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By Naragan The restiveness of Indians in the country continues unabated, raising its head up in various forms regularly. The latest is the purported move by Manickavasagam of PKR threatening to pull out from PKR.
I do not in any way intend to allocate blame or to insinuate that the participants in the latest quarrel are wrong. Rather, what I am saying is that the real issue needs to be understood differently and the issues to be resolved, framed differently. I think new light needs to be shed on this issue so that this move is not misunderstood or trivialized. We need a new concept of the Nation of Malaysia if we are going to realize sustainable prosperity instead of the vast human potential that is being constantly diddled away by a National Policy totally lacking in vision. Of course, the current elites – whether within BN or PR – do not yet appreciate this fully enough. My argument here can easily be passed off as more racially slanted rubbish. That is exactly the point. There is a lot of paradigm paralysis in our country. This simmering restiveness relates directly to the emergent aspirations of the whole Indian community in Malaysia. Uthayakumar has sensitively captured this feeling and articulated it loudly and audaciously in his 18 point demand to the authorities. It is obvious by the way things have been progressing, since the 25th Nov 2007 Hindraf rally which brought this document into focus, that this issue about an emergent community is little understood by all those in position to make a difference. They are approaching it like old wine in a new bottle. The 18 point demand comprehensively captures all the key issues afflicting the Indian community. In an oblique way, these demands also point to a need for the creation of a new paradigm for the governance of our country. The basic policies of governance in the country need to be reset or else the issues are always going to be framed in the all too familiar ways of “equal but unequal policies”. The 18 points relate to the blatant violation of the supreme document of rights – the Federal Constitution; of inequality and imbalance in the disposition of the national wealth, to a system running with increasingly less accountability, to blatant disregard for the fact that Malaysia is essentially multi-ethnic and multi-religious. For those who care, please find a copy of the 18 demands of Hindraf and understand just how comprehensive the document really is – even though it is specifically addressed to the issues afflicting the Indian community. Only when the 18 demands are taken seriously and viewed from the perspective of National Policy can we expect a positively positioned country to re-emerge. Given the current turmoil in the world economy and the political confusion in our country, this is no understatement. The people of the country must understand that a new regime is needed and it is needed now. We cannot allow the momentum to slow down or everyone will lose. In this instance, I think the PKR leadership needs to look at the issues of the Indian community in a more comprehensive and attentive manner. They must be willing to listen and adjust in visible and tangible ways. The Indian PKR representatives should push for a general meeting with the powers that be – and set up a forum for this discussion. The objective of this forum should be to formulate a new National Policy Blueprint. Until the outcome of such discussion is known, Manickavasagam needs to stay where he is. The decisions should be made only after clearly knowing their stand on the 18 points. Either we all take the cue from all these writings on the wall or just allow history to run its course.
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