-Dr. S. Ramakrishnan, Former Senator, June 11, 2017.

UMNO and the Prime Minister know very well that the PRU 14 election will be a close and hard fought battle.

This being the case, every vote counts.

The rural folks and Felda settlers are upset with the UMNO/BN government over the GST implementation, increase in overall prices and the poor performance of the FGV.

As such, for the very first time in 60 years, UMNO/BN is on uncertain ground over the support of their core supporters.

But, they feel Indian votes can be won over with superficial friendly gestures, handouts and hints of some hope.

The UMNO/BN propaganda machinery started the preparation of the Malaysian Indian blueprint (MIB) 2 years’ ago and finally announced it with pomp, pageantry and spender on 23rd April 2017.

However, the implementation of the plans and programmes highlighted in the blueprint will only begin in 2019 and its progress will be reviewed in 2021.

In the interim, the Prime Minister announced that the success of MIB depends on the Indian support for UMNO/BN during the upcoming election due to be held in 2017/2018.

And here lies the catch.

During the past 60 years of UMNO/BN rule, the ruling coalition has systematically but slowly and surely limited the social and economic upward mobility of the Indians and the other non-Malay communities.

Due to the UMNO racial discriminatory policies, the Indian community fared worse in almost all sectors.

In all areas, including the civil service, educational progress, economic participation, sports participation and performance just to name a few, the community has fallen far behind.

The Indian community was left out of the Malaysian success story.

In fact, when estates were converted into townships and housing schemes, plantation workers were practically sweet talked by MIC leaders to move into urban ghettos without any support whatsoever.  This ghetto has bred gangster-ism and other negative traits in some sections of the Indian poor.

While Malaysia was rapidly developing, millions of foreign workers were brought in to replace unskilled local ones.  It is said that there are two million documented and four million undocumented foreigners in Malaysia.

Foreign workers are supposed to work in estates, factories and restaurants.  But, instead they have invaded all wet markets and are petty traders in Kuala Lumpur town centre, involved in direct sales, day and night and many more other areas.

Foreign workers have started depriving locals of job opportunities, suppressed wages of Malaysian workers, as well as deprived business opportunities meant for locals for a long time.

How did the authorities allow this situation to come about?

Government discriminatory policies of bringing in Indonesian and Bangladeshi workers have stolen the rightful opportunities from both the Indian and the Malay communities.

When the rural Malay support was good for UMNO/BN, the Indian community was a forgotten lot.  The MIC became the representative of government for the Indians. 

But, now that the rural and Felda folks are showing signs of discontent, UMNO/BN needs to win over the Indians badly just before the general elections.

The MIC which became irrelevant after the 2008 elections is now being given a new life- line, the Malaysian Indian blueprint.

However, to achieve the basic needs like citizenship, increase income levels, solving estate workers’ problems, Indian housing issues, re-skilling of Indian youths, the blueprint needs 10 years for palpable results. The targets set in 2017 will be achieved in 2027. This is a clear indication of a complete lack of will and desire for solving the plight of the Malaysian Indian community.

The task of achieving these MIB targets over the next 10 years is further delegated to MIC and its affiliated NGOs. This shows a lack of direct government commitment towards the achievement of MIB targets.

Sixty years of discrimination and marginalization from the main stream has eroded and badly affected the self-confidence within the Indian community. The community needs empowerment and inclusiveness in government policies. Does MIB address this need of Indian community? I doubt.

S.Ramakrishnan

(former Senator)

11/6/2017