Clearly Indian Malaysian issues - particularly those related to the community's economic backwardness, its unjust association with crime and its lack of political parity - will continue to haunt us well into the new year. While these issues are important and need to be resolved through just governmental intervention, it is also important to remember that Indian Malaysians are highly educated and continue to contribute to our society as teachers, doctors, lawyers and other professionals.

This is not just a Tamil problem. Tamils have a rich and vibrant culture going back more than a millennia. In the past, many have contributed to the expansion of rubber estates and infrastructure. Some have become very wealthy but chose to indulge in philanthropy. In short, the current issues surrounding Indian Malaysians is not deterministic. It has nothing to do with ethnicity but everything to do with ethnic nationalism.

During Abdul Razak’s time, Malaysia adopted an interventionist policy. The New Economic Policy, despite its drawbacks, aimed to re-rail Malaysian society based on a set of principles to create equality and racial harmony. Its developmental schemes were holistic. There was no mass eviction of rubber tappers from plantations. Change was gradual.

But throughout the time of Malaysia Incorporated, we exchanged gradualism for the Twin

Towers. Expediency became the key word. Even the national anthem took on a faster beat. We lost sight of many vulnerable groups in the glitter of quicksilver progress. When the evicted plantation workers migrated to the cities, they found no safety net nor structural facility to help them change their lives. They became squatters instead.

In addition, Umno resurrected a very old East India Company protocol - rule by community leaders. Captain Francis Light, not understanding the languages of various settlers, left the management of each community to its headmen. Hence we have Jalan Kapitan Keling. The British eventually did away with the headmen system but it has returned in a new form within the BN. The MIC and MCA leaders being our new ‘kapitans’!

The British believed in the rule of law however unjust they may have been whereas now we believe in the rule of might, which is always unjust. Today, might comes from ethnic nationalism. It is not bound by any institution that could have curbed its appetite and has resulted in the marginalisation of many Malaysians. Under the ‘kapitan’ system, it just happens to be that MIC is the weakest in terms of delivery. It delivers great wealth to a select few (or rather one person) but not to those who jeered at their leader in Penang recently.

This problem will be with us throughout next year and I dare say in years to come. Gerakan's Youth vice-chief has stuck his neck out to redeem the party. Perhaps the first step toward addressing the situation would be for Umno to save one person from political oblivion. At least Malaysians will have one reasonable, and more importantly, a non-communal voice when raising problems.