The best thing MIC can do for Indian community

“God is merciful to all, as he has been to you; he is first a father, then a judge.”

― Alexandre Dumas, ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’

So this MIC political operative called me and asked my advice on how to reform the MIC. A bit of context is needed. Normally whenever I wrote about MIC, back in the good old days of BN rule - you know, last month - I would get these calls from MIC operatives ranging on the spectrum from pleas of understanding to outright threats. Mostly anonymous - don’t they understand that’s what the comment section of the “alternative media” is for - but always this idea that this time, they were really doing something for the Indian community.

In the great MIC hoax, I laid out what I thought of the MIC. Forget about the grand history of this Indian political party. What it had succumbed to was larceny, thuggery and cowardice, but fatally for the party, to become the instrument of subjugation wielded by the kleptocratic state on the disenfranchised of the Indian community.

Let me be very clear. In numerous articles when I have discussed the Indian issue, I have clearly articulated that I meant by disenfranchised Indians and not the Indians who self-identify along cultural (Indian) and party (political) lines, who in many ways are better off from their brethren.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I cannot write about MIC without engaging in a bit of schadenfreude. It is not like flogging a dead horse or even kicking a dog when it is down. It is more like, why even bother, guys? I mean, the Indian community as a voting block are inconsequential. We do not have the numbers to engage in the political arena like the other minority community.

Consider this: “Forget about dodgy official statistics for a moment and consider the value of a Malay vote - because of gerrymandering, it is greater than that of a Chinese vote. What do you think the value of an Indian vote is? At this stage because of the idiotic way in which how the ‘Malay’ race is defined in this country and because of the phenomenon of constitutionally-created Malays, I would argue that the Indian vote is near meaningless.”

Indeed, Indian political operatives are reminded that they are there because of the “party” and its “base” – that is dog whistle politics right there – and this is when the partisans are being polite. When they are not, it is blatant reminder to Indian politicians to know their place.

Furthermore, the “Indian” community has a plethora of yahoos claiming they represent the Indian community. In fact, I believe that there are more Indian organisations claiming to represent the Indian community than there are Indians in this country. Before the elections I wrote that there should be a moratorium on fishing for Indian votes.

“I get that Indian votes are important, especially when the opposition intends to contest in seats where every vote counts but with the establishment ramping up the propaganda and the opposition doing the same, the reality is that the Indian community, or at least the marginalised in the Indian community, are slowly coming to the realisation that they will always be on the losing end when race-based hegemons clash.”

The last bit in that sentence is the key. Playing the race card when your base is insignificant is one thing. Playing the race card when over the years, you have been the biggest obstacle to your community, is another.

Preying on the community

MIC claims it has to reorientate because now it is the opposition. The MIC claims it needs to reinvent. MIC political operatives believe that they need a second chance.

Listen very carefully. Every time BN won a mandate was MIC’s “second chance”. Every time BN won a mandate, the MIC had the opportunity to reinvent and do something for the community. Instead, what MIC did was prey on the community they claimed to represent and did nothing while the former Umno state slipped into a maelstrom of kleptocracy and Islamic delusions.

As the smallest faction in the power-sharing community, the MIC could have done so much for the disenfranchised in the Indian community who were their base. The fact that the Indian community is scattered all over the country was an advantage. The MIC could have strategically tailored their welfare programmes to individual states and come up with a coherent strategy to solves issues facing the Indian community in a holistic manner, because the base is small.

Instead, what the MIC did was to enrich themselves, looting from the scraps from the table the Umno state gave to them. Former leader S Samy Vellu claimed that the MIC had no voice in the Umno round table. The current Pakatan Harapan grand poobah claims that funds directed to the Indian community via the MIC never reached their intended recipients. Both are probably true.

How can the MIC be an effective opposition when the MCA is decimated, Umno is embroiled in a tumultuous power struggle and the rest of the BN component parties are looking after their own? MIC still does not get it. I argued that the first party to fold in this racial game would be MIC.

Maybe MIC's base understands that they do not need a race-based party to look after their interests. Maybe the Indian community is the first community bereft of any race-based political outlet and maybe this is a good thing. Well, not a good thing in the Kool-Aid sense, but rather, because the changing demographics and the lack of changing ideology, sooner or later, the greater Malay community will gather around a religious/ethnic hegemon more virulent than Umno and this whole idea of a multiracial Malaysia will be flushed down the proverbial crapper.

If Harapan political operatives can deal with the issues that the disenfranchised of the Indian community consider important, then there really is no need for Indian race-based political parties. Check that, even if Harapan does not deal with these issues, there is no need for Indian race-based parties because of the reality of the reasons I mentioned above.

In fact, since the needs of the Indian community are attached to so many other government reforms – prison reform, education, small businesses, etc – it is actually one of the “easier” communal reforms to carry out. All that is needed is the political will and not more doses of the Kool-Aid.

The best thing the MIC could do for the Indian community is to liquidate all the assets held by MIC. Collect all monies held by MIC potentates. Once MIC does this, give the money - which should be in the hundreds of millions - to an independent organisation to manage and distribute to the disfranchised in the Indian community for educational purposes. Education, in this instance, should be narrowly defined (and mainly for children and young people) and all allocations should be open to public scrutiny. After which, they should deregister the political party.

This is the best thing the MIC can do for the Indian community. This is the honourable thing to do. Consider this an act of political seppuku.

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. -Mkini