Indian Malaysian swing to BN elusive

MIC president G Palanivel claims that there is a marked increase in the support shown by the Indian Malaysian community to Barisan Nasional. This is a clear understatement. While they may be confident of recapturing lost seats, I seriously doubt if the MIC is capable of performing better in the next general election.

I strongly believe that there will be an unprecedented turnout in the coming general election. The critical question is has the BN changed and are they capable of displaying a new style of governance with transparency and accountability?

The Malaysian political climate has somewhat changed for the better after the last general election and there has been a remarkable improvement in our domestic politics, where the public in general has become more vocal and responsive.

While the country holds enormous potential for the future, will talented Indian Malaysians gain an opportunity? What pragmatic measures are there in place presently to accelerate the success of the Indian Malaysian community?

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, on the other hand, says that BN parties should completely avoid internal conflicts, functionalism and sabotage. But this problems are unavoidable for existing BN leaders are refusing to vacate and/or pave the way for newcomers.

Moreover, some leaders of BN are too complacent and have become redundant in politics but continue to hold power and refuse to adopt changes. They have in fact become a liability to BN.

It is absolutely clear that the MIC under the present volatile political climate will not be able to conduct business as usual unless there is a new prescription.

The MIC must find solutions to emerging newer problems faced by the Indian Malaysian community. Some of these problems are very serious in nature and current leaders are either shelving or conveniently ignoring them:

• How will they prepare the Indian Malaysian community to face the borderless future?;

• How will they prepare the community to acquire and possess the competitive edge?;

• Is the Indian Malaysian community capable enough to influence policy or decision-making?

Need for innovative measures

They cannot employ the old approach or tactics but instead must be ready to create new opportunities so as to enable the community to reach new heights. There is a need for innovative measures specifically tailored to suit the peculiar needs of the community. The party must be determined to do things differently and must be prepared to take risks.

Of late, the government has been offering some conciliatory gestures which are purely momentous policy decisions but the important question is, is that enough to transform the community?

After decades of marginalisation and segregation, many would be cautious about the government’s true intentions to transform. Only time will demonstrate if this proposed transformation changes are for real or a mere fallacy.

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R KENGADHARAN is a former ISA detainee.