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Indian Malaysians have deserted MIC since 2008

The ongoing MIC power struggle has descended into fist fighting and slandering each other in the open. Their bigger brother Umno has to rescue them and patch them up. Muhiyddin Yassin announced that he and Umno president Najib Abdul Razak will meet MIC leaders soon to settle the issue.

The issue is that the Registrar of Societies (ROS) found the party elections for its central working committee members in 2013 were problematic and that fresh polls should be held. To settle this issue MIC leaders ended up fist fighting and drag their differences to the open, giving a poor impression that Indians are disorganised and aggressive.   

If MIC leaders cannot sit down and resolve the issue, how can they serve the community? The three-decade leadership of S Samy Vellu has made MIC into a docile and irrelevant party that serves only Umno’s interest. They are resurrected by Umno to win Indian Malaysian votes during general elections. In other times they are ignored and left alone to fight for post, titles and handouts.

In 1970 when the government introduced the New Economic Policy (NEP) to enable Malays to increase their economic stakes, both the Malay and Indian community had about 1 percent economic ownership. Now after 45 years the Malay economic ownership has increased to about 26 percent and the government owns many entities for the Malay community.

Government-linked companies (GLCs) comprise about 36 percent of the Malaysian stock exchange’s capitalisation and 54 percent of the entities that make up the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index. The Indian community economic ownership remains the same miserable 1 percent. MIC was part of the very government that marginalised the Indian community from the mainstream economic development.

As a result of this neglect, Indian Malaysian youths allegedly form 70 percent of gangsters and 53 percent of prison inmates. Foreigner workers are replacing Indian Malaysians in hair dressing, gardening, cooking, car wash and even car park jobs and businesses. The MIC culture of fist fights, factionalism, gangsterism have infiltrated the inner core of the community.

A section of the Indian Malaysian poor are unemployable, indisciplined and cannot be helped. Unless there is self-help and more awareness and hard work there is no hope for the Indian Malaysian poor. The Umno government is becoming more racial and religious extremist by the day. MIC is obsolete and irrelevant. Even Umno leaders are approaching the community directly on their own and not through MIC.

The current system of using unofficial channels that are BN-friendly to deliver aids and assistance to Indian needy does not change the situation on the ground. Yayasan Amanah Ihktiar does very little to help Indian women petty traders. Since seed money comes from commercial banks loans, might as well go direct to them.

The MIC is simply oblivious to the Indian Malaysian community’s problems but is busy fighting for power and posts for its leaders.     

Indian Malaysians generally have boycotted MIC after the 2007 Hindraf rally. The purpose and function of all BN Indian Malaysian parties is to distribute handouts and buy the votes of the Indian Malaysian poor. Umno need not bother about Indian Malaysians because they have paid for the votes. MIC is irrelevant and their fate depends on Umno.  


S RAMAKRISHNAN is a former senator.

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