The ‘rules’ keep changing, just ask Malaysian Tamils

 

Finally! The long awaited, and much anticipated Cabinet reshuffle happened this week.

And, the sum of it is this. A few ministers and deputies were shifted around, a couple of technocrats were co-opted in, three former ministers were invited back into the Cabinet, and the prime minister dropped a seemingly underperforming minister, while a deputy minister with a decent record was not re-included.

The naysayers are already tetchy and argue that the reshuffle is neither imaginative nor addresses our current needs. The sycophants on the other hand are declaring that the reshuffle shows that the PM is finally getting down to serious work.

For the rest of us ordinary folks, in short, it is just the usual politicking in Malaysia.

Those who are unhappy have some axe to grind with the PM and his agenda. Those who are encouraged are either somehow beholden to the current government or may even have their “favourite minister” still in power.

Malaysian Indians, especially the Tamils, who are said to form 85% of the Indian diaspora in the country, are certainly not happy. They have taken to social media in droves to criticise and protest about the new Cabinet. They argue that for the first time since becoming an independent nation, the Tamil community is not represented, as it should be.

They say that the three “Indian” deputy ministers do not count, as they are not part of the Cabinet. We all know that only full ministers get a seat at the main Cabinet table. Tamils argue that the one Punjabi Sikh minister does not count either because he is not representative of the majority of Malaysian Indians.

To be frank, I do not think that Malaysian Indians should be “triggered” by this issue. Even the second president of the Malayan Indian Congress, the precursor to the longtime standard bearer for Indians in Malaysia before it got dissolved, was Baba Budh Singh Ji, a Punjabi Sikh.

But for current context, the Punjabi Sikhs form the fourth largest of the Indian diaspora in Malaysia after the Tamils, Malayalees, and Telugus. Malaysia has roughly 80,000 Punjabi Sikhs constituting a miniscule 0.25% of the population.

Of course, we do not necessarily need a Malaysian of Tamil heritage to look after the interests of the Indian community. Ultimately, aren’t we all just Malaysians, regardless of our heritage?

I would expect that by 2023, our nation would have matured enough to not descend to these types of narrow-minded and parochial debates. But, as a Malaysian of Indian heritage, and being three-quarter Tamil myself, I do understand why the community gets wound up by narratives like this.

The Tamils are already a marginalised group. Yet when there is a demand for a “Malaysian-first” approach for “political reasons” for a person from a different cultural heritage to represent another community, this narrative seems to only apply to Tamils, and also to our long-suffering Orang Asli community.

Tamils are the largest Indian community in Malaysia, and the majority of them identify as Hindus. Would any other majority community in Malaysia accept a person of a different faith to look after their religious needs, language wishes, as well as their theological and cultural issues?

I think not. But for the Tamils, the community should just accept this in good faith?

This debate with regards to the lack of Tamil representation in the Cabinet may be “unnecessary” in the eyes of some. But discontent is surely inevitable because there seems to be one rule for the rest but another one for Malaysian Tamils.

As for the efficacy of this new Cabinet, we will just have to wait and see. New ministers and deputies will need time to get themselves together, settle in, and be briefed by the people with the real power, our all-pervasive civil service.

The most pressing issues in the country include the economy, the rising cost of living, fractures in our race relationships, and the rise of religious extremism. These issues have not just surfaced in the last year, they are legacy issues caused by years of dystopian governance.

Perhaps because this prime minister rode into power fuelled by the reform or “reformasi” agenda, the expectations placed on his administration are greater than ever before.

But if anything, his first year on the job shows that he is but a politician with an eye on the next general elections. Therefore, we cannot and should not expect brave, bold, and courageous moves from him.

Malaysia is a rather complex nation with deep-seated fissures. The outward harmony we display often disguises the rural-urban divide, and the trust deficiency among the races. And, perennial miscreant politicians use these cracks to their advantage to divide us.

Realistically, the PM will need time. And, only time will tell if the new appointees will rise to the occasion.

So, aside from Malaysian Tamils, who again feel abandoned by our Thirukkural-quoting PM – the Tamil text the PM recited in the Dewan Rakyat recently – the rest of Malaysia should eagerly anticipate progress with this Cabinet. Let’s wait and see if it comes. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.