Unlike other races in the country, very few things can unite the Indian community. One such event that came close to achieving some resemblance of unity in recent years was the Hindraf rally in 2007. There’s another indicator as well – MIC’s membership which  claim to be in the region of half a million or so.

Other than the above two, I fail to see any other items/ideals that Indians agree upon. Be it religion, language, tamil schools, Thaipusam holiday, political parties, 1Malaysia, lockup deaths, temple relocation, etc. Every faction has its own opinions, often contradictory.

Could it be that for once, regardless its right or wrong, all Indians stand behind the residents of Kg Buah Pala (one of the current hot issues affecting the community)? Would it cause a ripple or change anything? Can we see political party representatives stand together in front of the bulldozers, instead of some leaders conveniently switching of their handphones (as was claimed in some articles)? We can learn from our brothers from the other community – one death related to MACC, and the community is showing anger. Or mention Islam, and the Muslims join  hands faster than a speeding bullet (being dramatic here).

Its clear the political parties are not really supporting the residents but merely playing dramatic scenes, while the media is portraying the residents as being “greedy”. PM Najib washed his hands off the problem, saying land is state issue. Ex-CM virtually dissappeared from the face of the earth, current CM talking law too much. Champion of community says got up to RM5 million to help state buy back land.

Kg Buah Pala is a straightforward issue. Any right thinking Malaysian will consider the rule of law, and also the “compassionate”  and “natural justice” part. If need to, suspend the development order until all investigations are initiated and completed. But where is MACC and other law enforcement agencies?

There are some valid questions asked by people – why no action taken to formalise or verify the land ownership for past 50 years? Why no advice to the residents? Why sell cheap? Why sell to that company? Why new government accept final payment? Can the agreement/sale be undone or halted? How can  try to demolish when there’s a review pending on 18th August?

I’m sure many smart and learned Malaysians can ask more questions, but who is actually answering these questions? Is it the stakeholders like residents, ex-CM Koh Tsu Koon, federal government, state government, cooperative, developer, the politicians who made promises, the champion of the community reps who didn’t do the job? How reliable are these answers?

If the issue of Kg Buah Pala happened to you – someone comes along and says that your ancestral house is no more yours because it was under the care of the government all this time and was sold it to a third person –  what would you do? Some may say tough luck and move on, others will fight to the end. If you feel you are on the side of justice, surely you’ll feel aggrived. If you felt that its your fault that never verify or follow up with the land matters, you will move on.

So, at the moment, its hinging on the 18th court hearing. After that, this issue will be forgotten, probably until next general elections. Well, one good lesson from this – please check the ownership of the land you occupy (make it an annual affair, just like paying tax or renewing car license). Remember that what happened to Kg Buah Pala residents can happen to you too.