The plight of Indians in Malaysia might not improve as long as the practice of race-base politics stays in the country, an author and former Australian diplomat said today.

Carl Vadivella Belle, a former Australian diplomat to Malaysia, now a Hindu priest and Hindu scholar, said that communal representation is a “very negative process”, referring to the BN model of having a party represent each race.

“As long as there is a process of communalism, the concerns of a group of people can be submerged within that community alone,” he said during a soft launch of his new book ‘Tragic Orphans’, which documents the plight of Indians in Malaysia.

He said that such representation becomes problematic when the party or organisation in charge, namely MIC, “no longer articulates grassroots concerns”.

He said that the current racial representation in politics also further deepens racial divide and is counterproductive to unity.

'Indians' enormous potential squandered'

"Such moves deepen ethnic divisions. It does not emphasise on what we have in common, but emphasises on what differences we have," he said.

 

He said that without a policy for equality, "enormous potential" is being squandered for Indians.

"Massive opportunities would have been there with proper training and proper education," he said.

 

Belle also said that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's measures for the Indian community were "well-received", but stressed that Najib's work has been compromised by the spate of racial issues dominating the country.

"The 1Malaysia tagline raised expectations but I think it's fair to say it has been compromised by a series of racial incidents," he said.