Even with 14 political parties that claim to be multi-racial in outlook within the ruling Barisan Nasional, there have been no 'remarkable programmes' to uplift the status of Indian Malaysians, says a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer.

Prof P Ramasamy of the university's Political Science department further describes the representation of Indian Malaysians in parliament as having been "merely symbolic" since independence.

"Up till today, there is no constituency with an Indian majority (of voters). Only representation for the MIC seems to be increasing," he quipped.

"But MIC depends on Umno, which calls the shots the government has become so powerful that it has its tentacles everywhere."

Ramasamy said this during a talk on an 'Overview of Indians in Malaysia: Economics, Social and Politics' during a recent annual experts consultation on the empowerment of Indian women in Malaysia, organised in Kuala Lumpur by ERA Consumers.

He also said the priority accorded to the Malays under the New Economic Policy had proved to be a major obstacle to the progress of the Indian community, leaving it politically, socially and economically weak.

"The politics of Malay dominance is the fundamental problem. This is not an ethnic issue," he told the some 100 participants.

"The government is not blocking the Indian community. However, due to its interest in promoting Malay interests, other groups have become sidelined."

Unimpressive numbers

Ramasamy said such marginalisation was evident in the intake of Indian Malaysians into universities, medical schools and the civil service.

The Indian middle-class, he said, only grew at 3.5 percent over the last decade, slower than its Malay (12 percent) and Chinese (four percent) counterparts.

Since 2000, Indians have held the smallest share of the nation's corporate wealth - 1.5 percent compared to 19.4 percent for Malays and 38.5 percent for the Chinese.

In addition, some 15 percent of the Indians living in Kuala Lumpur are squatters.

The current official university intake quota purportedly stands at 55 percent for bumiputeras, 35 percent for Chinese and 10 percent for Indians.

However, the quota for Indian students has "... been a myth for the past 30 years, as it has hovered only between four and eight percent annually".

NGO role

Opening the event, Women, Family and Community Development deputy minister G Palanivel said non-governmental organisations have to help improve the status of the Indian Malaysian community.

"This would be cheaper and more effective than if the government runs (the programmes)," said Palanivel ( photo below, third from right ).

On the issue of increasing domestic violence within the community, he said NGOs should create more awareness and platforms for women to redress the situation.

"It is a huge problem and no single organisation can handle it. Moreover, women's issues are delicate, involving personal problems and privacy," he said.

But he warned that NGOs involved in such work must intervene appropriately and at the right time.

"Sometimes, they intervene too early or too late. Instead of solving the problem, they create a crisis," he added.

The event was organised mainly to evaluate the progress made by five centres ERA has established in various states, to assist the empowerment of Indian Malaysian women.