Dividing the divided

A forum organised to foster closer relations between Tamils in Malaysia, further divides the already fragmented Malaysian Indian community.

PETALING JAYA: Last Saturday, the Tamilar Action Force (TAF), made up of mostly Indian opposition state assemblymen and members of parliament held a forum entitled “Our Community, Our Strength: The future of Tamilargal (Tamils) in Malaysia?”

The forum brought forward speakers like Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga, Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy, Teluk Intan member of parliament M Manogaran and activist A Rajaretinam, among others.

But it was a speaker from Tamil Nadu, India, who stole the show with his “shallow” reasoning that Malaysian Indians should first identify themselves as Tamils before saying that they were of Indian origin living in Malaysia.

Malaysian Tamils make up at least 75% of the total 1.8 million Indians in this country. The remainder 25% are Telegus, Malayalees, Sikhs and other ethnic Indian communities.

S Seeman, an opposition leader in Tamil Nadu from the Naam Tamilar party, stirred up the event with his provocative and ill-informed speech which was meant to rouse up sentiments among Tamils to love their lineage.

Just a day before the event, Seeman held a press conference where he said his visit to Malaysia was to unite the fragmented Malaysian Tamils and instil the spirit of “Tamil-centric” among the Tamils here.

He was totally against the Malaysian government’s initiative to unite the Malaysian Indian community.

“Tamilians in Malaysia should be proud to recognise themselves as Tamils and not Indians,” said Seeman at the forum.

Clad in pants and shirt, compared to the other male speakers who were all wearing dhotis (a sarong- type white attire for men) and jippas, a traditional shirt-like attire for Tamil men, Seeman said Malaysian Tamils should be thankful that all the privileges are bestowed on them but not the other Indian communities in the country.

He said Malaysian Tamils should be proud that festivities and privileges in Malaysia are focused on the Tamils.

He cited the public holiday for Thaipusam, and allocations given to Tamil schools as examples.

These statements, among others, definitely will not go down well with the other Indian communities in Malaysia.

Alarming comments

Seeman also said it was “stupid” for one Tamil to wish another “Good Morning”.

“Instead you should wish in your own mother tongue which is Tamil… that is the Tamil way,” he said to applause from about 1,000 Malaysian Indians at the forum.

A check on TAF’s Facebook page was even more alarming.

It resembles a “racist” page with people bashing the other Indian communities.

“This forum is for Tamils,” said one comment while the following comment read: “Don’t let the Telegu and Malayalee [in]“, followed by other statements.

Although TAF’s aim is to unite the Tamils in Malaysia, it seems to be dividing the already splintered Indian community.

This is even more dangerous when its office-bearers are made up of political leaders, who might even be in the next federal government.

But they must bear in mind that Indians are a minority in Malaysia and that they should not be divided further as this could lead to their extinction in Malaysia.