By Helen Ang, CPI
Ordinary people whose paths may never have crossed that of our political ruling class are surprisingly resilient. Their preoccupation is with putting food on the table, not politics or patriotism. Making a living for their family keeps them thoroughly absorbed, and in any case, their orbits do not intersect with the bottom band of the heap – the hopeless and helpless who are sadly unable to cope.
Last December, an Iraqi TV reporter threw his shoes at then American president George Bush with the message: “This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq.”
Muntadhar al-Zaidi said his anger at Bush was “because of the unjust condition that we [were] living in”. The man showed the courage of his conviction. After all, he didn’t know if the President’s bodyguards would not have pulled their gun on him, Muntadhar later revealed when he was released after serving nine months in prison.
On Monday, Malaysian police shot dead five Indian youths. Pro-tem secretary-general of the Human Rights Party Malaysia, P. Uthayakumar has characterized the shooting as “summary executions”.
One of the young men who died in the hail of police bullets was R. Surendran. The deceased’s sister Seetha drank poison in grief as she was very close to her brother. She wanted to die.
The Befrienders, an NGO counselling the depressed and suicidal have outreach programmes specifically targeted at the isolated communities living in oil palm and rubber plantations. Poor Indian estate workers have a high risk to suicide.
Four underlying factors are identified as driving a person to suicide – a sense of hopelessness, a feeling of helplessness, unbearable emotional pain, and alienation. These affect the Tamil underclass the most.
This is the segment of Malaysian society in such despair that they do not even find life worth living, and compared with other Malaysians are more susceptible to taking their own lives.
Wither our national aspirations
One part of the American the Declaration of Independence says: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
In Malaysia, some dark-skinned men are deliberately made to be less equal than others. Malaysian authorities who shoot to kill do not believe that ‘suspected criminals’ possess any unalienable right to life, never mind the too hopeful “pursuit of happiness”.
Successive BN governments have not addressed the root problem of the Indian community’s chronic socio-economic ills – why the gangsterism and involvement in criminal activities. It’s not just Indians who are neglected with no opportunity for social mobility; the itinerant pirated DVD seller – almost always Chinese – is also on the wrong side of the law.
Then there are those described by the phrase ‘tiao feiji’ which literally translates into “jump from aeroplane”, referring to Chinese that parachute into a Western country and disappear underground to work without permit.
Despite the risk and insecurity as illegals, this blue-collar group still bails out of Malaysia. White-collar skilled workers take the safer route of following proper emigration procedures.
Nonetheless, for some professionals capitalizing on a quirky loophole, the emigration process nonetheless went awry. A month ago, the wire agency AFP reported on a little-known legal clause that allowed Malaysians, born before 1983 in former crown colonies Penang and Malacca to invoke British Overseas Citizenship (BOC).
A few hundred BOC aspirants obtained British nationality in 1980s and 1990s before the tightening of UK immigration laws left about a thousand applicants post-2002 stranded and stateless. Some Malays reacted to the ‘in limbo’ predicament of these ex-Malaysians (who have cut up their passports) with no uncertain ‘padan muka dia orang’ schadenfreude.
Condition of our own making
“I’m not a hero,” Muntadhar had explained, “but when I saw the war criminal Bush, I wanted to show my resentment – after six years of occupation, this killer came to my country smiling and bragging about victory.”
Recently in September, an MIC member wanted a garland of slippers to be placed on the smiling portrait of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the PWTC.
The unrepentant Muntadhar gave the reason for his action: “I am a person with a stance. I saw my country burning.”
The MIC member M.Sukumaran decided after his suspension from the party to tender a personal apology for the slippers suggestion. “I regret having uttered those words, I regret it very much. I sincerely hope Tun Dr Mahathir will accept my apology,” he stated.
Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy, who is brother to Uthayakumar, shared his thoughts on why Mahathir appeared to merely shrug off the incident. He said the ex-PM was accused of doing nothing for Indians during his 22-year premiership, and being a realist, Mahathir does not expect Indians to be grateful to him.
“So, if any Indian insults him, he knows that he has to just grin and take it,” commented Waythamoorthy. “In fact, he’s probably surprised deep down that he has not been insulted at all so far …”
Mahathir has unerringly kept himself on top of the game. He similarly knows that the leaders of the minority communities have always kissed his feet. And they lick his toes too.
Ordinary people whose paths may never have crossed that of our political ruling class are surprisingly resilient. Their preoccupation is with putting food on the table, not politics or patriotism. Making a living for their family keeps them thoroughly absorbed, and in any case, their orbits do not intersect with the bottom band of the heap – the hopeless and helpless who are sadly unable to cope.
Racial reality on the ground
I believe Hindraf’s Uthayakumar is genuine in the outrage that he feels for Indians suffering “the most serious violation of human rights”. Below are some notes that I took when he and I had a casual chat back in late August.
Uthayakumar said that even as a young boy, he had observed how police abused their powers. He believes underlying the Malaysian malaise of indifference is that “people want to be politically correct”.
Guilty of the sin of political incorrectness Malaysian-style, Uthayakumar is blamed by his detractors for championing only the cause of the Indians. His rebuttal is that Indians gunned down in cold blood is not “a majoritarian” cause that the usually passive Malaysians have any passion for. Furthermore, Indians are deemed “unpressworthy”.
“I wouldn’t waste time on them, convincing the non-Indians and the Indian elites. I’ve given up (trying to do so)”.
He elaborated: “I don’t want to mince my words. I don’t want to be hypocritical. (I don’t deny) I focus on Indian issues.”
Uthayakumar is not of the view that there is “people-to-people racism”. But he is of the belief that “Umno, they are the main propeller of racist policies in this country.”
He brought up the sorry state of Tamil schools that “look like cowsheds” where the “PTAs must buy their own chairs and tables”. He compared them with the Maktab Rendah Sains Mara which he said was “99 percent Malays”. I could add that a single chair in one of those MRSMs had cost RM1,050.
“What’s wrong with Malaysia?!” Uthayakumar asked. “State-orchestrated racism must come to an end.”
The destitute in our midst will not go away any time soon. Unfortunately, those who are better off are unable to get into the frame of mind of the ones really badly off. Thus they fail to understand why marginalized Malaysians are incapable of pulling themselves up by the bootstraps unless given a helping hand.
For this to happen, like Uthayakumar has postulated, racist policies must go. They may one day when Malaysians in the burning country feel the flames of injustice creeping closer to home.
Then more men might be willing to walk in Muntadhar’s size 10 shoes and follow in his striding footsteps.
written by popuri, November 16, 2009 13:45:08
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written by Susanna, November 16, 2009 09:55:59
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written by batsman, November 15, 2009 22:55:37
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written by batsman, November 15, 2009 22:50:26
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written by batsman, November 15, 2009 22:47:57
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written by educationist, November 15, 2009 19:13:24
308 was the equivalent of our throwing the slipper at the UMNOputras!
Unfortunately as with MUNtadhar, the aim was off though the target was correct.
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written by AsamLaksa, November 15, 2009 17:26:40
HINDRAF is great as a force that highlights issues. But they are not good with coming up with solutions. How do you elevate the Indians? I don't know and neither does HINDRAF.
But I can at least suggest closing down more than 90% of vernacular Indian schools. They have little constant funding and poor academic record. Replace them with national schools which gets more funding and a larger pool of educators. Will it erode the Indian culture? Maybe. It's up to the local communities to uphold their culture.
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written by AsamLaksa, November 15, 2009 17:13:47
Chinese business practice is based on trust. Many of them forego short term profits for long term steady profits. So you get Chinese giving trading with each other in credit and undercutting. The chambers of commerce are their arbiters. In many countries, there is lack of trust towards the indigenous business practices. Take for example the Malacca sultanate.
Malacca sultanate was very rich but their wealth came not with business skills. The sultan's income arise out of taxes. When the sultans needs more money, he raised the taxes. This must have happened when the empire had wars, carried out projects and when the royal family grew in size. The royals want quick profits and this puts off the traders who trade in Malacca. They couldn't rely on the expanding royal household who is not working for the best interest of the traders. And you know some preferred the Portugese as administrators. You have the same thing with the Ali Babas, closed tender, sub-sub-sub-contractor culture, etc which were created for quick gains.
So there begins a rather closed network of Chinese businesses. Everyone wants in. But the Chinese looks out for other Chinese because of communal duty and trust in the community.
Chinese hiring Chinese staff mainly because they perceive that the Chinese staff are more likely to have meritoriously earned their qualifications. That's not to say that all non-Chinese are unqualified but rather that they are disadvantaged by this perception. How do you solve this? Sort out the awarding bodies. I would leap for joy the day all local unis are in the top 100 in the world.
Now all the indigenous business persons want to enter the migrant Chinese business network but this is not easy. Mainly because the network is already in existence and trust towards existing business partners will not allow them to break of dealings just to accommodate newcomers. When it comes to new business dealings with non-Chinese, other Chinese businesses slowly takes over by either providing lower cost or other extra benefits which the non-Chinese find hard to compete against. One method tried to break the Chinese business control was Sarekat Islam which is even more hardcore if such a similar model is used in foreign lands.
Then you have Chinese businesses mixing with politics. It's inevitable. Politicians needs money and businesspersons need recognition and protection. The ones that pay the most gets the best protection. Don't be surprised that behind every tyrant is a Chinese businessman or an equivalent successful migrant businessperson.
Why hate the Chinese?
Cultural exclusiveness is really an excuse because every group of migrants, if the numbers are sufficient, always practice their distinct cultures many to annoyance of the indigenous population especially when they do not congregate at the same place of worship (see Turkish community in Germany, Pakistanis in UK, etc). Looking out for your own community is not evil. Every community does it so don't pick on the Chinese. Malaysia has so much wealth that is more than enough to go around for all but guess where it ends up in? The larger share does not end up with the Chinese because let's face it they do not control the cabinet, police and courts.
Chinese attitude? Sure they have bad attitude and the one that really pisses off the indigenous is disrespect towards the indigenous population. Chinese chauvinism is fuelled by indigenous impotence.
But see it this way, the Chinese superiority complex will not disappear any time soon as long as the non-Chinese population does not give them reason to. You also cannot expect any charity or benevolence because that will make others look down on you further. I believe you are wrong, Batsman, it's not the Chinese taking a few steps backward but every community is taking a few steps backward. Instead of everyone working together they sow more distrust. Instead of everyone identifying their own weaknesses and work on it, they simply look at differences.
I can't comment a lot on the Angolan mafia problem but I suspect that the Angolan mafia wants a bigger cut of the profits while the Chinese government which is funding the projects are not keen on it.
Now, forgive me if I sound like a Chinese apologist because I am not. It's simply how things stand. I don't like it but it's all around me. Even my wife easily makes racial prejudicial remarks and I am helpless to refute because she is right most of the time. My idealism cannot refute facts. I'm more concerned with how to take this forwards. Idealism can change facts. Where do we go from here?
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written by miwaki, November 15, 2009 17:01:37
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written by alarcarte, November 15, 2009 16:51:14
Decades ago the Indians still can take pride of being employed as Gomen Servant, but now they really have been pushed out.
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written by malgal, November 15, 2009 14:40:28
time, i think, to take out some footwear, older the better for they have become too comfortable, and blink away the planks before our eyes.
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written by temenggong, November 15, 2009 13:52:38
I have seen with my own eyes how purported policemen carried off the sound system from an Indian pub because they were not 'paid'. The pub closed and the owner is now a car repossessor.
But they do this on behalf of the chinese and the police too. For instance the chinese potong kereta garages and syndicates will tell them how many cars they want and of which make, and how much to pay the police. So these dudes have monthly sales targets to meet or the police will create havoc on them!
That's how sometimes accidents in police custody happens!
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written by SoundMan, November 15, 2009 13:40:01
President of the United States of America George W. Bush (backed by the Free World) liberated Iraq from tyranny of the Baath Party and their dictator President Saddam Hussein.
President Bush will be seen as a man who has presented the Iraqi people a unique opportunity to govern themselves.
It now is up to the leaders, Iraq elected, to translate the fruits of liberty to each and every Iraqi.
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written by arazak, November 15, 2009 12:50:50
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written by batsman, November 15, 2009 12:42:45
The Chinese are targetted every corner of the globe too. could this be because of a cultural defect or an attitude defect? What I see is that Indians are making an admirable improvement in their attitudes while the Chinese seem to be taking a few steps backward. Am i wrong?
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Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
- Martin Niemoller, pastor in Nazi Germany
First they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the working-class Indians and I did not speak out because I was not an Indian.
Then they came for the migrant workers and I did not speak out because those Indons and Myanmars just make trouble only.
Then they came for the Opposition politicians and I did not speak out because I was not a party member.
Then they came for Dr. Asri and I did not speak out because I was not a Muslim, not my problem what.
Then they came for the bloggers and I did not speak out because I didn't have a blog.
Then they came for me...