Open Letter to Indian Leaders in Pakatan Rakyat

02.01.2009 – By Kim Quek
 
In the light of recent grouses among certain Indian leaders against the Pakatan-led Selangor government for neglecting Indian interests, I am writing this open letter to share my thoughts.

Let us start with the HINDRAF movement.  The reason why this movement has won so much sympathy among all races is because it has expounded a truth – that Indians have been marginalized.

So we shall establish the first principle in this discourse – Indians have been marginalized.

That, however, is the easy part.  The real challenge is: how do we save the Indians from marginalization?

Do we strengthen MIC so that it has a bigger say in Barisan Nasional?  I don’t think many like this idea, simply because it has not worked for fifty years.

Do we start a new Indian party just like Nallakarappan did when he broke off from PKR just before the Ijok by-election in April 2007?  I think we can all agree that Nalla and his party have got no where, so better forget about this idea.  It is common sense anyway that proliferation of Indian parties can only weaken the Indian position.

Or do we continue the HINDRAF struggle?  That, of course, is a serious question, for which careful thoughts must be given. 

Let us start our deliberation by first asking this question: Has there been a government policy to deliberately marginalize the Indian community?

In all honesty, I do not think so, despite my years of fierce criticism of the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional government.  For that matter, I do not think the government has targeted any racial group for marginalization – be they Chinese, Indians or the natives of Sabah and Sarawak.

Marginalisation of large sections of Malaysians is a result of bad policies implemented by a corrupt leadership.  The New Economic Policy (NEP), which symbolizes UMNO’s racial agenda, actually started off on sound affirmative action principles to eradicate poverty and redress social and economic imbalance, but soon degenerated into a racist tool by UMNO to amass wealth for its leaders and cronies through political hegemony.  Though the policy has largely uplifted the educational and economic status of Malays, UMNO’s corrupt and dictatorial rule on the back of its racist ideology has wrought devastating consequences – an authoritarian state torn by racial dissension where vast populations are impoverished through corruption, squandering and sheer incompetence.

As a result, all races have fallen victims to such misrule.  Admittedly, Indians are among the most neglected, though ironically Malays constitute the biggest racial group in the impoverished category, while the natives of Sabah and Sarawak are stuck in a warped time zone of yesteryears with scant infrastructures and educational facilities to develop their economic potentials.

With this, we shall agree on the second principle of this discourse: Indians have not been singled out for marginalization, but rather, they are part of the wider Malaysian society (safe the Umnoputras) which has fallen victim to a corrupt elitist rule. 

What is the solution to the Indian predicament then?  Would it help by giving a few more government posts or contracts to Indians by a state government?  While that will make a few Indians happy, it would not alleviate the prevailing poverty of Indians, who number almost two millions.  Besides, the role that a state government can play in altering the political course of the nation is limited, as its authority covers only land matters and local councils, and its financial resources negligible compared to that of the federal government (the revenue of the richest state government of Selangor amounts to hardly 1% of the federal government revenue).

Malaysia’s problem is acute economic and political mismanagement, one consequence of which (among many) is manifested in the marginalization of Indians.  So the Indian problem cannot be solved in isolation, without changing national policies, which in turn can only take place by changing the national leadership.

The present national leadership is too entrenched with its addiction to easy wealth through racist protectionism and corrupt institutions to effect any meaningful change to the status quo.   And without the necessary reforms to restore confidence and improve competitiveness and productivity, there is no way we can extricate ourselves from the current economic malaise. This means all Malaysians – including Indians of course – will continue to suffer the economic hardships, more so in this turbulent time of unprecedented world financial and economic crisis.

With the nation plunging into deeper debts under current adverse economic conditions, and the incumbent power even more determined to pursue its racist policy in order to strengthen its traditional electoral support base, what hope is there for Indians to improve their livelihood while UMNO/BN continues to remain in power?

In contrast, Pakatan Rakyat’s agenda to reinstate democracy and good governance and  restore egalitarianism under the Constitution whereby all citizens are guaranteed equal rights offers the best recipe to re-unite the races and turn the nation on the path of robust growth. That such an agenda has met with emphatic approval by the masses was demonstrated by the decisive swing of support accorded Pakatan in the 8th March 2008 elections.

Though Pakatan’s subsequent rule in the states has not brought dramatic and huge changes on a national scale during the past nine months, its imprint of corruption-free and pro-rakyat political leadership is unmistakably stamped on every Pakatan-controlled state.  The impact of Pakatan’s rules on the national scene is necessarily limited and gradual, due respectively to the limited jurisdiction and resources of state governments as explained earlier and to a bureaucracy fossilized by decades of corrupt rule.  However, as sure as the sun rises, the wind of change brought by Pakatan will stay and intensify and it will soon sweep through Sabah and Sarawak to bring the federal government under Pakatan rule.

Under the circumstances, the best bet for marginalized Indians, and in fact for all Malaysians, is to work for the speedy realization of a Pakatan federal government, which will bring healing and genuine nation-building to the country.

To answer the earlier question whether the HINDRAF movement should continue its struggles, the answer is of course yes.  HINDRAF has made valuable contribution towards Pakatan’s success in the 8th March elections by wakening and bringing unity of purpose to the Indian community, there is no reason why they should not persevere until this country is free from the yoke of BN’s oppressive and corrupt rule.

In fact, many Malaysians had been moved by the courage and sacrifice displayed by HINDRAF, when thousands of supporters braved tear gas and water cannons to march from Batu Caves to Kuala Lumpur city center on that memorable day of 25th Nov 2007 to express solidarity for a common cause.  We hope the same indomitable spirit will continue to shine on the Malaysian political scene to contribute towards the evolvement of a non-communal and meritocratic society, where every citizen will be given equal opportunity to develop his potentials to the fullest. 
 
Kim Quek