The long-simmering discontent in the Indian community in Malaysia has erupted at last.
Earlier on Sunday, Malaysia’s Indian community had staged its biggest-ever anti-government protest and more than 10,000 protesters defied tear gas and water cannons to fight against racial discrimination in the country. The protesters brought Kuala Lumpur to standstill for almost six hours in the name of Queen Elizabeth II. They staged protest near Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Petronas Twin Towers and later clashed with police, which used their batons to beat protesters.
In the protestors’ own words, racial discrimination has translated into the Indian community remaining
"…backward, our schools are dilapidated. We are the last in the line for jobs, scholarships, health benefits," says opposition lawmaker Kulasegaran Murugesan, an ethnic Tamil.
Interestingly, the protest was not against the Malaysian government. Hindraf filed a class action suit against the British government claiming a gigantic $4 Trillion in damages. Hindraf traces the root of the sad plight of today’s Malaysian Hindus to the British colonial period. It is enough to discern the symbolism of Hindaf’s lawsuit without judging it as we shall briefly see. At the height of its colonial hegemony, the British shipped truckloads of (mostly Tamilian) indentured labourers to work in Malaysia’s abundant rubber plantations. Equally, as in almost all of its ex-colonies, the British created a mess when they left Malaysia in 1957.
In some kind of a cruel conspiracy of fate, Malaysian Indians continue to present a heart-rending sight. Slightly better than slaves, they had little choice under the British. Now, their own government actively discriminates against them. A key reason is the increase in Islamism. More than fifteen years ago, V.S. Naipaul called out this Islamic threat in his Among the Believers. Visible signs of this real threat have manifested in recent temple destructions, among other things. This is also an eerie pointer to how a completely Islamized Malaysia will look like in future. Another Afghanistan? Saudi Arabia, perhaps?
The Malaysian government’s response was as ruthless as it was predictable.
Police today used tear gas and water cannons to crush a banned rally by more than 10,000 ethnic minority Indians - a rare street clash that exposed Muslim Malaysia’s deep racial divisions….Witnesses saw people being beaten and dragged into trucks by the police. Shoes and broken flower pots littered the scene after protesters scattered to hide in hotels and shops.
Besides, the protest was not a direct attack against the government’s official policy of minority-discrimination. Hindraf’s lawsuit presents both an important symbol, and a lesson to all former colonies. Beyond its demand for monetary damages, it shows how colonialism still persists in the minds of the formerly-colonized. British colonialism is especially unique in the comprehensive civilizational damage it inflicted. Contrast that with the Jews who received not just repatriation, but ensured that the Holocaust remains etched in mankind’s memory forever. British colonization can surpass the Holocaust figure by several folds because it sustained its systemmatic, multi-cleaved attack over a prolonged period. This news report on the lawsuit shows us another disgusting facet of colonialism: condescension or, to put it politically-incorrectly: let’s-humour-the-natives. It classifies the report under Odd News.
For a thankful change, some in the Indian government seem to be displaying sense. Every Indian Votebank has its motive. Karunanidhi is concerned about the plight and/or safety of Tamils in Malaysia. As is a certain Vaiko, only he phrases it a little differently, he calls them Indians. A former election commissioner who is now a Rajya Sabha member also pitches in his bit.
Now, if this only translates into diplomatic sternness towards Malaysia…
Tags: Commentary, History, Indian Politics, International Politics, Islam Watch, Media Watch, Society & Culture, Weblogs
On 11.28.07 Biased reports by psecs on indentured hindus in Malaysia « Hindu traditions says:
[...] Are Indians Still Indentured in Malaysia? [...]
On 11.28.07 Biased reports on indentured Hindus in Malaysia « Hindu human rights says:
[...] Are Indians Still Indentured in Malaysia? [...]
On 11.29.07 nanthakumar23 says:
http://www.youtube.com/nanthakumar23
On 11.30.07 human book says:
List of racial discriminations in Malaysia, practiced by government as well as government agencies. This list is an open secret. Best verified by government itself because it got the statistics.
This list is not in the order of importance, that means the first one on the list is not the most important and the last one on the list does not mean least important.
This list is a common knowledge to a lot of Malaysians, especially those non-malays (Chinese, Ibans, Kadazans, Orang Asli, Tamils, etc) who were being racially discriminated.
Figures in this list are estimates only and please take it as a guide only. Government of Malaysia has the most correct figures. Is government of Malaysia too ashamed to publish their racist acts by publishing racial statistics?
This list cover a period of about 50 years since independence (1957).
List of racial discriminations (Malaysia):
(1) Out of all the 5 major banks, only one bank is multi-racial, the rest are controlled by malays
(2) 99% of Petronas directors are malays
(3) 3% of Petronas employees are Chinese
(4) 99% of 2000 Petronas gasoline stations are owned by malays
(5) 100% all contractors working under Petronas projects must be bumis status
(6) 0% of non-malay staffs is legally required in malay companies. But there must be 30% malay staffs in Chinese companies
(7) 5% of all new intake for government army, nurses, polices, is non-malays
(8) 2% is the present Chinese staff in Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), drop from 40% in 1960
(9) 2% is the percentage of non-malay government servants in Putrajaya. But malays make up 98%
(10) 7% is the percentage of Chinese government servants in the whole government (in 2004), drop from 30% in 1960
(11) 95% of government contracts are given to malays
(12) 100% all business licensees are controlled by malay government e.g. Approved Permits, Taxi Permits, etc
(13) 80% of the Chinese rice millers in Kedah had to be sold to malay controlled Bernas in 1980s. Otherwise, life is make difficult for Chinese rice millers
(14) 100 big companies set up, managed and owned by Chinese Malaysians were taken over by government, and later managed by malays since 1970s e.g. MISC, UMBC, UTC, etc
(15) At least 10 Chinese owned bus companies (throughout Malaysia, throughout 40 years) had to be sold to MARA or other malay transport companies due to rejection by malay authority to Chinese application for bus routes and rejection for their application for new buses
(16) 2 Chinese taxi drivers were barred from driving in Johor Larkin bus station. There are about 30 taxi drivers and 3 are Chinese in October 2004. Spoiling taxi club properties was the reason given
(17) 0 non-malays are allowed to get shop lots in the new Muar bus station (November 2004)
(18) 8000 billion ringgit is the total amount the government channeled to malay pockets through ASB, ASN, MARA, privatisation of government agencies, Tabung Haji etc, through NEP over 34 years period
(19) 48 Chinese primary schools closed down since 1968 - 2000
(20) 144 Indian primary schools closed down since 1968 - 2000
(21) 2637 malay primary schools built since 1968 - 2000
(22) 2.5% is government budget for Chinese primary schools. Indian schools got only 1%, malay schools got 96.5%
(23) While a Chinese parent with RM1000 salary (monthly) cannot get school-text-book-loan, a malay parent with RM2000 salary is eligible
(24) 10 all public universities vice chancellors are malays
(25) 5% - the government universities lecturers of non-malay origins had been reduced from about 70% in 1965 to only 5% in 2004
(26) Only 5% is given to non-malays for government scholarships over 40 years
(27) 0 Chinese or Indians were sent to Japan and Korea under “Look East Policy”
(28) 128 STPM Chinese top students could not get into the course that they aspired e.g. Medicine (in 2004)
(29) 10% place for non-bumi students for MARA science schools beginning from year 2003, but only 7% are filled. Before that it was 100% malays
(30) 50 cases whereby Chinese and Indian Malaysians, are beaten up in the National Service program in 2003
(31) 25% is Malaysian Chinese population in 2004, drop from 45% in 1957
(32) 7% is the present Malaysian Indians population (2004), a drop from 12% in 1957
(33) 2 million Chinese Malaysians had emigrated to overseas since 40 years ago
(34) 0.5 million Indian Malaysians had emigrated to overseas
(35) 3 million Indonesians had migrated into Malaysia and became Malaysian citizens with bumis status
(36) 600000 are the Chinese and Indian Malaysians with red IC and were rejected repeatedly when applying for citizenship for 40 years. Perhaps 60% of them had already passed away due to old age. This shows racism of how easily Indonesians got their citizenship compare with the Chinese and Indians
(37) 5% - 15% discount for a malay to buy a house, regardless whether the malay is poor or rich
(38) 2% is what Chinese new villages get compare with 98% of what malay villages got for rural development budget
(39) 50 road names (at least) had been changed from Chinese names to other names
(40) 1 Dewan Gan Boon Leong (in Malacca) was altered to other name (e.g. Dewan Serbaguna or sort) when it was being officially used for a few days. Government try to shun Chinese names. This racism happened in around year 2000 or sort
(41) 0 churches/temples were built for each housing estate. But every housing estate got at least one mosque/surau built
(42) 3000 mosques/surau were built in all housing estates throughout Malaysia since 1970. No churches, no temples are required to be built in housing estates
(43) 1 Catholic church in Shah Alam took 20 years to apply to be constructed. But told by malay authority that it must look like a factory and not look like a church. Still not yet approved in 2004
(44) 1 publishing of Bible in Iban language banned (in 2002)
(45) 0 of the government TV stations (RTM1, RTM2, TV3) are directors of non-malay origins
(46) 30 government produced TV dramas and films always showed that the bad guys had Chinese face, and the good guys had malay face. You can check it out since 1970s. Recent years, this tendency becomes less
(47) 10 times, at least, malays (especially Umno) had threatened to massacre the Chinese Malaysians using May 13 since 1969
(48) 20 constituencies won by DAP would not get funds from the government to develop. Or these Chinese majority constituencies would be the last to be developed
(49) 100 constituencies (parliaments and states) had been racistly re-delineated so Chinese voters were diluted that Chinese candidates, particularly DAP candidates lost in election since 1970s
(50) Only 3 out of 12 human rights items are ratified by Malaysia government since 1960
(51) 0 - elimination of all forms of racial discrimination (UN Human Rights) is not ratified by Malaysia government since 1960s
(52) 20 reported cases whereby malay ambulance attendances treated Chinese patients inhumanely, and malay government hospital staffs purposely delay attending to Chinese patients in 2003. Unreported cases may be 200
(53) 50 cases each year whereby Chinese, especially Chinese youths being beaten up by malay youths in public places. We may check at police reports provided the police took the report, otherwise there will be no record
(54) 20 cases every year whereby Chinese drivers who accidentally knocked down malays were seriously assaulted or killed by malays
(55) 12% is what ASB/ASN got per annum while banks fixed deposit is only about 3.5% per annum
There are hundreds more racial discriminations in Malaysia to add to this list of “colossal” racism. It is hope that the victims of racism will write in to expose racism.
Malaysia government should publish statistics showing how much malays had benefited from the “special rights” of malays and at the same time tell the statistics of how much other minority races are being discriminated.
Hence, the responsibility lies in the Malaysia government itself to publish unadulterated statistics of racial discrimination.
If the Malaysia government hides the statistics above, then there must be some evil doings, immoral doings, shameful doings and sinful doings, like the Nazi, going on onto the non-malays of Malaysia.
Civilized nation, unlike evil Nazi, must publish statistics to show its treatment on its minority races. This is what Malaysia must publish.
We are asking for the publication of the statistics showing how “implementation of special rights of malays” had inflicted colossal racial discrimination onto non-malays.
On 11.30.07 The Acorn » Malaysian Indians are Malaysians says:
[...] So the Malaysian government is using strong-arm tactics to suppress protests against racial discrimination by the country’s ethnic Indian minority. The good citizens of India would be appalled not only to see non-violent protestors (carrying placards with images of Mahatma Gandhi) being teargassed and water-cannoned but to hear the country’s highest leaders threatening to arrest the movement’s leaders under internal security laws. The manner in which the Malaysian government is handling the protests grates against democratic political norms that we are used to. Since the protests involves people of Indian origin, Tamil ethnicity and Hindu faith, should India intervene or intercede on their behalf? [...]