It seems to be an universal phenomenon that ethnic communities without the power of numbers and who are subject to the domination and manipulation of majority politics, have to take the occasional beatings, suffer in silence and end up begging the powers that be for welfare assistance.

This is the situation of Indians in the country in general and those families and individuals affected by the racial attacks in and around Kampung Medan (Petaling Jaya Selatan) in particular.

One really wonders what would have been the outcome if some members of the dominant community had been affected in the same manner. But who cares for Indians in the country, because as far as the authorities are concerned, they are here to merely provide cheap labour.

Beyond this, Indians do not figure in national calculations. The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) is entrusted with the job to take care of them and provide the needed 'fire-fighting' services when situations demand.

In that recent tragedy of killings and injuries, the MIC in its usual manner sought to provide some materialistic solutions, but the drama of the leader's speeches, visits, occasional tear-shedding, promises and others, can in no way compensate for the suffering and anguish suffered by the community.

Rather than addressing the real issue behind the racist attacks and challenging the government, the party merely provided assistance so that Indians could forget the nightmare as soon as possible. Whether this will be easy for those families who lost their loved ones and those injured would be difficult to say.

While those families who have lost their members could have been provided the usual solution of a 'low-cost house', those injured have been left in a lurch. The government of the day, the grand coalition of Barisan Nasional (BN), has not only failed to protect the lives of the innocent, but has not taken any interest at all in providing solutions to the daily sufferings of the residents in the vicinity.

Decadent coalition

It is not enough for the MIC leader alone to undertake tasks so that the next time around Indians would blindly vote for this coalition which has failed the Indians miserably and colossally over the last few decades.

Even the police force did not respond in the normal manner but succeeded in removing a number of Indians who could have provided some kind of shield for the community. It is well-known that the attacks against Indians became much more ferocious only after Indian gangsters and thugs were removed from the scene.

So much for our police force, that refuses to become responsible and accountable in a multi-racial society. Our humanitarian government has spent millions for the struggle of Bosnian Muslims, so why not spend some money for those innocent Malaysians affected by this racial tragedy. None of those killed or injured were involved in the fights. Surely the government could provide funds for their resettlement and recovery.

But the only thing that the government did is to provide some kind of legitimacy to the MIC so that it could project its role as the champion of Indians. Next time around and before the general elections, it can go around to show the great deeds it performed and why Indians should continue to place their faith in this decadent racial coalition.

A time has come for Indians in the country to reject the present racial coalition and along with it, the MIC. If there are going to be repeats of the Petaling Jaya Selatan tragedy, then obviously Indians cannot look forward to protection from the police or the government.

Crocodile tears

Only after tragedies occur, MIC might be around to shed crocodile tears. That great champion of the downtrodden Indians, MG Panditha, could hardly take a stand on the Petaling Jaya Selatan issue.

Perhaps he made a visit, but other than that, he was of no consolation to the affected Indians. His brand of politics, which borders on servility and is without any sense of pride and dignity, is hardly sufficient to deliver the Indian community from the vicious majority kind of politics preferred by Umno and some opposition parties.

Indians under the Indian Progressive Front (IPF) or the People's Progressive Party (PPP) may be in for real trouble if the these parties ever come to represent the community in the future.

It is not that Indians do not have a future in the country without being represented by the BN through its so-called representative. There are many options which the community can consider in the course of history.

Indians may respond feebly to incidents like the Petaling Jaya Selatan issue but it cannot be taken for granted that they will be forever meek and accommodative in the present society. Too much repression of Indians could backfire one day.

When this happens, the blame would have be to squarely placed on the present racial coalition for not respecting and responding to the broad needs of the Indian community. Indians are not slaves and coolies to be made use of and thrown away like sucked oranges.

Innocent victims

The experience of other countries and the struggles of nationalities should remind us that 'every dog has its day'.

The suffering endured by Indians in the Petaling Jaya Selatan episode should not and cannot be forgotten. The government must address their problems because they were the innocent victims of racist thugs unleashed by some vigilante groups.

There were no racial fights, but preplanned and premeditated racial attacks against innocent Indians. It was an episode which took place, among other things, to remind non-Malays in general and Indians in particular that they cannot challenge or question the Malay hegemony.

I think this was the message and it was delivered to indirectly benefit some parties in the country.

P RAMASAMY is a professor of political economy at the Political Science Department, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and has academic interests in Malaysian politics and labour. He has written quite extensively and is currently focusing on conflict management in Sri Lanka.