from: R Paneir Selvam, via email
On Sunday, the MIC will hold its 70th general assembly. After Dr S Subramaniam consolidated his power by sidelining his predecessor, he is moving to another phase of transition as the leader of the oldest Indian political party in the government of Malaysia.
I would like to know what kind of direction he wants to bring to this political party and what are his plans to elevate this community economically and socially.
His predecessors, except for Tun V.T. Sambanthan, discussed the same issues at every assembly – citizenship, Tamil schools, and temples – without any substantive results. Will Dr Subramaniam follow their footsteps or will he depart from them to show his leadership potential?
It is time for him focus on the matters which are much more important to safeguard the position and interest of the Indian community.
The involvement of Indian youth in crime, especially involving secondary school children, is alarming. The crime rate is much higher in proportion to population. What are the root causes? What measures and initiatives must be taken by MIC to resolve this issue? What are MIC’s plans for these troubled youth to realign their life?
The onus rests on the leader of MIC to address this distressing social problem.
The exodus of estate workers to urban areas was not properly addressed. Most of the estate workers and their families resettled in towns without proper facilities and jobs, creating squatter colonies, which later became breeding grounds for crime and other social illnesses.
The troubled Indian youth from such families are now resettled in PPR low-cost flats, which then become a hotbed of criminal activities. What are the MIC’s proposals to overcome this problem?
With the current economic slowdown, many Indians are losing their jobs especially to the foreigners. In late 1980s and 1990s, many Indian girls worked in factories around Sungai Way. They have been replaced with foreigners. Where are those Indian girls now, and what they are doing? Many of these girls were major contributors to their families’ income.
The past and present governments were generous enough to fund a lot of allocations for the Indian community, routed through MIC for community development. What happened to these funds? How are these funds managed? Is there any transparent mechanism? Can these accounts be made publicly available for scrutiny?
Whether the MIC’s claim to represent the Indian community is relevant or not after two general elections is difficult to ascertain, due to its past and present blunders especially the misdeeds of the leaders from the late 1970s to early 2010.
Does Dr Subramaniam have any specific plans and strategies to attract and persuade the well-educated Indians to rejoin MIC?
Dr Subramaniam has a big responsibility. He has a choice to choose, whether to become an ordinary leader or statesman. The community has high hopes for him. The betterment of the community is paramount. Whether Dr Subramaniam will leave a legacy similar to Tun V.T. Sambanthan, only the future generation will determine.
R. Paneir Selvam is chairman of the Association of Legal and Policy Researcher
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