The Tamil community had a significant influence in Southeast Asia until around 1500 CE, with Tamil traders, teachers, priests, politicians, and adventurers being the dominant force in the region.
Historically, the Sangam era, which lasted from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, saw the rule of the Chera, Chola, and Pandya clans. This was followed by the Pallavas, who ruled from the 3rd to the 9th century CE. By the 11th century CE, the Chola Empire expanded to include parts of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, becoming a military, economic, and cultural powerhouse. The Vijayanagara Empire later ruled from the 14th to the 17th century CE.
Despite this rich history, the Tamil community in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, has been facing challenges regarding leadership traits.
The late potential and influential Malaysian Indian leaders, such as the D.R. Seenivasagam brothers, Thamboosamy Pillai, E.E.C. Thuraisingam, and many others, performed well during their time in leadership.
After their time, the next leaders who came to power in ruling coalitions, such as the late Mr. John Thivy until Tun S. Samy Vellu and the following leaders also did not appear to have made any significant attempts to create leaders for the next generation.
Currently, the environment is not conducive to developing such leaders, and the community struggles to find capable individuals. Prominent figures from the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and other political entities should take the initiative to foster leadership within the community.
After their demise, the subsequent generation of the Tamil community in Malaysia has struggled to identify exceptional successors to lead the Indian community, often succumbing to individualism. This has become the main cause of the current situation and should be seen as one of the biggest political mistakes made by previous leaders. This has resulted in significant challenges for the Indian community today.
Although the past cannot be changed, it is crucial to recognize the importance of leadership and learn from previous mistakes. The community must come together to identify potential leaders who can guide it into the future. The Indian community, constituting the third-largest ethnic group in Malaysia with around 1.8 million people, must nurture effective leadership.
Recently, former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad highlighted some Malay leaders, such as Khairy Jamaluddin, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Mukhriz Mahathir, and the late Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat's son, Nik Abdul Aziz, as individuals with the potential to lead the nation in the future.
When it comes to the Indian community, however, the existence of capable leaders remains uncertain. Nevertheless, it is not too late; the community urgently needs leaders to guide them.
News indicates that many talented young individuals are scattered across the country. Those in positions of influence should actively create a value-based leadership mindset and ignite new leadership skills among the younger generation. This responsibility lies with all of us.
Sandara Segaran is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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