phenomena was an eye opener to many Indians in this country as it brought to light many issues critical that the Indians have been facing all this years without much hope for change. The irony is that the so called sole savior and champion of Indian rights in Malaysia MIC took us all for a roller coaster ride for the past 28 years and that is another topic completely!

So what glares at us now is the question of would we still go to the streets and demand the present government for our rights or start thinking differently and to act in a positive way what we could help ourselves in spite of begging from the UNMO led government for a penny?

That gave me some thought what the things that we could possible do to reduce our burden and stop relying on others for help completely. Can we emulate the Malaysian Chinese on how they succeeded and its call leveraging in management terms!

We can start with a “Smile” and greet fellow Indians whenever and wherever we meet and extend a helping hand to them when they need help. Let’s talk about unity rather than disunity and breakaway from this race, caste and religious barrier that has crippled our society for ages. The other thing is that we could gather data on Indians and create a database which could be helpful in our network for the future. We have many successful lawyers, doctors, businessmen, successful people and professionals who are willing to contribute back to the society. Are we seeking their help?

We could stop building temple everyway as we wish without following the law of the land and not building temples following the “agamic” requirement is another dimension completely. Why not we look at the existing temples and ensure that they are visited more frequently rather than only on Tuesday, Friday or for any festival. Why can’t we use the temple for other useful activities which could benefit our community? Why can’t “Makkal Sakthi’ be used again to rejuvenate the temples role and make them more dynamic rather than allowing it to suffer in the hands of few who may have their own hidden agenda rather than being socially responsible. I am not calling that all temple committees are at wrong but challenging them to re-evaluate their position and role to be more effective and dynamic. Let’s think of the possibilities that we can offer to our community!

Birth certificate is another issue that has been the talk of the Indian community since independence and I am sure what was done so far? We are reading or hearing daily about the flight of many Indians about not having birth certificates as it is still a major problem for many Indians who were born in Malaysia. Why aren’t we working closely on this matter to help fellow Indian so they will have their birth certificate and move on with their lives? Once an Indian looses his/her birthday certificate it is so difficult or merely impossible to get a new or copy from the registration department and I can vouch for that as I am one of them having trouble getting a copy of birth certificate for my mother after she lost hers. Shocking yet true, worst still they replied that they have no record of my mum ever been born in Malaysia! Ironic isn’t it! How about identity card for those who were born in his country yet we hear some foreigners could easily get IC. What can we possibly do help these unfortunate people?

Tamil schools have been our eye sore as far I can remember yet I am not sure much was done except for lip services by many parties. We have been a passive on lookers all this while hoping that MIC will champion this cause and I am equally to be blamed for not lifting my finger to help. We have Tamil schools in cow sheds, horse barns, cargo containers and even in a double story shoplot and the society have not stopped being on lookers! Let’s ask ourselves what can we do to improve the state of Tamil school as it have been long overdue and why can’t we pull our resources and make Tamil Schools equal or better than other vernacular schools. We can do more by firstly starting to speak in Tamil language rather than the colonial language that we adopted as our own. I guess we have not cast away from the colonial mindset! Tamil school teachers could start the ball rolling by enrolling their children in Tamil school rather than national type schools. Please do not be like our Education Minister who propagates that the local universities are of high quality yet he sends his own daughter oversea for studies. How can you earn a living in Tamil school and yet send your children to national type school. If this is not hypocrisy than what is?

We can help fellow Indians in employment and I am seeing that beginning to happen at least with the chain of emails that has been circulating informing other Indians of the opportunities available. I guess we could do more to help to secure jobs or to create jobs wherever possible. My humble request to those who have got a job through the assistance of a fellow Indian, please perform rather than sitting on your laurel and hoping to be paid without lifting your finger. I had experience while serving as a HR manager in a multi-national company where Indians would call me seeking job placement and once they secure the job their true colours will prevail. They would not perform to the expectation, taking leave without informing the supervisors, bad mouthing their managers and many more issues that I would regret with my decision. I am still seeing these among some Indians even to date! They should understand that we can only help them in securing a job but they need to prove themselves worthy for hire. We Indians should change our mindset to help ourselves first before asking help from others.

We are indeed a strong force to be reckon with now after the Hindraf factor and the political tsunami and the question is what are we going to do next? Are we waiting for another Hindraf kind of a movement to mobilize the Indians again for another tsunami of change? Food for thought!

Great thoughts not to just ponder upon, it should be practiced by every Indian in Malaysia. However, we must not give up on our demands since it is our constitutional rights to be adept as a citizen of Malaysia and whenever necessary, the street protest should take place to show the government that we can’t tolerate racial based politic anymore until they amend all policies related to this issue . Enough is enough!!! Equal rights and care should be given to all races in Malaysia. Again, talking of citizenship….what is that all about? I’m still wondering the definition of citizenship…you know why? My father’s parents are from India and he can trace his roots back to India. I mean, my family still does keep in touch with cousins in India. On the other hand, as for my mother’s side, she cannot trace back her roots to India. Moreover, according to my mother, even her great grandparents were born in Malaysia…that means, all she knows is Malaysia and she is truly a Malaysian who was brought up in Malaysian Culture…but why is she not classified as Bumiputra? It is still tolerable if bumiputra status is not given to those who still have active contacts in India or China or wheresoever. Subsequently for those Indians and Chinese who can’t even trace back their roots, are they not the product of this country? Why are we not bumiputras? What is the significance of citizenship if we are treated as a second-class citizen in this country? Why are we still being addressed as “pendatang”? Is it not relevant to going for streets for this matter alone if the government is being deaf and dumb? – Additional food for thought – ds. gophekar raaj