Ramasamy appalled by HR Min. Ramanan’s misguided start of low-wage solutions for jobless Indians

 

I AM both amazed and shocked by the newly minted Human Resources (HR) Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan’s approach to resolving unemployment among Indians.

Whether the issue is unemployment, under-employment or something else entirely, how can Ramanan assume that jobless Indians should simply be absorbed into low-wage employment in restaurants, barber shops, goldsmithing and similar sectors?

If there is indeed unemployment among Indians, why then is there a continued need to bring in cheap migrant labour from Bangladesh, India and other countries?

Employment in these sectors is widely recognised as low-paid and low-skilled. In reality, it is precisely the lack of skills – and the vulnerability of workers – that produces cheap, malleable labour in these categories.

The critical question is this: if low-skilled Indians are unemployed, why is there supposedly a labour shortage?

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Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said Malaysia should tap into its pool of unemployed Indians to address labour shortages in sectors such as restaurants, hairstyling and goldsmithing, instead of continuing to rely heavily on foreign workers. Speaking at a press conference today, he said agencies like HRD Corp already have the funding and expertise to train locals, positioning skills development as a pathway to employment and economic upliftment. ramanan hr hrdcorp indian malaysia humanresources menteri beritatiktok

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Indians may be unskilled or unemployed but as Malaysians, they require wages that can sustain a reasonable cost of living. Foreign workers are brought into the country, made to work long hours and paid far less than Malaysian workers.

‘Breaking poverty vicious cycle’

Local workers – by virtue of being citizens with mobility and freedom – are able to bargain for better wages even in low-skilled sectors and this is precisely why employers prefer foreign labour.

The descendants of Indians were brought to this country nearly 200 years ago to work in plantations, urban services and other menial sectors.

For decades, the struggle of the Indian community has been to escape the drudgery of low-skilled, low-paid work and to move towards respectable, higher-income employment.

Ramanan may be the HR Minister but unfortunately, he appears to lack a basic understanding of labour economics or even simple common sense.

Newly minted Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan (left) with his predecessor Steven Sim Chee Keong

For years, Indians from working-class backgrounds have sought to break out of the vicious cycle of poverty and under-development by aspiring to jobs in high-growth sectors of the economy.

Many are also turning towards business and entrepreneurship in the private sector. Yet their efforts are repeatedly thwarted by overt and covert discrimination by the state.

Is Ramanan prepared to address the denial of business opportunities to Indians, particularly in the form of licences and permits? Or is he too timid to raise these uncomfortable issues in the Cabinet?

Oblivious of Indian woes

Why should Indians as dignified citizens of this country be locked once again into low-skilled employment sectors?

Even these sectors – once traditionally dominated by Indians – have now been taken over by foreign workers. So what exactly is Ramanan talking about?

He seems to have little understanding of the social and economic realities facing the Indian community, a community that reportedly owns less than one percent of the national equity.

Why the need to re-invent the wheel by repeatedly emphasising the so-called low skills of Indian workers?

Restore the fundamental rights of Indians and they will know how to take care of themselves. End discrimination and marginalisation and they will know how to progress.

Indians certainly do not need leaders like Ramanan to “show them the way”. It is deeply regrettable that barely few days into office, Ramanan has already committed a serious blunder by insulting the Indian community.

I shudder to think what lies ahead for Indians with Ramanan positioned as the so-called “Indian Tamil” leader and minister.

His appointment appears to be little more than a symbolic gesture to showcase Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s concern for the Indian community.

Beyond symbolism, Ramanan’s tenure risks becoming yet another bleak chapter in the political history of Indians in this country. 

Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

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

- Focus Malaysia.