Asia Times: Indian Malaysians make themselves heard



	August 03, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Indian Malaysians make themselves heard
By Anil Netto

PENANG, Malaysia - Indian Malaysians have long kept a low profile in the country to which their forefathers first came as laborers for British-run tea, rubber and oil palm plantations or as part of the colonial civil service in the 19th century.

Those migrant workers, most of them Tamils from south India, stayed behind after the British left some four decades ago. Today, Indian Malaysians number about 1.8 million, a minority in Malaysia's multi-cultural population, making up 8 percent of its 22 million people.

They are used to being forgotten in official discourse, which focuses mainly on the two largest groups: the politically dominant ethnic Malays, who make up about half the population, and the economically better-off ethnic Chinese, a quarter of the population.

Under Malayia's ''New Economic Policy'' introduced in 1971, the government sought to improve the economic standing of majority Malays through a policy of affirmation action. This led to the emergence of a Malay middle class with political clout, even as other groups found themselves more active in other areas of society.

But the next general elections, which must be held by mid-2000, are expected to be especially heated. This, in turn, has made Indian Malaysians suddenly of interest to politicians.

The poll will be the toughest test of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's government since the political controversy stoked by his sacking of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim last year, and Anwar's trial and conviction for corruption.

While they do not form a majority in any of the country's 192 parliamentary constituencies, ethnic Indians could play a decisive role in constituencies where they make up more than 15 percent of the electorate. Indian Malaysians are thus seizing this rare chance to air their grievances. And there are many.

There is the plight of recently retrenched plantation workers like Kuppusamy Subramaniam, who lost not only his job as a rubber tapper but also his company-issued housing at an estate in Padang Serai, just north of Pedang.

The 37-year-old may be echoing the sentiments of other Indian Malaysians when he discusses the future of plantation workers: ''We don't know where we stand in society. Are we going to fall or are we going to stand?''

For many, the problems of Indian Malaysians - be they poorly paid plantation workers seeking a monthly salary or squatters looking for affordable housing - have been viewed largely as something communities must solve. But activist Jeyakumar Devaraj points out that ''an ethnic approach is not going to solve the problems.''

Others note, though, that it is not as if Indian Malaysians never had any kind of official political representation. Since independence in 1957, they have been represented in government by the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a small component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. Another party that provides some representation for Indian Malaysians is the multi-ethnic but largely Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP).

MIC leader Samy Vellu is looked upon as the political chief of the Indian Malaysian community, but the colorful politician, known for his frequent outbursts, is both loved and loathed by Indian Malaysians.

Many members of the community were upset that he did not put a fight when Parliament passed a bill to dissolve the South Indian Labor Fund on July 13. The fund had been initiated in 1907 by the British to finance the repatriation to India of south Indian laborers and their dependents.

The fund's assets were handed over to the Malaysian government in 1958. Today, the fund has about $605,000 and 6.7 hectares of land. The government now says it will use the land to build a technical college to benefit Indian Malaysian youth.

Earlier in July, some 3,000 ethnic Indians from all over the country packed a community hall in Penang to back a string of demands for justice and fair play for Indian Malaysians.

They sought greater representation and opportunities to take part fully in politics, business, education, affordable housing and religious and culture issues. They also called for a Minorities Protection Act and Commission and an Equal Opportunities Employment Commission. They wanted Tamil language schools to be fully sponsored by the government.

Meanwhile, there is already talk that the government will announce monthly wages for plantation workers in a move to win votes. It remains to be seen whether the Indian Malaysians, who in the past have divided their votes between the MIC and the DAP, will continue to hedge their bets or risk voting in large numbers for opposition parties in the coming election.

Of late, thousands of ethnic Indians have signed up with the new National Justice Party headed by Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar's wife.

(Inter Press Service)

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©1999 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.

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