Indian doctors, lawyers on the decline, say NGOs

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim's arguments that Indians are successful based on high number of doctors and lawyers has been shot down by Indian NGO leaders.

Shahidan (left) said that the make up of Indian doctors, whom he claimed formed 30 percent of the profession in Malaysia, has been labelled a "lie". 

Johor Indian Business Association (JIBA) president P Sivakumar toldMalaysiakini that in fact, the number of Indians in both professions have been steadily declining over time.

In 2000, he said 29 percent of doctors were Indians, and this number slipped to 26 percent in 2005, while in the prevailng  situation, he estimated there might be only be 18 percent of doctors who are Indians.

The numberof Indian lawyers, too, had declined steadily over the years, from 26 percent in 2000 to 24 percent in 2005, Sivakumar  added.

Though the latest figures are not available, he said the members of the community in the legal profession would only make up 16 percent currently.

"In other professional categories the Indians' performance is dismal and even alarming, for example in 2005, Indians only made up 4.4 percent of accountants and 1.4 percent of architects," he said.

"Shahidan should not just look at one or two professional areas," he quipped.

"It hurts the Indian community if irresponsible parliamentarians distort figures to please their masters and confuse the public that Indians are doing well," he added.

Malaysian Indians Progressive Association (MIPAS) secretary general S Bharathidasan, meanwhile. said that Shahidan was "lying" about the figures.

"90 percent of Indian parents educate their children to become lawyers and doctors on their own, with no help from the government," he said.

He pointed out that the Indian equity stake is still hovering at around 1 percent and the number of Indian civil servants has also dropped over time.