YET another blueprint for the Indian community is to be announced today. The blueprint is Prime Minister Najib Razak’s initiative to give hope to the Indians in return for their vote. Unfortunately, the bureaucrats do not seem to be involved in the design and implementation of the plan. Private individuals, NGOs and some businesspersons have provided input and rolled out the blueprint.

Indians become equal citizens just before elections, only to be neglected and forgotten after they have given their votes.

Like past Indian community economic plans, the coming national blueprint is also implemented on the periphery without the involvement of key government agencies. It is completely dependent on the current prime minister for its successful implementation.

On one end, Umno/Barisan Nasional systematically marginalises and alienates Indians and keeps them on the fringes. But before elections, handouts and blueprint are dished out.

The prime minister made the Indian blueprint announcement at MIC meetings and during his recent visit to India. The last Indian master plan was announced during the election year of 1974 and now, another blueprint is in the offing in yet another election year, where the Indian votes are the tipping point to save the prime minister himself. Therefore, this socio-economic plan for Indians in Malaysia serves a political purpose and is not about uplifting and development of the community.

During his recent visit to India, the prime minister took time off to visit Tamil firm super star Rajni Kanth, who directed the film Kabaali. The movie was a big hit in Malaysia. The crux and plot of it is about the failure of Malaysian Indians, how the Malaysian government marginalises the Indians, why and how the Indians end up as gang leaders to turn on their own and terrorise the Indian community.

It is surprising to note that the prime minister had requested the Tamil superstar to produce Kabaali 2 and 3 and that his MIC entourage did not raise any objections to that.

Malaysian Indians are downtrodden citizens without any rights. They dominated sports in the 1960s, 1970s and even 1980s but their contributions later fizzled out right under the nose of the Umno/BN government. Indians form about 7% of the population but 72% of gangsters come from the community.

They, along with other Malaysians, provide outstanding services in the education and health services but their numbers are dwindling as days go by.

Indians are traditionally an agrarian society. But they are landless and the government agencies do not care two hoots for them. Indians are a weak minority in a society where the majority has all the rights and privileges and this makes the Indians vulnerable to and easy targets for the political threats from the ruling party.  

The special taskforce set up in 2011 to address stateless Indians had achieved little. To cover up these failures, the Indian blueprint is being introduced. Iaster plans and blueprints drawn up political parties without cooperation of the civil services and implementers will only continue to keep the community at the bottom of society. Discriminatory policies, corruption and nepotism in high places and across the civil services will not help the marginalised minority.

Prime minister Najib is battling for his political survival. MIC and other BN Indian parties are losing Indian support. The Indian blueprint is a master plan for Umno/BN survival at the expense of the Indian community. Indians need justice, fair play and equal opportunity. Not another blueprint and double standards. 

Umno/BN has institutionalised racial and religious discrimination for the past 60 years yet now, just before 14th general election, the Umno president and prime minister seems to show care and concern by introducing an economic blueprint. No other country treats its minorities the way this Umno/BN government does.

Even Zakir Naik who is wanted by the India government gets VIP treatment for demonising Malaysian minorities. Minorities will never get justice and fairness under the Umno/BN rule anytime in the future. 

It’s time to change government to save Malaysia from Umno/BN.         

* S. Ramakrishnan is a former senator.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.