How well have the Indians fared who went to work as labourers in various parts of the British empire? Ethnic Indians were forced to leave Uganda during the rule of Idi Amin, have faced problems in Fiji and clashed with the police yesterday in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s ethnic Indian community (BBC picture) staged its biggest anti-government
street protest on Sunday when more than 10,000 protesters defied tear
gas and water cannon to complain of racial discrimination, reported Reuters.
The protesters gathered outside the British embassy in Kuala Lumpur, calling for the
British government to pay $4 trillion in compensation to
the two million ethnic Indians in Malaysia whose ancestors arrived as indentured labourers in the 19th century, reported the BBC.
But it added the real
goal of the demonstrators was to highlight what they see as the unfair
treatment of minority Indians in Malaysia.
The Malaysian government had banned the rally, saying it could provoke racial violence, and arrested three of the leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) on Friday and charged them with making seditious speeches outside the capital.
It’s the government’s duty to maintain law and order, but it’s impossible to muzzle grievances, particularly in this internet era. Though the authorities managed to clear up the streets — littered with teargas canisters — after more than five hours, according to Reuters, the protesters had already made news around the world.
"Indians are treated like third-class citizens. The
community has been suffering in silence for decades," said opposition
politician M Kulasegaran, reported the BBC. "They are frustrated and have no job opportunities in the government or
the private sector. They are not given business licences or places in
university," said P Uthaya Kumar of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), adding that Indians were also incensed by some
recent demolitions of Hindu temples, reported Reuters.
Ethnic Indians, mainly Tamils, account for eight percent of Malaysia’s
population and a large proportion lack skills, money and education, reported Singapore’s Channel NewsAsia.
Forming 60 percent of the nation’s 27 million people, ethnic Malay
Muslims make up the majority while 26 percent are Chinese, it added.
There are Indians who have done well in Malaysia, and not only Muslims like former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose father hailed from Kerala though his mother was a Malay. There are successful Hindus, Christians and Sikhs as well.
But there are Indians who face hardship, even according to a government minister. Public Works Minister S Samy Vellu, leader of the Malaysian Indian Congress, said, "There is still a lot to be done for the Indians and we will continue with our struggle," reported Reuters.
The indigenous Malays remain the poorest group by some average measures such
as household income, it added. The ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno) therefore follows an affirmative action policy to help them. But opposition groups say the worst off are Indians, according to Reuters.
The Indians worked in rubber estates which were later broken up, forcing many
unskilled Indian workers to live in poverty in the cities, Reuters added.
The Malaysian government has been accused of racial discrimination not only by the minority Indians and Chinese.
The Economist magazine has also criticised the Malaysian government. In an article marking Malaysia’s 50th independence anniversary in August ("Tall buildings, narrow minds"), the Economist wrote, "After 50 years, Malaysia should stop treating a third of its people as not-quite-citizens", referring to the Indians and the Chinese.
"Racial quotas and protectionism are scaring away some foreign
investors," it said. "The economic consequences alone justify ending Malaysia’s
official racism. Even without them, it would still be just plain wrong."
Related posts:
List of racial discriminations in Malaysia, practiced by government as well as government agencies. This list is an open secret. Best verified by government itself because it got the statistics.