Disheartened
I’m twenty four this year, and if you must put me in a box (I hate boxes), I am an ethnic Indian of Malayalee and Telegu descent and Roman Catholic by way of religion. I have been asked by my many of my Malaysian friends, some Indian and some non-Indian to comment on how I feel as a Malaysian Indian on the HINDRAF rally. I’m really reluctant to do so, but I’ve been feeling extremely depressed the last couple of days, and I think typing some of these thoughts might help.
I did not attend the rally because I am for a wider cause, which is justice for all Malaysians regardless of race or religion. I, however, will not deny the cause that HINDRAF is behind, which is the championing the plight of the Malaysian Indians - one that is justified. And I fully support HINDRAF’s right, and the right of Malaysians in general - to freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and expression as stated in the Constitution.
But, it is my belief that is was narrowed down by making it a Tamil-Hindu issue, that it excluded, even alienated people like me, and many other Malaysians of various ethnic backgrounds and religions from supporting the walk. I do not know if this was HINDRAF’s intention, to drive a wall between us and to continue perpetuating this ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ they fight against, by being no different from the very people they are trying to rally against.
I have seen statistics to show that Indians have the highest rate of suicide, highest rate of alcoholism, highest rate of domestic abuse, highest rate of illiteracy, highest race of infant mortality, highest rate of high school drop outs, some of these statistics show these cases go all across the board - with regards to the Malaysian population. For such a small percentage of the population to have such high statistics in these areas is indeed worrying and damaging to our society as a whole.
That said, we need to approach this as a Malaysian problem and not solely an Indian one. It’s clear that that approach did nothing for the MIC and they did nothing for these marginalized Indians. So why must we continue using the same formula? I think it’s time for a new approach. HINDRAF rallied the people to come out and to walk with last Sunday only on the banner of being Tamil and Hindu. I worry and care about these people too, why must this barrier of race and religion be used to separate us? And every other Malaysian who is concerned for their Malaysian brothers and sisters? I was beginning to hope that after BERSIH, we would be united again. It seems we have regressed once more.
To me what HINDRAF did that day, was not very different from what some of our MPs espouse publicly, the practice of divisive race and religion politics. You rallied these people, poor, disenfranchised to come out that Sunday to walk with you to hand in a memorandum that was nothing but a PR stunt. The High Commission was closed on a Sunday. There wasn’t prior notice to get people to come out and receive the memorandum, there was no preparation. The crowds were unsure of what to do, as many independent walkers wrote on their blogs. These people were tear gassed, they were shot at with water cannons, they were arrested, some beaten.
Why? Your claims for the incredulous amount of USD 1 million for every Indian, has made the cause a laughing stock among so many. Yes, I understand that the money was never the issue, then why make it an issue with these gigantic amounts? Why couldn’t you have sat down and planned these things out with the rest of us, civil society, NGO groups that would support you, not the 25 Indian based ones, and obviously NOT MIC? It has garnered a global audience this protest, but, in terms of action within this country, you have driven a large stake into our efforts into moving towards a Malaysia for Malaysians, with no divisive racial lines.
There are so many who would have been behind HINDRAF and every other disenfranchised and marginalized Malaysian. The memorandum you sent prior to the walk to Gordon Brown, reeks of racist, inflammatory statements. Many of us Indian, Chinese, Malay, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and so forth, have come out and condemned the destruction of the temples, have walked alongside you, myself included and lit candles, held vigils, supported and looked for justice in and outside courts. Your agenda looks simply like fighting racism, and racist policies by doing the same right back. Fight racism with more racism? Tit for tat?
The reason why the BERSIH rally was not given as much coverage as the HINDRAF rally, is simple. It was well-organised, it was well-represented with members of civil society from all walks of life, and there were very minimal instances in which they could manipulate the story, and even then, they manipulated it. I’ve seen what they did to the Indians out on Sunday, the beatings, the volley after volley of tears gas, and what broke my heart the most was the gassing at the temple. A place of refuge to be respected BY ALL.
Instead, because of the racial and religious card HINDRAF played, and in my opinion, the usage of such typical (and obviously flawed) methodology that BN uses, it has made your cause, which is so extremely relevant look dysfunctional. It is important to be mindful that this government, the ruling majority will use this to play up racial sentiments, and they have done so with their news reports. And you have let the cause fall prey to this. That’s just sad.
I will however, say the walk was needed, and that I supported it - for Malaysians to regain what little dignity they had left and also to let the government and the world know, that we will not stand for this sort of political, social alienation anymore. I am proud of them for doing so, but I am disappointed that HINDRAF has used this peaceful gathering to further your own agenda, which reeks of the threat of violence and aggression. The people in the streets who sat down peacefully and faced the water cannons and tear gas, for what? This?
We fear that this peace loving Indian community of Tamil origin having been pushed to the corner and the persecution getting worse by the day may be forced to into terrorism in a matter of time as what has happened to the Sri Lankan Tamils. (click to read full memorandum, from HINDRAF to Gordon Brown).
As a Malaysian, I will not stand for the suggestion that we are being “forced into terrorism like the Sri Lankan Tamils.” Why mobilize people through ethnicity? It only has caused to deepen this rift and create an “Us” and “Them” situation. As a Malaysian, I ask you to reconsider and unite under a larger banner, and include us in this fight for justice. Malays, Chinese and Indians, Malaysians.
If you do that, I am certainly with you. Until then, the rest of us, young and old Malaysians, from all walks of life will keep helping the marginalized in this country, but we will do it blind. Colour blind, under one banner. For now though, I more interested in repairing this situation, and doing something about what has happened. Obviously, we have numbers and critical mass. How can we mobilize civil society for further movements of change and action? For the upholding of a democracy, and most importantly, how do we break free from these shackles of race and religion? Will the lines ever get blurred? Will we finally tell THEM, enough, and have them LISTEN?
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The aim of life is no more to control the mind, but to develop it harmoniously; not to achieve salvation here after, but to make the best use of it here below; and not to realize truth, beauty and good only in contemplation, but also in the actual experience of daily life; social progress depends not upon the ennoblement of the few but on the enrichment of democracy; universal brotherhood can be achieved only when there is an equality of opportunity - of opportunity in the social, political and individual life.— Bhagat Singh, Indian Freedom Fighter.
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