Indians caught in the crosshairs

The Tamil ‘Puthandu’ is 10 days away, but it’s not looking like a happy new year for Malaysian Indians, with the community facing many problems.

AT the beginning of the week, Malaysian civil society organisation Pusat Komas filed a report with a conclusion that came as no surprise – racism is at a record high in Malaysia.

I believe most people know that. We just need to go into social media to realise how bad it is.

The Pusat Komas report did not include social media. Its members could have been in for a shock if they had.

Instead, the report said racism in the country was largely driven by developments in public discourse and policy, Parliament and social settings.

One has to ask: When elected MPs are racists, what do we do?

Driven by these leaders, and other supposedly religious ones, racism has been worsening in the country, with hateful messages being flung from one side to the other.

Of late, though, one community has been the target – the Indians, most of whom are Tamils and Hindus. Apparently, Indians can do no right.

A rightist group started out claiming to be land activists who did not want to see the misuse of land. They first targeted temples, but it has now descended into a free-for-all.

The Indians’ lifestyle, their festivals, the way they talk, their beliefs, their habits – all is fair game, especially on social media.

A deputy minister says much of the racism on social media is by bots. But bots or not, it is scary.

One post suggested that all Indian women in Malaysia should be neutered so no more of the race can be born. Another said he wanted to see the day when there would be no more Indians in Malaysia.

Neither the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission nor the platform’s administrators have taken action.

It is disheartening. But it also is a wake-up call.

Do the Indians deserve such flak? No, and yes. Some of the criticism, to be fair, is deserved.

Are there Hindu temples in the wrong places, on land belonging to others? Yes, there are, but only a few.

Most are properly registered, while some are on disputed land. They have been there for generations, but the land has since been taken over by others. These are victims, not trespassers. Solutions have to be found. But detractors will not listen.

Are Indians drunks? Again, no and yes. There is an inordinately large number of Indians who drink and misbehave. They also form a disproportionately large number of gangsters in Malaysia.

But the bulk of Indians are law-abiding people. Some drink moderately; many do not drink at all.

Drink drivers? They are from all races.

An Indian lad said to be high on booze and drugs crashed into a motorcyclist, killing him. It was an unforgivable act, and the outrage was loud. And rightly so. He has been charged with murder – a first in the country. If guilty, he deserves everything coming to him.

The next day, an SUV hit a car, leaving a family injured. A car rammed into a motorcycle in Klang, leaving the rider injured. On Thursday, a trailer slammed into a van, killing three.

All involved drink driving or drugs, but none of the drivers was Indian.

Indians have also been on the wrong end of intoxicated drivers. In February, three generations of women – a grandmother, mother and toddler – were killed by a driver high on drugs in Batu Gajah. And the three killed in Thursday’s trailer crash were also Indians.

There was no inflammatory outrage then – no shouts of “an eye for an eye” or “a life for a life”. Why now? Is it racism at play?

The point I am trying to make is this: DUI is not exclusive to Indians. We do not need to be racist about it.

And drink driving is not the main killer on our roads. Every festive season, thousands of accidents happen, and hundreds die.

How many of these are caused by drink driving? Almost none. Most are caused by recklessness, people texting while driving or tired drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

Do we hit them all with capital punishment?

Don’t get me wrong. This is not to excuse any drunk driver, or one under the influence of drugs. If you are drunk or on drugs, you have no business being behind the wheel.

The punishment for any drunk driver who causes fatalities should be the harshest possible. Every life lost is a precious, priceless one. But it is not a racial issue.

Racism does not care for numbers and facts. It amplifies the mistakes of a few and tars the whole community. It is like a ­cancer.

The National Unity Ministry has its work cut out in bringing this disease under control.

The Indians, meanwhile, have to get their own act right.

For me, the one biggest challenge the community faces is gangsterism.

The drunken chap speeding down the road with impunity is likely to be involved with gangsterism. The booze, the drugs, the violence? By and large, they all have to do with gangsterism. These guys think they are invincible and the world at large needs to bow before them. Being head of a gang – the mandeh or kepala – is a badge of honour.

Another problem is that there are invisible hands behind these gangs.

Gang members prop up these powerful hidden hands, which in turn offer protection for the gangs.

It is time for the police to crack down without being beholden to invisible hands. Eliminate the gangs, and you solve a large part of the problem.

The ordinary Indian, like any Malaysian, just wants to live his life in peace, and celebrate when his child scores 10As in SPM. He may drink to celebrate, but he won’t be running people over in his car.

Talking of SPM, there may be a life lesson from the recent results. While many were scoring better results, the subject that saw the biggest slide was Moral Studies.

This is the subject that teaches students to develop good character and be responsible citizens. It should also teach them about the evils of racism.

And that’s the subject we are failing in.

The writer wishes Tamils, who form the bulk of Indians in the country, happy New Year on April 14. They need a new beginning – and reprieve from the racism that has them in its crosshairs.