Deputy Women, Family and Community Affairs Minister G Palanivel's call to the Censorship Board to cut out suicide scenes in Indian films is timely as he was concerned over 'reel scenes' turning into real-life tragedies. He was right that these scenes are of no benefit to the audience and might influence those facing serious problems to mimic such actions.

But believing that censoring these scenes alone will prevent suicides among the Indian community is being too nave and simplistic. I think the Seremban train tragedy is an eye-opener for the new deputy MIC chief on the serious problems facing the Indian community.

The Indians have been progressively marginalised from national development. Their over- dependence on government handouts and subsidies have left them lagging behind in all fields. They are left behind in education and vocational training. As a result, job opportunities are limited and unemployment is becoming a serious problem. Poverty is an inevitable accompaniment of unemployment.

Unemployment, especially among the youth, contributes to the increasing crime rate among them. Our wrong attitude to life is further reflected in the high incidence of diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart attacks which, to me, are mere signs of laziness and complacency. When we have become too lazy to even take care of our own health, how can we progress as a community in this fast-moving materialistic global world?

Promoting our cultural and religious values are praiseworthy but overemphasis on this has resulted in the community losing out on mastering English and thereby the acquisition of valuable knowledge in science, technology, accounting and business management. We have witnessed how the earlier generation of Indians, with a good command of the language, managed to excel in the various fields, both in government and private sectors.

More time and energy should be put into the pursuit of knowledge in modern scientific, technological, accounting and management skills as only these will ultimately bring progress in uplifting our socio-economic status.

The new leadership of MIC has a lot of work to do to prevent more suicides in the Indian community. The socio-economic status of the community must be improved. This can only be done by effecting a change of the mindset, instilling discipline, encouraging hard work and promoting self-esteem among the members of the community.

Only if we are willing to change our mindset, can we rise up to face the new realities and challenges of life.