A few days ago, Malaysia was nothing more than a tourist destination, for most of us. A place where one can find tranquility and peace. ‘Malaysia truly Asia’. Everything has changed in a span of the last few days however. Malaysians of Indian origin are protesting against the government. Malaysia is being accused of ethnic cleansing. It seems all hell broke lose on Malaysia recently.
Lets try and gauge the reason for all this. Indians have contributed to Malaysian population, for the past 150 years. “They are the third largest population in the country. They make- up for 11% of the total population, of which 8% are Tamils”, says P Uthayakumar one of the main leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). "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. P Uthayakumar. Who alongwith Waytha Moorthy and Rao is one of the three main leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
The political and economic importance of some of the ethnic and religious groups from India far exceeded their numerical strength, in Malaysia. Two important business communities were the Chettiars, a money lending caste from Madras, and the South Indian Muslims (Moplahs and Marakkayars) who were mainly wholesalers. The third groups were the Ceylonese Tamils who were employed principally in the lower levels of the Civil Service and in the professions.
Because of this the economic and social status of the local Malay’s was reduced. They were marginalized in their own country. People belonging to other counties took the top positions, as well as the low- profile ones. Namely these people belonged from India and China. Although the Malay’s, also known as Bumiputra, have always been the largest racial segment of the Malaysian population (about 65%), their economic position has always tended to be precarious.
As late as 1970, 13 years after the drafting of the constitution, they controlled only 4% of the economy, with much of the rest being held by Chinese and foreign interests. Because of which Article 153 was drafted, to address this economic imbalance. To make sure that the locals reaped the benefits of the economic boom, more than anyone else. Its common knowledge that Bumiputra were given preference over people belonging from any other caste or relegion. In the 1970s, substantial economic reforms were enacted to address the economic imbalance. In the 1980s and 1990s, more affirmative action were also implemented to create a Malay class of entrepreneurs.
Seemed fair enough at that time. After all , we will all think about our family members first than we will about the guests. And Indians were guests in the country, who were not even invited to the house. Britishers, who were unwelcome visitors themselves, brought them in.
A majority of the Malays during that time believed that the Chinese and the Indians came to Malaya for economic purposes only,under work permits during the British rule. And they were promised that the immigrants were to return to their countries once their work permits expired.Many Chinese and Indians also felt unfairly treated since some of them had been there for generations, since the mid 1800s. And they were still treated as second-class citizens.
Things got out of hand when these feelings against ndians turned into fanaticm. Lack of opportunities, destruction of Hindu temples, right to education in their mother tongue and lack of avenues for advancement. Indians began to feel they were being colonized once again.
That is when the Hindu Rights Action Force or Hindraf, a Hindu grassroots movement that has won wide support from ethnic Indians in Malaysia, filed an unusual lawsuit. This lawsuit blames the British government for the plight that the Indians are in Malaysia. They took out a rally on 25th November, in which around 10,000 people from the community took part. They wanted to march to the British High Commission and hand over a memorandum complaining of marginalisation of Indians from the time their ancestors were bought to the then Malaya as indentured laborers.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to break up the demonstration, declared as "illegal" by the government.This incident carried on by the Indians, brought in sharp focus the class inequality in Malaysia more than anything. It showed us the problems that the underprivileged are facing in the country.
The only possible solution to this issue is to address to the problems of the poor in the country. And when I say poor, I mean deprived citizens, not categorized as Indians or Chinese. Economic development for all the communities. It is not that only Indians are poor in Malaysia. They are in great number, yes. But the fact remains that the richest man in Malaysia is an Indian as well. This shows that there is a class disparity more than a religious one.
The government of Malaysia must now make sure that this episode does not get marked as violence against a particular minority community. But as a problem that they have to solve for the poor of their country, who cut across all the religious borders.
Lets try and gauge the reason for all this. Indians have contributed to Malaysian population, for the past 150 years. “They are the third largest population in the country. They make- up for 11% of the total population, of which 8% are Tamils”, says P Uthayakumar one of the main leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). "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. P Uthayakumar. Who alongwith Waytha Moorthy and Rao is one of the three main leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
The political and economic importance of some of the ethnic and religious groups from India far exceeded their numerical strength, in Malaysia. Two important business communities were the Chettiars, a money lending caste from Madras, and the South Indian Muslims (Moplahs and Marakkayars) who were mainly wholesalers. The third groups were the Ceylonese Tamils who were employed principally in the lower levels of the Civil Service and in the professions.
Because of this the economic and social status of the local Malay’s was reduced. They were marginalized in their own country. People belonging to other counties took the top positions, as well as the low- profile ones. Namely these people belonged from India and China. Although the Malay’s, also known as Bumiputra, have always been the largest racial segment of the Malaysian population (about 65%), their economic position has always tended to be precarious.
As late as 1970, 13 years after the drafting of the constitution, they controlled only 4% of the economy, with much of the rest being held by Chinese and foreign interests. Because of which Article 153 was drafted, to address this economic imbalance. To make sure that the locals reaped the benefits of the economic boom, more than anyone else. Its common knowledge that Bumiputra were given preference over people belonging from any other caste or relegion. In the 1970s, substantial economic reforms were enacted to address the economic imbalance. In the 1980s and 1990s, more affirmative action were also implemented to create a Malay class of entrepreneurs.
Seemed fair enough at that time. After all , we will all think about our family members first than we will about the guests. And Indians were guests in the country, who were not even invited to the house. Britishers, who were unwelcome visitors themselves, brought them in.
A majority of the Malays during that time believed that the Chinese and the Indians came to Malaya for economic purposes only,under work permits during the British rule. And they were promised that the immigrants were to return to their countries once their work permits expired.Many Chinese and Indians also felt unfairly treated since some of them had been there for generations, since the mid 1800s. And they were still treated as second-class citizens.
Things got out of hand when these feelings against ndians turned into fanaticm. Lack of opportunities, destruction of Hindu temples, right to education in their mother tongue and lack of avenues for advancement. Indians began to feel they were being colonized once again.
That is when the Hindu Rights Action Force or Hindraf, a Hindu grassroots movement that has won wide support from ethnic Indians in Malaysia, filed an unusual lawsuit. This lawsuit blames the British government for the plight that the Indians are in Malaysia. They took out a rally on 25th November, in which around 10,000 people from the community took part. They wanted to march to the British High Commission and hand over a memorandum complaining of marginalisation of Indians from the time their ancestors were bought to the then Malaya as indentured laborers.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to break up the demonstration, declared as "illegal" by the government.This incident carried on by the Indians, brought in sharp focus the class inequality in Malaysia more than anything. It showed us the problems that the underprivileged are facing in the country.
The only possible solution to this issue is to address to the problems of the poor in the country. And when I say poor, I mean deprived citizens, not categorized as Indians or Chinese. Economic development for all the communities. It is not that only Indians are poor in Malaysia. They are in great number, yes. But the fact remains that the richest man in Malaysia is an Indian as well. This shows that there is a class disparity more than a religious one.
The government of Malaysia must now make sure that this episode does not get marked as violence against a particular minority community. But as a problem that they have to solve for the poor of their country, who cut across all the religious borders.
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