How UMNO Malay bashed the Malaysian Indians

The butt dance in front of Bersih co-chair S Ambiga’s residence in Bukit Damansara brought about a lot to the fore front of our minds that has been deliberately hidden all this while. The Malays in Umno have been directed to see this as a racial issue instead of a national issue where the people are seeking reform in the way we register our citizens and run our elections.

The butt dance actually goes to show how the Indians were viewed by the ruling Umno-BN-MIC regime for the past 55 years. If it can be that easy to belittle and shame a person in front of her own residence just because she is an Indian, what have we been doing for the past 55 years with regard to race relations?

They did not do the same for Pak Samad and Khairy Jamaluddin who had objected to such behaviour of the men who claim to be ex-veterans of the armed forces. Why they did not perform the butt dance at the residences of Pak Samad and Khairy is very obvious.

Selling beef burgers in front of her house knowing very well that she is a vegetarian only goes to show how Indians can be easily ridiculed by any perpetrator without worrying about what the consequences will be as long as they know at the back of their minds that their act has the tacit consent of the State and its cohorts.

After the Hindraf revolution and the results of the 2008 election, the real picture as to how they preceive Indians especially Hindu-Indians in this country was clearly seen for all to witness. Carrying a bovine head to the State Secretariat, stepping and spitting on it, regularly calling Hindu students ‘pariahs’ and belittling their faith has all become too common.

This is the actual mask that has now come off from the false one that they have been putting on all this while whilst the Indians were faithfully voting en bloc for the Umno-BN regime. The often heard of calls that ” Ambiga is a Hindu woman”, “Ambiga is anti-Islam” and most recently in Merlimau, Melaka where they were carrying placards which read “Am babi ga” very clearly shows that the Indians have only been made use of all this while.

Prior to the coming in of the Bangladeshi work force, the Indians were relied upon for all the menial work which nobody had wanted to do. But come the general elections,the leaders of the ruling regime will come to the palm oil and rubber estates, villages and urban squatter settlement where the poorer Indian masses reside to try their hand in carrying babies and feeding the old folks; all this done in the name of getting the votes.

Whilst they do this, they will promise that nearest Tamil school will be upgraded and be given full government aid. Years will pass and the next election will come and the process is repeated again and again. When the Indians finally woke up after 50 years of submission to the regime in 2007, the real picture is now seen for the whole world to witness.

Generally the Malays are very kind and warm people, but continous indoctrination that they will be dominated by the Chinese and the Indians in their own land has made a cross section of them very wary of the non-Malays in general.

During the 70s and 80s when the last batch of Kirby and Brindsford Lodge trained teachers were still teaching in our schools under the supervision and guidance of the Christian missionaries many of whom were heading the schools as their principals, racism was there but it was not allowed to fester like what it has come to today.

The Christian missionaries did a good job at instilling discipline and a liking towards school where every contribution by any student was taken into account. Many Indian students who came from poor backgrounds sometimes orphaned or from broken homes were taken in by the missionaries and turned into worthy citizens.

The best were in the first class and the rest were streamed accordingly to encourage competition. Levels were set and the students had to reach that level at every term exam so as not to be demoted the following year. There were many veteran teachers whom were good English speakers and the influx of the new generation of teachers had slowly began at that time till to date where we have many students correcting the level of English which their teachers speak.

What the Indians have to learnt from this is that the teachers of yesteryear did not call their wards ” Hindu Pariah” like what that young teacher did in SMK Georgetown in Penang.

Teachers in those days were respected by all the races because they encouraged participation amongst all and did not favour anyone. The best was chosen to represent the school. Be the person Malay, Chinese or Indian, if he met the requirement he/she was chosen. The rules were not bent like what is happening now.

Indians have to note that after 2008, they can see for themselves the inner being of the members of the party that they so trusted all this while. The members of the ruling regime have just poured scorn on the Indians for objecting and protesting, for not being given an equal chance in all avenues of opportunity that is available to others.

Tamil schools now saw that if the corruption loopholes are plugged and the State government is changed, they would have the money to donate to them for the upgrading and well being of the school. Before this, Tamil schools had to beg.

Hindu temples were at the mercy of the current regime prior to 2008, when demolishment were taking place unhindered till the rise of Hindraf but after 2008, some state governments even had the money to donate to the building of new temples and the refurbishment of old ones!

The true racist agenda of the regime is now clearly exposed for all to see. The Indians will have to rise to the occasion and move forward to support the thinking Malay who believe in equality. Because by believing in it, the thinking Malay is doing himself and future generations a great favour which is to have a sense of pride and confidence in one’s ability as opposed to continously seeking to be the rent-seeking class who couldn’t care a damn about what happens as long as they get their cut of the pie and the gravy train continues to past their way with a lot of goodies overflowing.

Being stateless in a land in which they have been born in for decades is a problem that most Indians in the rural estates have been facing but up until 2008, the problem was always swept under the carpet. There were some in MIC who helped but the vast majority couldn’t be bothered because they were afraid of offending their Umno superiors whom they had built a bond with for common cause which is to continuously fool the people.

Low cost houses could not be obtained until the right person is tipped. Usually a division chairman will be calling the shots and for those who paid, their chances will be brighter. All this came into the limelight after the Indians were finally awakened by the revolt in 2007. The Indians must not be led by the noose anymore, whether we have enough Members of Parliament or State Assemblymen, we must demand equality and respect.

If it takes an Indian woman to teach us about our responsibility as citizens and to ensure that we are registered to vote, then we must support that woman and be proud of the fact that she has taken it upon herself to educate Malaysians of every race, colour and creed to face ugly racist tendencies that we have lurking inside.

The bigger picture is equality and respect. Whether it is “Nambikei” or “Vishwaz” nothing can be achieved if there is no equality and respect. What is the use of the head of the administration in Putrajaya saying one thing but his administration does another?

If they can show their butts to Ambiga just because she is an Indian, Hindu and has the courage to lead, it won’t take long for them to do the same for the next Indian who decides to speak up. Let’s rise and do the right thing...Vote for Change!