Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email The veterans (collectively) mentioned that government should pay more attention to the displaced Indians (from closed estates and urban squatters), its time for MIC to select younger candidates for election (hint for the oldest leader?), Indians are not totally marginalised, the opportunities for vocational and technical studies should be taken up, and that there are more professionals now. Also highlighted were the issues of stateless Indians.
Arrest dangerous trend and do more, say ex-MIC leaders
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By : Suganthi Suparmaniam
KUALA LUMPUR: Indians have always been loyal supporters of Barisan Nasional but MIC veterans feel there are many aspects the government has to look into to win the majority of the Indian votes.
Former Perak MIC chief Tan Sri K. Kumaran said the government needed to look into urban poverty and the economic status of the Indians. He said development had forced many to leave estates and migrate to cities where they often faced unemployment and housing problems, causing them to resort to gangsterism. “BN should also come up with proper proposals offering opportunities and economic growth for the Indians, as they have done for the Bumiputeras,” he said. On the possibility of a swing in votes among Indians to the opposition, Kumaran said: “I think it’s a dangerous trend. Only the BN can take care of the Indians.”
He believed that the problems could be rectified by having more young, educated and capable candidates for the coming general election. “I think it’s time for senior representatives to make way for younger ones to rejuvenate the party and for it to face the present challenges.”
Former MIC Wanita chief Datin Paduka Jaya Partiban said Indians were not totally marginalised as they could make use of opportunities created by the government. However, she said many were unhappy as they had to struggle for everything, including for entry into universities and jobs in the government service.She called for more help for small-time businessmen.Opportunities must be provided to buy low-cost houses and more flexibility must be given in getting loans when a person had no fixed or steady income, she said.”The BN government is willing to accept its weaknesses and overcome it. The government is willing to meet political leaders to find out the problems.”
Another former MIC Wanita chief, Puan Sri Sarasa Pasamanikam, said the Indian community now had more graduates, intellectuals and professionals. However, she said the government needed to look into the problems of plantation workers, many of whom had been displaced after the estates were cleared for other development projects. “Although the MIC has taken care of them in the past, I think more could have been done for them, in terms of compensation and housing,” she said. Sarasa said many of the displaced plantation workers were now living in squatter areas, with no skills and few job opportunities.
“I wouldn’t say that Indians have been marginalised. There were technical and vocational training schools but our youth were not very interested in them. We should have taken advantage of these opportunities.” She said another pressing problem was the predicament of stateless Indians and urged the government to sympathise with their plight.
“Indians have been loyal supporters of BN. Although there are some genuine grievances, I think we can solve them through the BN via negotiation.”
