Indian community divided over gangsterism claim

The recent disclosure by Malaysian authorities that ethnic Indians made up 71% of the 40,313 gangsters in Malaysia has divided the community, with some complaining about racial profiling but others acknowledging the sad fact.

The festering issue came under the spotlight in the Singapore Straits Times today, which said the profile of the gangs spoke volumes about the struggles of some Malaysian-Indians against poverty, a lack of education and neglect by the government and their own Indian leaders.

There are some 2 million Indians in Malaysia, a relatively small minority, so the revelation by the Home Ministry last week of their over-representation in gangsterism has sparked anger and fear in a section of the Indian community worried about racial profiling.

MIC Youth secretary C. Sivarrajah said the disclosure by Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Rahim Mohamad Radzi could mean racial profiling of Indians could worsen. He pointed out that there were many cases of Indian youths who had died in police custody.

Others denied Abdul Rahim's claim as the Malays formed nearly 60 per cent of the population but only 1,923 were involved in gangsterism. They also pointed out that there were a lot of Mat Rempit gangs on the road.

The Straits Times quoted lawyer S. Pasupathi as saying whatever had been revealed by the Home Ministry were the bare facts and it was time to sit down and solve the problem.

The director of MySkills Foundation, which helps Indian school dropouts, said this was a national issue now, it wasn't about playing politics.

Authorities have said that the two biggest and most notorious gangs, Gang 04 and Gang 08, were predominantly Indian and very active in populous, rich states such as Selangor, Penang, Johor and Perak.

A fortnight ago, police surrounded and shot dead five suspected Gang 04 members at a condominium in Penang. This sparked an outcry especially among the Indian community with many claiming it was an execution by the police.

The Straits Times reported that today's Indian youth problem could be traced back 30 years ago when thousands of Indian families were living and working on rubber and oil palm plantations. When the estates were cleared to be developed into residential and commercial projects, these families were displaced.

In some plantations, generations of Indian workers found themselves unemployed when they were replaced by cheaper Indonesian and Bangladesh workers.

A number of sociologists agree the displacement of estate workers and its impact on the bottom 40% of the Indian community in Malaysia is the root cause of the problem.

Dr Denison Jayasooria, secretary-general of rights group Proham, said the social support system broke down as families struggled to adjust to urban life. This included growing up in cramped flats, with children left at home while both parents go to work and many children not finishing school.

The stigma of growing up in undesirable neighbourhoods, where poverty and crime were rampant, led to young boys mixing with the wrong company, said V. Perumal, a security guard who lives in one such area in Jalan Loke Yew in Kuala Lumpur.

Citizenship issues were another problem as many families didn't have birth certificates or identity cards, although Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat have sought to resolve these issues in a bid to garner the support of the Indian community.

Malaysia's strong economic growth between the 1980s and 1990s papered the festering problem while the Indian community's political leaders, led by former MIC stalwart Datuk Seri Dr S. Samy Vellu, were not responsive to the issue.

The Straits Times reported that the issue was further complicated as the community's political leadership was divided with five Indian-led parties in the Barisan Nasional coalition. Suggestions of uniting to better help the Indian community were met with incredulity and chest-puffing.

An adviser to Indian youth organisations, S. Velu, summed it up when he said the Indian community was divided as everyone wanted to be a party chairman or president. What was lacking was good leadership to steer the community towards a better future.