I'm not sure whether any of you know this, but after the Turun Anwar rally last Saturday — where the opposition and tens of thousands (or maybe just thousands) of Malaysians gathered determinedly to bring Anwar down — there was a side drama that unfolded among the Indian community.
What side drama, you ask?
It was a war of words between MIPP, the Indian component party in Perikatan Nasional, and Urimai, another Indian party that seems to be trying to push MIPP out so it can take MIPP’s place in the coalition.
Long story short, during last Saturday’s anti-Anwar rally, the Indian turnout was extremely low, even though dissatisfaction among Indians with Anwar’s administration is quite high.
I was at the rally myself and in the two hours I was there, I saw only about 2 or 3 Indians.
The failure of the rally to attract Indian participation, despite the high level of discontent among Indians, was used by Urimai as an “Indian crab” move to pull MIPP down.
By accusing MIPP of lacking strong leadership and claiming it does not represent the Indian community, Urimai is probably trying to drag MIPP down and lift itself up in the process.
And how did MIPP respond to being “crabbed”? It retaliated — launching attacks against Urimai and its leadership to try and bring Urimai down too. I won’t say more than this because honestly, I find their antics to just be embarassing for the entire community.
From my end, I’ll just say this: I think both MIPP and Urimai are just talking foolishly. The fact that MIPP couldn’t get Indians to attend the rally doesn’t mean Urimai would succeed if given the chance. Neither party is capable of mobilizing Indian support. In fact, not just these two, but most Indian political parties in Malaysia struggle to gain the trust or backing of the Indian community.
Why?
Because Indians in Malaysia today almost unanimously believe that all our leaders and political parties will betray us for their own self-interest.
Not just Urimai and MIPP — even MIC, the traditional Indian party, suffers from the same credibility crisis.
Just recently, Saravanan, MIC’s No. 2, issued a strong warning to Barisan Nasional that MIC might soon leave the coalition due to feeling betrayed, disappointed, and unappreciated. But Barisan’s response was lukewarm. Sure, some leaders asked MIC to reconsider, but half-heartedly. It was as if they were saying, “If you ask me whether I want you to leave, the answer is no. But if you still want to leave, what can I do?”
This indifference clearly shows that even Barisan doesn’t believe MIC has the Indian community’s support. That’s why they’re not too bothered — they know that even if MIC leaves, it won’t really hurt Barisan.
If Indians are not supporting opposition parties like MIPP or Urimai, and also not backing ruling parties like MIC — then who exactly are Indians supporting?
In my view, the answer is Anwar and possibly Najib. Indians may currently feel disappointed with Anwar for sidelining them after becoming Prime Minister, but if he were to reach out and reconcile, I believe they would return to support him.
Najib might also gain Indian support — if he’s released from prison.
But you might ask, “Nehru, Anwar and Najib are Malays — why would Indians support Malays? Don’t they have any Indian leaders to support?”
And that’s exactly the problem with Indians right now — we’ve reached a point where we’d rather support outsiders than our own.
But why, you might ask?
Because Indians are now so weak, that the only people we can realistically fight, compete and win against — are ourselves.
The war of words between MIPP and Urimai is the perfect example of how tragic the Indian community’s situation has become. They’re both fighting each other fiercely — for crumbs. It doesn’t matter who wins; neither will be able to earn the support or trust of the Indian community. Yet they keep fighting because there’s no one else to fight, and nothing else to gain — except crumbs.
Recently, Nurul Izzah, Anwar’s daughter, said something to the tune of the Indian community holds a special place in her heart. In a time when Indians feel neglected, sidelined, and betrayed by everyone, if Nurul Izzah were to do something meaningful, she might well become a key Indian leader.
The Indian community is indeed tyhat desperate desperate.
According to the Department of Statistics, by 2060, the Indian population percentage is projected to drop from 6.7% today to 4.7%.
I believe that once our population falls below 5%, it will be extremely difficult for Indians to maintain our identity.
Even now, at 6.7%, we’re already seeing signs of how hard it is.
We have no real political leadership or party representing us. Key identity symbols — like temples and Tamil schools — are being closed, relocated, or demolished. Economically, we’re not doing well. Many Indians are involved in crime and gangs likely because our ability to support ourselves economically is dwindling. Increasing numbers of Indian youth no longer speak their mother tongue compared to previous generations.
The “Indian crab” phenomenon isn’t just visible in the MIPP-Urimai saga, but also reflects a larger reality in our community. The weaker we become, the more likely we are to tear each other down — not because we enjoy it, but because we have no other viable opponent to fight or competent against, other than ourselves. To rise, we might just have to tear each other down.
Minorities, by nature, must perform better than the majority in order to survive and retain their identity. The majority can preserve theirs even with average performance due to their numbers. But for minorities, average or below-average performance means extinction.
And our performance has slipped below average.
That’s why we’re struggling to hold on to our identity.
We are slowly going extinct, and we don’t know how to solve this.
We can’t trust or support our leaders or political parties, because they seem more interested in using us for their gain than in solving our problems.
So we’re left turning to figures like Anwar, Najib, or Nurul Izzah — outsiders — because what else can we do?
Before I end this article however, let me clarify something: when I say “extinction,” I don’t necessarily mean “destruction.” Destruction can lead to extinction, but extinction can happen even without it. For instance, the Etruscans became extinct during Roman times, not because they were destroyed, but because they were absorbed.
To me, extinction is a natural process that occurs when the conditions needed for something to exist — like a race or community — no longer exist. Everything — races, nations, even the Earth, the sun, stars, and universe — will one day cease to exist. So extinction isn’t necessarily negative. It can be, but at its core, it’s natural.
I believe we must accept that with just 6.7% of the population, it’s going to be difficult for us to maintain our Indian identity.
In fact, maybe letting go of that identity is something we must do — because the longer we live in Malaysia, it is only natural and appropriate for our identity to evolve from being “more Indian” to “more Malaysian.”
Rather than resisting this natural transition for emotional or sentimental reasons, it may be wiser for us to ensure this transition happens with dignity.
To do that, we must make sure we are accepted into Malaysian identity with dignity.
There are two ways this can happen:
If we are strong, we can embrace Malaysian identity voluntarily and with dignity.
But if we are weak and desperate however, we might be forced into it shamefully.
If we transition voluntarily and with dignity, our descendants may no longer identify as “Indian” — but they won’t be ashamed to declare that they are descendents of Indians either.
But if we’re forced into it under shame and pressure, they might reject and forget us entirely.
And if future generations don’t honour, respect or remember us, that’s not bad for them — and a tragedy and failure on our half too.
To be honoured, remembered and respected by future generations — and to fulfill our duty to our ancestors — we must start planning how to manage our extinction now.
Statistically, we have about 30 years.
If we wait too long, it’ll be too late.
Hopefully, MIC, MIPP, or the other Indian parties will begin to think about the fate, future, and interests of the Indian race — not just their personal ambitions.
If not, maybe Anwar or Nurul Izzah can step in.
6.7% may be small, but in this volatile political climate, 6.7% can mean a lot.
Besides, all the other segments of society have already been “claimed” — only the Indian vote remains up for grabs.
If Nurul Izzah tries, she just might win Indian support.
And while Najib sits in prison, maybe he can think about this too. One day he might be free. If he shows sympathy for the Indian predicament, there’s no reason why Indians wouldn’t rally behind him.
TheRealNehruism (nehru.sathiamoorthy@gmail.com) 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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