COMMENT | We are all Malaysians. And nowhere have I seen it more than when I see the crowds of rakyat of all races turning up at the ceramahs calling for change.

I have also spoken at many ceramahs which are predominantly made up of Indian Malaysians. When I see them, what looms large before me, are the problems that afflict them in particular.

The impossibility for some to get their citizenship for example, despite being born and having lived in this country all their lives. Lately, some feeble attempts were made by the BN to apparently assist them. But the massive problem still exists; including large numbers of children of schoolgoing age denied the basic right to citizenship.

The community still faces difficulty when it comes to scholarships, university placements, and the support and upkeep of Tamil schools.

Then there are serious cases of deaths in custody, which also afflicts other Malaysians, but is stark in the case of Indian Malaysians. No real effort has been made by the BN to put an end to this problem; it is a grave concern for the community, but the BN is simply uninterested.

Then we have the long-standing problem of low income and lack of employment and business opportunities.

Not to mention the myriad social ills that come out of living in low cost and badly maintained flats and housing areas.

The youth who are disillusioned and see no way out of the rut they are in, turn to drugs and gangsterism. Indian Malaysians constitute the highest percentage of gang members in Malaysia and given they make up only about 8 percent of Malaysians, that is a very worrying statistic.

It has been 60 years since Merdeka. The lot of the Indian Malaysian has got worse over time. So many NGOs and concerned citizens have called for action for so long, to no avail.

Some efforts have been made, but they are wholly inadequate and insincere.

Closer to these elections we have seen an Indian blueprint and some work has been done. But the statistics stated there are very worrying and one wonders how we allowed the Indian community to slip to the drastic situation that we see them in today.

Whilst acknowledging some efforts, (mostly just before elections when the Indian vote is important) in my view, this BN government has failed to uplift the community as much as they could and should have. They have been uninterested and indifferent.

The same goes for other marginalized communities like the Orang Asli. Many still live in appalling conditions without even basic amenities. Their socio-economic conditions are dire and they are under constant threat from corporations. Little respect is shown to their ancestral lands.

Literacy levels are low and schooling is poor. Children have to travel long distances to get to their schools and there are reports of abuse of those who board. The stories of the rape of the Penan girls, and children who were found dead in the jungles of Kelantan having run away from their boarding school, still haunt us. How can we tolerate this?

It is my view that unless a strong message is sent, Indian Malaysians and other marginalized communities will not be taken seriously.

That message must be sent in the 14th general election by denying the BN the vote, and the mandate to govern.

In my view, not one Malaysian Indian or Orang Asli vote should go to the BN.

(This in no way detracts from the problems suffered by all other Malaysians.)

Pakatan Harapan must be given a chance to fulfil their promises in their manifesto for equal treatment and opportunities for all Malaysians.

AMBIGA SREENEVASAN was a former Bar Council chairperson.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.