Poor Malaysian Indian was Much More Well-Managed under British Colonial Rule

After more than 5 decades, majority of Malaysian Indian never experienced real meaning of the independence. Poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, religious oppressions, policy discriminations are nothing new for them. Well, let me tell you the truth that Malaysian Indian was more comfortable and independent under the colonial of British. UMNO colonial are very much discriminating malaysian Indian. The reason why I mentioned UMNO as colonial is they are always championing the “ketuanan Melayu” policy in Malaysia. So If Malays are “Tuan”, can you tell me who that “Kuli” is?

Double standard policy such as “New Economic Policies” which bias towards certain races is not logical and relevent for future Malaysia. Bumiputra and Bukan Bumiputra verse are the simplest example that the Malaysian Indians are under discrimination. This is the Malaysia state of denial in reality, the government is arrogant, refuse to listen Minority’s plight.

During the British colonial, Malaysian Indian was brought as labours in rubber plantations. The ethnic was given houses, schools, fields, temples, and all the basic facilities. But what’s happening now? The plantation estates are being removed, they are abandoned and some of them jobless and homeless. The conversion of rubber plantations to housing estates and golf courses has displaced plantation workers who have drifted to urban centers. As a result, urban Indian ghettos have emerged and crime escalated.

Let me prove you how Malaysian Indian are abandoned by UMNO colonial, Malaysian Indians feature highest in all of the negative statistics.

* The second highest infant mortality rates

* The lowest life expectancy rates- 67.3 years compared to national average of 71.2

* The highest school dropout rates best seen in the data that only 5.0 percent of Indians reach the tertiary level compared to the national average of 7.5 percent. [And to top it all, just recently we have openly declared to the world that our students cannot make the cut under the newly introduced system of meritocracy for tertiary intake

* The highest incidence of alcoholism, that cuts across all classes. Alcohol it seems is the greatest leveler of class distinctions

* The highest incidence of drug addiction in proportion to population. – The highest number of prisoners in proportion to population

* And we are told that the largest number of gangs is now Indian gang and that 60 percent of serious crimes are committed by Indians

* 14 percent of juvenile delinquents, 20 percent of (Malaysia’s) wife and child (abusers) and 14 percent of its beggars. They (also comprised) less than 5 percent of successful university applicants

* Indians have the lowest share of the nation’s corporate wealth: 1.5%, compared to 19.4% for the Malays and 38.5% for the Chinese.

Until now, there are no proper action taken to solve this social problem. So who should we blame?

An Indian Malaysian can find it difficult to become a doctor or lawyer in Malaysia. Local university seats and scholarships are all awarded under a racial quota system. Even after getting a degree, many say that discrimination is commonplace. Indian doctors, for instance, complain that they are often excluded from lists of approved doctors whom civil servants or company employees can patronise. This might not happens if we are still under control of the British.

The Malaysian authorities’ even refuse to provide the birth certificate and Identification certificated (IC) even though the ethnic Indian already here for fourth generations. These once again deny them to enter schools to receive education and hospitals to receive proper medical treatment. Don’t you feel pity of them? There are thousand s of Malaysian Indian still no document to prove that they are the Malaysian citizen. Hey! What’s going on men? They are human! They are Malaysian! Why don’t you recognise them as rightful citizen?

Some Malaysian Indians forced to convert to Islam, denying their rights of religious freedom. These kind of cases reported always in Malaysian media. In fact, British colonials did not force them to convert into Christian in fact. Most of the temples in plantation estates were build before 1957, but most of the temples demolished after the 1957. The something happens to Tamil schools in Malaysia, before independence there are exactly 888 Tamil schools with only 55 766 pupils in our nation, but now? 523 schools around with more than 110 000 pupils receiving primary education in terrible conditions, some of them studying under tree, shop lot, open air class rooms and even sit on the ground. This is 2009! Please!

My father always tell me that when Malaysian Indians were in plantation estates, they where lived very happy life. With the daily earning as low as RM3 they enjoyed a peaceful life. The men would “lepak” in the toddy shop after the whole day tired of working. They kids and teenagers play football in the field after school while women cook and clean the house. They no need to pay any bills, no rent for houses, no fees for schools, free for medical. Even the estate authorities will put Tamil cinema movies with big screens in estates at least once a month. Once in a year, the estate authority will provide them school uniforms.

There are successful professionals such as lawyers and doctors produced from estates. Usually, after finish standard 6 in primary school, they go secondary English schools, which it was normally in town. Students with good results able to continue their education to secondary schools, estates authority provide bus for them to town to receive education in secondary schools. Then if family was affordable, they will send their children to overseas to further education.

Although Malaysian Indian was economic slaves of the British, British colonial did not abuse them by ignoring the basic needs. Education opportunities, job opportunities, freedom of religious and I confident that they would have delivered much compare to today’s UMNO. I can feel they pain of minority Malaysian Indian while writing this, and I hope my messages will reach the concern citizens and social activists. Save poor Malaysian Indian from permanently colonised!

14/10/09