I do not really know whether to be embarassed by HINDRAF or to be proud of HINDRAF.I lean a little more towards embarassment and humiliation. It is safe to say that HINDRAF's claim of every Indian ever to walk the soils of Malaysia is worth RM1 million, is illogical to say the least. Now, when I read this ridiculous woe is me because of you claim, I thought to myself what a ruckus the Africans will create if they had the same ideas as these Indian men leading HINDRAF. Sure, we all acknowledge the fact that the MIC may not be doing enough for the Indian community. I mean, look who is running that organisation. Then again, if so many of the Indians feel that he is not looking after their interests, why do they keep voting for him, over and over again? I have this sudden urge to shout PADAN MUKA!(just like how I want to shout it at those Americans who moan about Bush yet reelect him, rigged elections or otherwise).
So, now, why do I lean towards humiliation and less towards being proud?
Firstly, what is the objective of HINDRAF? Was it REALLY to fight the cause of the Indians? Are the Indians in fact being intentionally left behind in the economic race in Malaysia? Now, the operative word here is INTENTIONAL. Is the Government indeed INTENTIONALLY preventing the Indians from rising to their fullest potential? What reasons could there be for doing that? Apparently HINDRAF supporters feel that way. They say the Government has sidelined them and has not helped them in "upgrading" their standards of living. So they ask for a special hotline to cater for all the Indian grouses and complaints which may need to be forwarded to the Government. (Like, hello? Who died and made you so special?)
When I sit down and think about it (yes, every once in a while, I DO think) I ask myself this question. If I were Indian, why would I feel persecuted? And unloved by my own country? Is it because I have tried and failed because of the country's policies? Or because I have not tried at all and I expect it to fall into my lap and I just enjoy the luxury?
I digress a little but I share this discussion I had with a friend, A just the other day. Now, A is of a different race and religion from me yet we share the same thoughts on this issue. When I asked him whether he thought the Indians were doing enough for themselves, he agreed they were not. A quick look (and admittedly some racial profiling) will show that young Malay boys try to help themselves by setting up Ramly Burger stalls to make a quick buck. Chinese boys sell pirated DVDs to earn a living. Now, what do young Indians do? They resort to crime. Am I being racists? Am I doing too much of a racial discrimination cum racial profiling thing here?
Am I really?I have had my fair share of crime related experience with Indian youths.
Of course A reminded me about Mat Rempits and their race. And I asked him whether the Mat Rempits have accused the Government of not doing enough to help them be better or they just choose to live that life. He contemplated the question and agreed that it was indeed a lifestyle choice. They are not Rempits because the Government has not done enough for them. They like that life. They want to be there.
But apparently the Indians are resorting to crime because the Government has failed them. I admit in my earlier posts that I agree the Government is not doing enough to help them, but to have a massive demonstration (and in the process humiliating me, as a Malaysian, for showing how much of a third world country we still are) and sue the British Government for trillions?! Come on.
While we can always point at someone to say you're not doing enough, we also have to use those hands to do something to help ourselves. Sure that man at the helm of MIC is not doing enough, so you as a voter, have to do something about it. Boot him out. Its quite easy really. If you cannot help yourselves(and your own people do not want to help you either) do not blame it others! You think Lim Goh Tong got where he is today because he sat around thinking woe is me!Woe are my parents who came to Malaysia as nothing but labourers and servants! Well, no. He worked hard and he overcome the obstacles of being born poor.
A lot of us are not born with a silver spoon in our mouths. Admitedly while there is no such thing as equal opporunities in Malaysia, there are STILL opportunities. Are you the son of a rubber tapper? Who said you cannot study hard and be who you want to be? Are you the daughter of a wan ton mee seller? How did you get those 10A1s and obtained a scholarship to further your studies? Are you the young girl living in the Orang Asli settlement who had to study with kerosene lamps every night because your family is too poor to have electricity? How did you overcome that and managed 4As for your UPSR?It can be done. It is just a matter of whether you want to do it.
On a different note, while I agree HINDRAF's demostration is stupid,prosecution for illegal assembly? How come those UMNO supporters did not get prosecuted for holding a massive "we hate Condoleeze Rice" demonstration a year back? That was not an unlawful assembly? Did the Government endorse it? If indeed the Government did, why did we host Condoleeza Rice? Maybe because that guy whose father in law is the PM headed it, so the un was dropped for the lawful and no prosecution was necessary.
At least you can TRY to be consistent. It might have happened a year ago(more or less) and many things have happened between then and now, but while we might not remember, but we sure as hell do not forget.
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