India, Please help Malaysian Indians?

The government is willing to help Malays in other countries where they are a minority, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said recently.

May I appeal to the government of India to help Indians in Malaysia who are a minority?

The Umno-led Barisan Nasional, while it is willing to “assist the advancement of Malays” anywhere in the world – or even a half Malay in England like Sufiah Yusof, the math prodigy turned hooker – has not shown the same assiduity to help our fully Malaysian Indians.

Given how poor the Tamil underclass is, we can term it an appeal for ‘humanitarian aid’.

May I plead also to American President elect Barack Obama to help Christians in Malaysia who are a minority? The United States is a Christian country (though not a Christian state) as its national motto is ‘In God We Trust’.

In America we trust to help uplift Malaysian Christians. The BN government, by token of its own action, should welcome any assistance extended to Malaysia’s minorities.

To assist our non-bumiputeras’ spiritual advancement, churches are necessary though not asking extravagant American funding to build grand cathedrals. A modest monetary grant for homely churches – something reminiscent of the one in Little House on the Prairie will do fine.

At present some ‘churches’ in Malaysia are located in shoplots or rented space in factory buildings. Such a haphazard set-up may in fact contravene building safety regulations. Imagine a large congregation cramped into a small shoplot room on the second storey, and a fire breaks out.

Perhaps Christians should request American professional town planners sent too in the aid package.

Chinese must help Chinese
The Chinese community in Malaysia is very rich (throw a stone and you will hit a towkay or Tan Sri), and that is why we Chinese do not need Chindraf. Taking a leaf from Najib, we in our abundant prosperity must help our Chinese brethren in other countries where they are a poor, downtrodden minority.

We must share our knowledge and export our coping skills to Chinatowns the world over. Why do the overseas Chinese elect to live in single-race enclaves? We must teach them how to assimilate.

Houses of the Lord that look almost exactly like a shophouse or a factory annex reflect a successful model of Chinese assimilation. In fact, some have assimilated so well they don’t even display the representation of a cross. They only make themselves known to the public that they are churches through their shop signboards which name the premises as a church.

Malaysian Calvinists par excellence must help their Chinese kith and kin of the diaspora to embrace the same ‘making do’ philosophy. Make do that church architecture and its physical environment is not the paramount concern.

After all, church is really the spirit of the congregation and the Old Testament tells that when the exiled Jews were wondering in the desert, church was simply a tent erected on the shifting sands.

Isn’t a shoplot-church still miles better than a tent-church? Count our blessings because “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” [Matthew 5:5].

There was even one suggestion from Member of Parliament Zulkifli Nordin that a mosque specifically for Chinese Muslims be built on the site of the former Pudu Jail. What a nice inheritance!

Indian who did not help Indians
I recall attending a Hindraf forum a few days prior to the mammoth November rally. I sat next to an Indian guy who told me he cried when he saw how an old but ‘illegal’ (aren’t they all?) temple was destroyed. It was an episode where the local authorities were really ugly in their behaviour.

Yes, a grown Indian man cried. The enforcement officers smashing Hindu deities break the hearts of grown Indian women too. It is in the emotional nature of Indians to shed tears; ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamed is not shy to publicly sniff and sob.

Dr M studied medicine in Singapore. We have good minority cross race relations across the Causeway.

Our neighbour shares the philosophy expounded by Najib. She helps Chinese minorities elsewhere and Malaysians are main recipients of Asean scholarships to study in Singapore.

Our government ought to reciprocate by offering Singapore Malays scholarships on condition these Mara beneficiaries be bonded to serve in Malaysia thereafter.

Oops, I’ve clean forgotten about Indians. Yup, that bunch complaining incessantly about temple demolitions.

A current online poll in the Hindu Sangam website asks if “rituals and prayers are the most crucial factors in Hinduism”. Of the respondents, 54 percent said ‘Yes’. Aha! It must be this simple majority (not even two-thirds) that is raising the unholy hue and cry, though nobody in government bothers to listen.

The movement formerly known as Hindraf had been insisting Indians are ‘marginalised’ – a word which implies they have no voice and very little say in this country.

Since Hindraf is no more to speak on their behalf, may I suggest that Malaysian Indians appeal to the government of India to help out?

Truly, Najib, the Prime Minister designate of Malaysia would not mind nor would he object as he himself has said his government is willing to help Malays in other countries where they are a minority. His mentor Dr M popularized the slogan ‘Leadership by example’. The good times are back.

Helen Ang
CPIASIA