The National Indian Action Team’s ( NIAT) request for a deputy prime
minister’s post for an ethnic Indian may have been made with some
sincerity but it may have not taken many matters into consideration
first.
What we have to eradicate here is the culture of asking for
positions. The MIC have been champions in this arena and where have the
Indians come thus far? Besides asking for the two issues which have been
perpetual issues which every budding Indian politician will have to
know which is land for temples, burial sites, crematoriums and Tamil
schools, what else have the Indians achieved over these years despite
having all the positions?
We have to note that it is equality that the Indians should be
concerned about. If the Indian is qualified, he should be able to get
the job, the position, the license, the tender, the award or any
endeavour which the Indian has met the due requirements which does not
discriminate with regard to race and religion.
That is the problem and the mentality which has to be changed. If we
go about asking for positions, it will be the repeat of the same old
rigmarole that we are so used to. We have seen that for the past 55
years.
If a Malay qualifies for Federal Land Development Authority (Felda)
land because he meets with the requisite criteria, then an Indian should
have the same right. If a Malay qualifies for entry into Mara junior
colleges after Year 6, Form 3 or for matriculation after Form 5,the
Indian should have the same right. If we have the positions but we still
practise institutionalised racial discrimination, then the change that
we seek will still be an illusion.
If we were to ask the Indians that still lift the “parangs” to put
down their weapons, then we have to have in store equal opportunities
for them to prosper. If they are able to do business without having to
face bureaucratic red tape and the insistence that they must conform to
the “Ali Baba” way of doing business or else they will not be able to
get the license, tender, award or the opportunity then the Indian that
lifts the parang will still lift the parang because they know that
whatever effort that they may put in will be futile and of waste because
the authorities will not approve of anything if their ‘demands’ are not
met and the matter is not connected to certain “x” persons whom the
authorities know to be the political connections.
It will be better to have parliamentarians and members of state
legislative assemblies who are able to speak their mind and help the
Indians seek equality instead of having a deputy prime minister who may
have his or her hands tied due to the fact that they must still conform
to the racial compartmentalisation and stereotyping.
Indians protest and protest due to the fact that they just do not
have the opportunities like the Malays. The Malays get a discount when
buying a house no matter what his position in life is, but the Indian is
not granted that same right. The Indian then has to beg some relative
or his siblings to lend their names to become co-owners and co-borrowers
of a house which he seeks to purchase.
In the long run, the others who have lent their names as co-owners
and co-borrowers will not be able to purchase houses themselves as their
buying and borrowing capacity diminishes unless they are flushed with
cash some where along the way. Therefore if everyone is treated equally
when it comes to home purchase and the ability to borrow from banks,
then the problem ceases there.
Indians have proven themselves in businesses like scrap metal,
re-cycling, diary farming, horticulture, road works, earth works,
money-lending, textiles, all form of agriculture, transportation and
many other business sectors other than the known professions of
medicine, law, dentistry and accountancy but they would need the
licenses and the awarding of the jobs and works if they were to be
successful.
They would also need adequate borrowing ability to ensure that there
is enough cash injection into their businesses to keep their businesses
viable and competitive and ultimately be able to service their loans so
that their relationship with financial institutions are strengthned.
But are they getting it now? If equality is sought in every sphere,
all this will fall into place and the socio economic status of the
Indians will automatically be lifted. It will make more sense and
socially acceptable to become industrious then to become criminally
inclined.
Therefore it would be best to ask for equality instead of positions.
With equality there will be no limit to opportunities and when there is
no limit to opportunities, any position will be attainable.
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