Don’t take Indians for granted

 

Indians are not passive or ignorant of their political strength in the country.

It is just that they don’t have proper, effective and dynamic leadership to tap their strength and vitality.

Indians have a king-making presence not just in a few constituencies but in about 60 electoral constituencies, both parliamentary and state.

Indian presence is more than 10 percent in some constituencies, in some more than 15 percent, and there are constituencies where Indians have a presence of more than 20 percent and a handful more than 35 percent.

All in all, even if the Indian population is about 7 or 8 percent of the total population when it comes to their electoral strength, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Yes, the vast majority of Chinese and Indians are with the PH coalition, a shift that took place after 2007.

Among Indians, what was once thought impossible, deserted the BN in droves to align with first PR and then to PH after 2008 and onwards.

No choice

Today, given the race and religious politics of the opposition namely the PN, the non-Malays have no choice but the vote for PH or a unity government.

Fear or insecurity politics is ephemeral in the country. It cannot be taken for granted that the non-Malays are the fixed deposit for the PH.

Things might change under propitious political and social circumstances.

I agree that Indians might be kingmakers in about 60 electoral constituencies. Their king-making prowess will vary according to their percentage of presence in the constituencies.

It is not that Indians are ignorant of the changing circumstances of the country. Under certain trying circumstances, Indians having nothing much to lose in material terms might be more easily radicalised than the Chinese.

The 2007 Hindraf Movement was one example of Indian radicalisation for betterment.

There have been several historical antecedents to the Hindraf movement where Indians fought tooth and nail against the colonial and post-colonial governments.

Can be radicalised

The majority of Indians in the country are members of the working class concentrated in urban areas.

They might not have the wealth of the Chinese community, but they can be radicalised under proper progressive leadership.

For more than 60 years, Indians caught in the web of MIC servile politics became a passive community depending on breadcrumbs from the government.

Indians want reforms for far-reaching meaningful changes for their community. They are not beggars in the country. Without the sweat and toil of their ancestors, development might be hampered.

It cannot be taken for granted that Indians have no choice other than PH. They are attracted to the reforms promised by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the unity government. Their continuous support for the DAP and PKR cannot be taken for granted.

Indians might be opposed to the extremist politics of PN, but there is no guarantee that they might not be open to other kind of political formations in the future.

It is a challenge for Anwar to address the social and economic needs of the Indians. Sweet words and endearments might only have a superficial effect.

Electoral strength

It is not that Indians are not aware of their electoral strength or the power to mobilise for their betterment.

Those who believe that Indians are passive and don’t have the numerical presence to bring about meaningful change should look back at their history.

The absence of an effective and progressive leadership is something that is lacking in the community.

The past leadership of Indians in ethnic or multiracial political parties might not have the desired effect.

Their leaders were too prone to succumb to the majoritarian needs of society. Indian leaders in the MIC were effective in disciplining Indians with no beneficial programs for Indians.

Let us take the Indian community seriously, as they are citizens of the country who have contributed much to the development and well-being of the country.

Those powers be who neglect Indians on the basis of race, religion, or their numerical weakness will be condemned to repeat the unsavoury aspects of the country’s political history. - Mkini

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P RAMASAMY is the former Perai assemblyperson and ex-Penang deputy chief minister II.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.