Opinion: On The Record: English, not Manglish please
by Abdullah Ahmad
03 October 2000

CONTRARY to the general belief English is the third most widely spoken language
in the world. The first is Potonghua (Mandarin) and second is Spanish.

Malaysia is listed by Time Almanac 2000 as one of the nations where English is
widely spoken besides the United States, United Kingdom and Tonga.

No mention is made about Malay being the official or national language or even
widely spoken. Nor Bahasa Indonesia is mentioned for Indonesia; instead it is
Javanese.

George Orwell said in 1954 - the year I got a pass in English and a credit in
English literature in the Cambridge School Certificate examination - that the
English language was in a bad way and there was little the English could do
about it.

Despite that, English remains the lingua franca of the world.
The English (or rather the British) are still complaining about what George
Orwell stated 46 years ago.

The issue has been and will always be a concern to everyone, even to us.
In our case, the problem is to emphasise to all Malaysians, that though English
is no longer the language during colonial times when good command of it was a
necessity, it remains true that proficiency in the language is crucial to
success in whatever they do.

Even the Chinese, Japanese, Russians, Vietnamese, Thais, Indonesians and Arabs
are all studying English with a vengeance.

I am stating this openly and clearly: never has this nation and bumiputeras in
particular needed to invest more in acquiring knowledge via the English
language, and hopefully through it, our collective imagination will be enhanced.

There are no gains without pains; diligence is the mother of good luck.

Therefore, the Government, teachers, employers and parents who appear to be
talking non-stop about the fast declining standard of English among Malaysians,
even among graduates, have to do something brave, drastic and post-haste to
arrest what is even obvious to ordinarily ordinary persons.

I won't say English is dying here, but is it the kind of English we want to be
taught to our grandchildren?

As an editorial in The New Straits Times last Thursday stated, everyone bemoans
the fact the standard of English has declined but what are we doing about it?

I will now say, unequivocally, that short of a fast-track effort to arrest
it ,our international edge over our neighbours will soon be eroded, and do not
be altogether surprised if what Prime Minister Datuk Ser Dr Mahathir Mohamad
aspires to achieve for the country - the status of a developed nation by 2020 -
would not be attained.

It is shocking, as it is shameful that, according to a study, about 70 per cent
of pupils in levels four to six in primary schools have difficulty in stringing
together a grammatically correct sentence.

Poorly qualified teachers is one thing. The problem is compounded by the
reality of the environment at home and play, inadequate time given for English
lessons, crowded classrooms and the majority of pupils coming from pre-schools
which do not use English as the medium of instruction.

The result of all these factors is that except for the privileged children who
constantly use English at home, the rest suffer as they are not exposed to the
foreign tongue.

It is no exaggeration that even graduates lack the ability to draft a simple
letter in idiomatic English and some can't even comprehend a straightforward
instruction.

Employers are lamenting and some editors are really crying over this. This is
the harsh state of affairs and until we are courageous enough to accept this
and do something quickly, I suggest we refrain from being too overly ambitious
to be this and that.

English is the language of the knowledge-based economy. Our educational policy
(without undermining the status of the National Language and national syllabus)
must be a bit flexible.

Otherwise it is difficult for us to pursue and attain our international aims
and national agenda. No way can a monolingual civil service and private sector
deliver them.

What perplexes me is that despite there being no opposition to the teaching of
English within Umno and even Pas (as long as it does not sideline Bahasa
Malaysia) why is the Government rather tardy and even ambivalent about English?

A dozen years ago I spoke in Parliament about the Government's irresolution on
the subject. The then Education Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, invited me
to talk about it over lunch.

He told me of the plan to enhance the teaching of English and to re-introduce
English literature in the English syllabus.

Obviously, it was not enough, if indeed what he said to me has been implemented.
Dr Mahathir, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and many others went to English
medium schools, yet their mother tongue has not suffered. So wherein lies the
problem?

A changed and changing environment in the learning and teaching of English in
our country causes the poor and deteriorating standard of English.

In Singapore, a Chinese majority city-state where Mandarin is promoted, English
has not suffered as much, although the Singapore Government is trying to curb
the spread of the phenomenon known as "Singlish", because it is a compulsory
first language.

English is also a sine qua non, I believe, to merit the School Certificate,
just as it was when I was in school.

I never got my School Certificate though I passed English and obtained a credit
in literature because I failed in one of the other two obligatory subjects,
mathematics and science.

Cambridge and Harvard notwithstanding, I keep reading, speaking and writing in
English.
I do the same in Malay: I did not attend school until I was nine and in my
first year at MCKK (1948) I learned grammar, dictation, multiplication tables,
Quaranic verses and poetry by rote.

You must pass them, otherwise you would first be demoted before being asked to
leave school. The fear of being humiliated made lazy bones like me work just to
keep my place.

Let us encourage people to read, write and talk in English until they attain
some semblance of skills to do effective business at the United Nations, in the
Euro markets, Shanghai and Tokyo.

I would like to reiterate that none who has acquired considerable command of
English has lost proficiency in the mother tongue. The examples are too
numerous - the late Tun Mohamad Suffian, Tan Sri Ahmad Ibrahim and Tun Razak.

Among the living: Dr Mahathir, Tun Daim Zainuddin, Tan Sri Musa Hitam, Tengku
Razaleigh Hamzah, Datuk Dr Rais Yatim, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz and hundreds of
others. One or two are trying to acquire working knowledge of third and even
fourth languages.

I wrote in my diary yesterday that there are between 60,000 and 65,000
bumiputera students attending Chinese-medium schools.

Why? I know the reason but that will be the subject of another article. I will
not be surprised, and I think it is a good sign, the bumiputeras will soon
scramble for places in good schools.

English is the language of Shakespeare, Johnson, Milton, Shelly, Sheridan but
it is also the language of George Bernard Shaw, V.S. Naipul, Joseph Conrad,
Edward Said, Lee Kuan Yew, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Nehru, Sukarno, Vikram Seth,
Rehman Rashid, Munir Majid, Noordin Sopiee and many others.

English literature has enthralled and entertained readers of all ages in
foreign lands. It still does even after more than half century after the sun
set on the British Empire and it will continue to do so.

Malaysians must continue to master it like the Singaporean Chinese, Chinese
Chinese, the Indonesians and the Thais are doing.

To begin with make sure your children read widely, write and speak it all the
time. No other way exists if we want to enhance our international
competitiveness.

English, for the moment, lies outside the depth of Malaysian society because it
is not in the Malaysian foundation; but it must be brought into it. Only then,
when it exists in the right environment, can it develop.

If someone from Kok Lanas has no fear of English, there is no good reason for
other Malaysians to express reservations and resentment about the language.

When I left Kok Lanas in January 1948 for MCKK via train through Southern
Thailand to Alor Star and then to Kuala Kangsar, I was neither anxious nor
bewildered. I was instead looking forward to learning English.

In my Fifth form while my classmates were studying desperately for the
Cambridge School Certificate examination, I was desperate not to pass the exam
but dreaming to become a journalist and make my way in journalism and politics.

___________________________________________________________________________
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MM Focus: ‘No more muddy nights, please!’
By T. Yogendra
03 October 2000
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FOR most Hindus in Malaysia, Deepavali – the festival of lights – is something
to look forward to.

But for a few families in Taman Koop Cuepacs in Cheras, this year’s coming
celebrations may not be what they hope for. It could even be worse.

That is exactly how they feel over the build-up of silt in a monsoon drain
running across their housing area.

After one mudslide in April last year and another incident earlier this year,
residents of Jalan Koop 1 especially, are having sleepness nights every time it
rains.

They say that if the authorities do not act soon, they will suffer a third
mudslide.

In the first two incidents, mud flooded into five terrace houses there and
destroyed most of the residents’ belongings.

At least one family said they suffered RM20,000 in damages.
A resident, pensioner K. Maheswaran, 63, said he feared what was coming next.

“Because of the last two mudslides, we are anticipating the third if nothing is
done immediately by the authorities,” he said.

Maheswaran said that even the drains, damaged when the Kajang Municipal Council
brought in their equipment to lear up the mud, have not been repaired.

“Our houses may just fall into the drain some day,” he said, adding that the
first two incidents were still fresh in their minds.

“What if it happens again during Deepavali? How are we going to celebrate?,”
said Maheswaran.

K. Selvaraju, 58, said the cleaning-up work after the mudslide is not only
frustrating but also tedious.

“We lose money and we have to clean up but we would not like this to ever
happen again,” he said.

Another resident, 69-year-old G. Muniandy, described a retaining wall along the
drain near the main road as a stumbling block as it held back water from
flowing freely.

“The wall traps the water, pushing it back to where it came from and into our
homes. When the drain is clogged, then it starts to flood,” he said.

The area’s Residents’ Association chairman, Reginald Govindan, said the matter
had been brought up with the Kajang Municipal Council repeatedly.

“But they say we are the only ones complaining and that we are fussy,”
said Reginald.

He said the retaining wall, located some 200 metres from their homes, should be
broken down and bigger drains be built.

“It is now the rainy season and there’s big downpour almost every day here. The
silt in the narrow monsoon drain is building up. If it hits hard again, there
will surely be a third mudslide,” said Reginald, adding that he complained to
the council two months ago.

“They came and desilted the drain but the silt was left to remain at the side
and so every time it rains, the silt flowed back in.”

He said it was time the drain was upgraded.
Kajang Municipal Council public relations officer Arfah Mahani Amaran said the
council will remove the mud from the drains by the end of this week.

This time, she assured, the desilted mud will be carted away by the council’s
workers and not be allowd to clog up the drain again.

However, she said, any work to improve the drainage system in the neigourhood
would take longer but the council will look into it.

___________________________________________________________________________
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For 1-9, go to : http://www.networkcomputing.com/1119/1119f1people_intro.html

F E A T U R E

The 10 Most Important People of the Decade

Number 10: Vinod Khosla

October 2, 2000
By Dave Fetters

People

Go to No. 9


In an industry that abounds with extremely visible corporate heads -- and many
with even more extreme egos -- the name Vinod Khosla may not leap to mind.
Although Khosla now plays behind the scenes as a venture capitalist, he is
actually revered as one of the world's most astounding technological
visionaries.

Many people would love to get into his head and learn his recipe for success.
Combining cunning business sense with amazing technological insight, Khosla has
funded, and been part of, some of the top companies in the technology field.
In the early 1980s, at the age of 27, Khosla co-founded Sun Microsystems. A
year later he joined up with Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers (KPCB) as a
venture capitalist for emerging technologies. The roster of companies that
count him as a current or past board member includes Asera, Cerent Corp.,
Concentric Network Corp., Corio, Corvis Corp., Excite@Home, Juniper Networks,
Qwest Communications and Siara Systems.

Recognizing the importance of communications infrastructure early on, Khosla
laid the cornerstones on which many enterprises were built. Companies such as
Excite, Juniper Networks and Qwest Communications would not be where they are
today without Khosla's support, both financial and intellectual. He has stepped
outside the traditional venture-capitalist mentality and become an architect
who is just as concerned about building the company as he is about building his
own fortune.

Specializing in the optical market, Khosla funded Cerent--a good investment
indeed, as Cisco Systems eventually bought the company for an impressive $6.9
billion.

He also funded Siara Systems, which produced high-speed metropolitan-area and
broadband fiber optic network equipment, and was purchased last year by Redback
Networks for a cool $4.3 billion. And Khosla's most successful venture to date
is Juniper Networks, the router company that competes handily with Cisco,
producing the fastest routers at the core of the Internet. Juniper's market
cap? The company is already worth more than $62 billion. That's three companies
totaling close to $73 billion in value.

In his early days at Sun Microsystems, Khosla participated in the creation of
the first and, today, the most successful RISC-based platform, proving that
there's a world beyond the Wintel phenomenon. And as a champion of the optical
market, Khosla has made investments that have been (excuse the pun) right on
the money. It's no secret that optical networking remains one of the hottest
investment areas; optical is the technology that drives every long-haul data
network. Sooner or later, every voice and data transmission will travel over
fiber until it gets to the last mile of distribution--and Khosla saw it coming.

Acting as the mastermind behind KPCB's communications and e-business
strategies, Khosla will continue to play a crucial role in many of tomorrow's
success stories. In addition to his interest in optical technology, Khosla is
actively pursuing the ASP (application service provider) market: Attempting to
kick-start that somewhat reluctant market, he's stepped up to the plate and
launched Asera and Corio. Although the ASP market hasn't developed as quickly
as he'd like, his bullish outlook on it should pay off handsomely in the long
run.

So if you're looking to find the next hot growth area in technology, remember,
the wise money often follows Khosla.

___________________________________________________________________________
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02 October 2000  Monday  03 Rajab 1421

Decline in vultures endangers Parsi ritual
By Luke Harding

NEW DELHI: From the outside, the Tower of Silence at the top of Mumbai's
prestigious Malabar Hill appears unremarkable. The only hint of what goes on
inside are the vultures that perch on top of the whitewashed outer walls.

Inside the secret complex, surrounding a Roman-style amphitheatre, banyan and
casarina trees flourish in the tropical sun. And there are, of course, the
dead - two or three corpses most days, exposed to the elements and left for
vultures to pick clean.

But this ancient, ecologically impeccable method of disposing of the dead,
practised by India's Parsi community for hundreds of years, is under threat.
The problem is not with the method but the vultures. Over the last three or
four years India's vulture population has suffered a dramatic and mysterious
decline. They are, literally, falling off their perches. In some areas the
vulture has vanished, with extinction possibly only five years away.

For the Parsis, the vulture shortage poses an immediate difficulty: what to do
with the dead? The community, which fled Persia 1,200 years ago to escape Arab
persecution, believes earth and fire to be sacred. Cremation or burial is
regarded as an offence to the elements. And their ritual, first noted by the
Greek historian Herodotus 2,500 years ago, when he spotted dead left on
mountaintops, has deep emotional significance.

Since being invited to Bombay by the British in the seventeenth century, Parsis
have become India's most affluent and distinguished group. There were never
very many - 76,000 on current estimates, with 55,000 in Mumbai.

Many of India's most prosperous industrialists, including the Tata family, are
Parsi; they have built schools and colleges, and endowed charitable
foundations. But many of the young have left for USA, with those who remain
increasingly aged and infirm.

Khojeste P. Mistree, of the Parsis' ruling body, the Bombay Parsi Panchayat
(Council), said: 'We do still have vultures flying into the Tower of Silence.
But it would be wrong of me to tell you there is no problem.' He said that when
the system worked well there were between 60 and 100 birds at the Tower. Now
there are fewer, but there are still 100 corpses a month. 'If we can come up
with a captive breeding programme, we will be able to solve the problem on a
long-term basis.'

Conservationists and scientists from all over the world, including the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds, gathered in Delhi last month to debate how
the vulture can be saved. Classified as 'critically endangered,' the most
likely explanation for its decline is a virus, the conference heard.

Across India the vultures are showing the same symptoms: a drooping neck and
lethargy. Weak birds eventually fall out of the trees and die. Numbers have
fallen by 90 per cent. Two species have been devastated - the white-backed and
long-billed vulture.

Their virtual disappearance is causing difficulties for Hindu villagers who
rely on vultures to pick clean the carcasses of sacred cows that are left
uneaten. According to the Mumbai Natural History Society, villagers have
started fighting over the disposal of rotting animals, while dog and crow
populations have shot up. 'We first noticed something was wrong when the
villagers started complaining that the vultures were no longer eating their
dead buffaloes,' said Dr Asad Rahmani, the society's director.

With the disease already in Pakistan and Nepal, and every prospect of it
spreading to Africa via the Middle East, scientists are trying to carry out
further lab tests on dead and ailing vultures. But officials are demanding that
they are notified in advance before any dead vultures are taken away. 'The
authorities need to treat this with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.
You need to work with the international community,' said Andrew Cunningham, who
is researching the virus.

Some experts suggest the vultures started declining in the Seventies, when high-
rise blocks sprung up around the 50-acre complex and pollution grew. Only
Parsis - members of the Zoroastrian faith, the world's oldest monotheistic
religion - are allowed inside.

The Parsis, like the vultures, have been experiencing ademographic falling
away, attributed to emigration and the reluctance of highly educated Parsis to
marry. Most elders refuse to acknowledge the decline. 'We are not an extinct
species. Nobody will have to keep a breeding programme for the Parsis,' Mistree
said. -Dawn/The Observer News Service.


   © The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2000

___________________________________________________________________________
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This is to say hello to everyone here!

LJ, why wasn't VIJ invited to this list?

dcslec

What is the Major & Bala's email add, I would send
them an invitation to join us...lol

Ben
--- joseph <mskj1@...> wrote:
> Bhuvan was Bhuvanesque as is his norm in whacking
> the nail on its head when he said that the purpose
> of MI had been met by the coming together of the
> positive energy centre of MI in the persons of Wani,
> Vijay, Bhuvan, LJ and, I am certain within the next
> 12 hours, Saba in the form of the newly formed IM.
> If one looks at the archives of MI, there is nothing
> but negativity and passivity if the postings of the
> "fabulous five" as above listed are subtracted.
>
> I would be remiss if I do not add a number of people
> who have been incredibly supportive - whether
> wittingly or unwittingly - of this "positive energy
> centre" of MI that I speak. Main among these is Ben
> Bala who has been pivotal and forward thinking is
> planting the seeds of IM, way before the, what I
> would call, inevitable emasculation of MI as we know
> it. Balachandran and the Major deserve great praise
> for the attempt to make all of us as happy and
> content as possible - even though their worthy hands
> were tied to their backs by others. If they
> eventually join IM, it would be a boon and I might
> add a natural place for them. I want to add the
> names of js and Gomathy as being inspirational
> people by virtue of their passion, integrity and,
> most importantly, love for all things Tamil and
> courage to put their money where their mouth is.
> They should join us, if someone invites them, and
> they will in due course.
>
> There has been much in the form of negative - nay
> destructive - energy on MI and these, and I do not
> want to mention names nor do I want to put in the
> terms that Bhuvan would have, except to say that I
> throw the gauntlet to them and say: that you are
> welcome on IM, but misbehave at your own peril and
> utter embarrassment.
>
> Let all know that Wani runs IM - with the help of
> others among us, of course - and that she has our
> undivided support and loyalty. If she was the
> Princess of MI, she is the Queen of IM (since I
> first called her Princess, it is appropriate that
> upgrade it to Queen myself). Assisting her is
> someone new to most of us and that is Dcslec from
> Sydney, Australia who is another moderator who will
> help with technical and other matters. His
> expertise, good heart and integrity will ensure that
> no one will be allowed to invade IM with wicked
> intentions and if they do: woe betide them!
>
> Even if we are only seven in number at the moment
> ("The Magnificent Seven"), perhaps, we will - with
> no extra effort than what we expended in MI, make IM
> into a place of learning, debating, discussion,
> tranquillity and most of all one in which the
> problems - which God knows are multitudinous - of
> Indian Malaysians (and inevitably more so Indian
> Malaysian Tamils - as they say in legal documents:
> hereinafter referred to as "IMTs") will be
> positively - as opposed to negatively - and openly
> discussed with one view and one view alone, and that
> is to find pragmatic and effective solutions to
> those problems, within the context of nation
> building in multiracial Malaysia - even though it
> must be acknowledged that Bhuvan has a more radical
> solution in which Malaysia does not play a part.
> LOL.
>
> Ask your friends to join us, but never to
> demoralised by the numbers game, whether in
> membership or postings. A small group of quality,
> integrity and tranquillity is far superior to a
> large group of the contrary. Who knows even
> Thiruvaluvar may have said something to that effect
> - he seems to have said most wise things already!
>
> LJ
>
>
>


__________________________________________________
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Dear Princess(of now temporarily defunct MIforum)

Hi Wani,

Glad to have you here.Our numbers would grow soon. Meanwhile invite
Uncle Saba in here too and others of course.

Ben

THE STAR Monday November 24 1997

THE ROOT OF CASTE EVILS

By WANI MUTHIAH

FOR many Malaysians - including a large number of Hindus the four-tiered class
system made up of the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras, known as the
Varnadharma  is a mysterious entity of sorts.
    It is believed that the system was brought into India by the Aryan invaders
from the Baltic region.
    The warring Aryans had already had a well-divided social system (the
trivarnic social order) when they conquered the Dravidians. Under this system,
the Aryans were divided into Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaisyas.
    (The Dravidians are the natural inhabitants of India who are today the people
of the southern states i.e. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Pondichery. Dravidians in Malaysia are the Tamils, Malayalees and Telegus).
     Some scholars say that the Aryans made them their slaves and created another
group called Sudra which became the fourth rung in the Aryan social system,
Varnadharma.
   According to G.S. Ghurye in his book Caste And Race In India, "Varna is a
Sanskrit term meaning colour. The fair-skinned Aryans subjugated the
dark-skinned indigenous people and made them Sudras who were considered
defiling.''
   Under this system, the Brahmins were placed at the apex of the class pyramid
and their supreme status was based on their rituals and religious function as an
intermediary between God and
man.
   They were also considered the embodiment of the highest ideals of Hindu
society and therefore, were awarded a prestigious position in the class
hierarchy.
   Next on the scale came the Kshatriyas, the ruling class. They were mostly
engaged in soldiering activities.
   Vaisyas, who were involved in trading activities, formed the third category.
   The Sudras were made to perform common duties and serve the other three
groups.
   One becomes a Sudra under one of the following seven circumstances:
    i. A coward who ran away from war
    ii. Captured as a prisoner of war
    iii. Serves Brahmins with devotion
    iv. Son of an adulteress
    v. Bought for money
    vi. Given for money
    vii. Comes from a lineage of persons serving others for several generations
(Manusmirthi, chapter 8, sloka 415).
     Besides the four there was another group of people, the Untouchables - also
known as the Harijans during the Ghandian era, and now known as Dalits - who did
not come under the system and hence were regarded as "lepers" of the Hindu
society.
    Some say the Untouchables were Dravidians who did not bow to the Aryan
subjugation and were hence driven out. They ended up living on the fringes of
villages and towns as outcasts.
     But since the four-fold classification is not a pan-Indian system (it's an
Indo-European system), in South India - where class and caste consciousness was
a much later development - there are only Brahmins, non-Brahmins and
Untouchables.
    Some academics have written that the Aryans who had also "imposed" Hinduism
on the once animistic Dravidians, had included the principles of Varnadharrna
within the structures of Hinduism for 'administrative' purposes, i.e. to have
more control over the Dravidians.
   N. Thiruvasagam, president of the Saiva Siddhanta Mandram Malaysia, a
Saivite-based religious association, however says that although casteism was
clearly emphasised in the Manusmirthi, it is not a part of Hinduism.
    "Although it is mentioned in the Manusmirthi, we must first understand that
the Manustnirthi is not a religious scripture but a book on Hindu laws just like
the Muslim Hudud laws.   Furthermore, it was written by an Aryan to suit his
community and thus many things written there are not suitable for the
Dravidians.''
    It seems that the present-day South Indian Brahmins were Aryans brought into
South India in great numbers by the rulers during the reign of the Cholas
several centuries ago for religious purposes.
     So, although the status of Brahmins and the Untouchables was clearly defined
in South Indian society, there was a lot of confusion in the non-Brahmin group
which resulted in the caste group being further sub-divided into some  2,000
smaller units.
    Hence, the three-tiered class system evolved into the dreadful caste system.
This is because as time went on, hierarchical status in South Indian society was
not purely based on secular attainment but rather, on the principles of purity
and "pollution" as well inherited tasks.
    Anyone associated with "impurities" such as death, decay, diseases, human
emission, unclean animals, alcohol, meat and from the act of killing were
considered defiling and untouchable.
    Occupations such as fishing (taking of life), toddy tapping (alcohol reduces
mental control) and leather work (dealing with dead animals) were all-regarded
as polluting jobs and were therefore also assigned lower status.
   Even the type of food eaten was governed by the pollution concept;
vegetarianism was considered superior to meat-eating.
   Consequently, a very thin line was drawn between South Indian Untouchables and
those performing menial duties.
    Currently, well-educated and radical Dalits are fashioning a new Dalit
identity and are taking pride in their ancestral heritage which has been traced
to the Indus Valley Civilisation.
    The Dalits now argue that if one is proud of being a Dalit, of an ethnic
group linked to the first inhabitants of the land, then there is no reason to
deny that identity.

ENDS

HE STAR MONDAY NOVEMBER 24 1997

A RIGHT TO SELF-RESPECT

By WANI MUTHIAH

IN 1970, caste discrimination led to an incident that became the biggest
post-independence challenge to anti-caste activists.
   It took place at an estate in Tasik Glugor, Butterworth.
   A group of upper caste South Indians (one of them a hangani from the estate)
dug up the grave of a labouter after he was mistakenly buffed a little inside
the perimeters of the upper caste Hindu cemetery.
   The dead man, 60-year-old Kalian, was then rebuffed in the cemetery designated
for lower caste Hindus.
   "Their motive for the sacrilege was simple. Kalian was an Untouchable and thus
he had no
right to be buried near those who were 'superior' to him by birth.
   "When alive, he had spent his entire life dominated, discriminated and
ridiculed by the upper castes, so why should he be free from it all even in
death?" said Re Su Muthiah, president of the Malaysian Dravidian Association
(MDA) which is dedicated to breaking down caste barriers and promoting
self-respect and unity among South Indians (also called Dravidians).
    What was even more shocking, he adds, is that the "crime" was committed with
the consent of the estate's white management.
    The incident was highlighted by a local Chinese daily which caught the
attention 'of association member A.M. Doraisingam, who reported it to then MDA
president, the late Thiruchudar K.R. Ramasamy.
   Ramasamy immediately 'reported the incident to the relevant authorities and
consulted prominent lawyer and politician, the late S.P Seenivasagam, to help
Kalian's family seek justice.
   The matter was taken to the courts where the estate management was severely
ticked off and ordered to pay $3,000 as general damages to Kalian's family
   "The MDA took that incident very seriously and our leaders went all out to
pursue the matter.
   "After all, it was to fight such discriminaLion that the MDA was first mooted
half-a-century ago," says Muthiah, adding that the association has about 6,000
members from 71 branches throughout Malaysia today.
   The MDA, he explains, is a product of Indian social reformist Periyar Ramasamy
Naicker's principle of self-respect.
    "There was a lot of talk about forming an organisation similar to his
Self-Respect Movement in India, since the 20s, but due to the circumstances then
the plan was put on hold for many years."
    Meeting the man in person when he visited in 1929, according to Muthiah, was
a boon for the lower caste Indians in Malaya who were by then simply fed up and
angry with the way they were treated.
   Inspired by Periyar's talks and advice, groups of South Indians throughout
Malaya began to work towards setting up self-respect movements and it was also
then that the Adi-Dravidian (Pan-Dravidian) Association took root.
    According to historian Datuk Prof Dr Khoo Kay Kim, the formation of this
association was met with much opposition as some reckoned it would only split
the South Indian community which, ironically, was never united in the first
place due to caste differences.
    "Others felt the term Adi-Dravidian itself was derogatory as it was closely
related to untouchability in India,'' says Dr Khoo.
    Nonetheless, Periyar did receive a lot of support from some Indian Muslims
and educated, non-conventional upper caste South Indians, he adds.
    "Periyar's principle of self-respect was especially popular and staunchly
supported by Indians from all walks of life in Singapore.''       .
     This encouraged not only the newly-formed Adi-Dravidian movement but also a
few other smaller self-respect groups to work very hard towards achieving their
goal of eradicating caste prejudices.
    Despite the difficulties, the Adi-Dravidian movement survived until World War
II.
    In 1945, Periyar, together with former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Aringnar
Anna, formed the Dravida Kzahagam in India and this prompted all the
self-respect movements scattered throughout Malaya to congregate under one
banner and form the Malayan Dravidian Association.
   As the Dravida Kzahagam took on a firm political footing in India, its Malayan
"counterpart'' drew up its constitution by referring to Periyar's reform
movement's newsletter, Eenamani.
    At that time the Maruthavars (barbers) were the ones who worked the hardest
in keeping the association alive. They were also the ones who contributed
financial aid generously to see to the smooth running of the association.
    One of the MDA's main concerns then was the segregation of living quarters in
estates and municipal housing (for workers), hence a lot of effort and time were
invested in trying to convince the relevant managements to do away with the
practice·
    According to Muthiah, the organisation also protested against the setting up
of toddy shops in such areas as it created only more problems for the people
there.
     "These workers, depressed with the kind of life they were leading, often
turned to alcohol abuse, which led to other problems like marital turmoil and
poverty,'' explains Muthiah.
     (During that time, another established self-respect movement known as the
Thondar Padai - which worked hard to improve the lot of the Indian community -
was also fighting against toddy consumption by estate workers.)
     Besides introducing healthy recreational activities among its members, the
MDA also emphasised on the importance of education.
    "At these meetings, they were advised to forget India and were reminded that
their home now was Malaya. The MDA used to tell them that even though their
lives were simply horrendous, their children and grandchildren need not go
through the same misery if they were equipped with education,"says Muthiah.
.
   Although the MDA managed to boost the morale of the downtrodden Tamils, it had
also to undertake the mammoth task of educating the upper caste Tamils, that
there was really no cause. for them to look down on those who were supposedly
born lower in status to them.
    When Periyar revisited Malaya in late 1954, he was pleased to see that a lot
had changed amongst the South Indians here.
    As the years rolled by, the MDA began to have more opportunities to put right
what had gone terribly wrong in the past.
    By then, a large number of upper caste South Indians were also actively
involved in the association's activities which included staging dramas on social
reforms.
    Another method adopted by the association was to screen reform Tamil movies,
featuring one of Periyar's loyal followers and the Tamil cineworld's most
lovable villain, M.R. Radha, in estates and labour lines.
    Radha himself came to Malaysia in the early 70s to lead the cast in the hit 
drama Rathahaneer, which was also made into a movie.
    The MDA is also instrumental in introducing reform or self-respect marriages
(siirthirutthattirumanam or mariyaataithirumanam); which are basically a
ritual-free, and custom-free "contractual" agreement between two individuals, in
Malaysia.
    But the Government refused to recognise reform marriages conducted by the MDA
for many years.
    "We even met with the relevant authorities and showed them the provisions
made in the Indian Constittution with regard to such marriages,'' says Muthiah.
  The authorities finally relented and in the mid-80s, 42 members of the MDA
throughout Malaysia were appointed assistant registrars of marriage.
    Today, the role of the association has somewhat changed over the years as
extreme caste-related discriminatory acts are no longer in practice.
    "Currenlly our main concern is to do away with the various caste-based
associations in Malaysia but unfortunately, this has proven to be a very
difficult task,'' says Muthiah.
    Apart from this, the MDA granted scholarships to a small group of university
students including six medical and two law students in the late 80s.
    It had also given out small financial grants to 120 Form Four students who
had obtained reasonably good results for their (then) SRP.
    "After a good 50 years, we at the MDA often reflect upon the trying journey
that our pioneer members went through in the name of self-respect, and are
grateful for their sacrifices.             "And it is only fair that we give due
credit to our leaders like Datuk Seri Samy Vellu, Datuk S. Subramaniam and Datuk
K. Pathmanaban for the help and support they have  rendered to the MDA.
    "I truly believe that whatever remnants casteism there are can be wiped out
if each  and every South Indian realises the importance of unity,'' concludes
Muthiah.
ENDS

ARTICLE 3 OF 4

THE STAR Monday November 1997

By WANI MUTHIAH

HOW IT BEGAN IN MALAYA

WHEN  the British recruited Indians to work in Malaya almost a century ago, most
of them were the Tamilzspeaking people of the southern Indian state of Tamil
Nadu as  it was cheaper for the British colonial government to recruit the
Tamils due to South India's close proximity to Malaya''- (Indian Plantation
Labour In Malaysia by Dr Selvahumaran Ramachandran, 1994).
    (Prior to this there were already upper caste Tamils in Malaya who had come
as traders. Since they were members of the farming community when back home in
India, these Tamils had instinctively bought land in Malaya as soon as they had
made some money. Some of them became well-known philanthropists).
    But the crafty colonialists made sure that, almost 70% of these early
immigrants were from the lower caste group.
    This was because the British believed the lower caste Tamils were "almost the
ideal labouring material for the furtherance of  capitalist, endeavours in
Malaya''- (The Fabian Society. Labour In The Colonies, London 1932) - as they
were invariably described as "satisfactory for light, simple, repetitive work"
-(Emigration Proceedings Of The Goernment Of India, Jan 1884) - "malleable,
worked well under supervision and easily manageable" - (D.W. Figart, The
Plantation Rubber Industry In The Middle East, Washington, 1925).
    In addition, they were also regarded as being "most amenable to comparatively
low-paid and the rather regimented life of estates and government departments,
had no qualms to cross the seas and no food taboos and cost less in feeding and
maintenance" -(Straits Settlements Factory Records, Vol 94, 1824).
    Furthermore, "relegation of this class of people to the level of animals in a
caste-ridden society deprived them of initiative and self-respect and made them
a cringingly servile group that had neither the skill or enterprise to rise
above the level of manual labour" -(K.S. Sandhu, Indians In Malaya. Immigration.
And Settlenient 1786 to 1957, Cambridge, Cambridge University, 1969).
   The upper caste immigrants, on the other hand, unconsciously and indirectly
helped the colonialists keep their lower caste counterparts under check so tbat
the latter would not have the freedom of thought to question the squalid
conditions that they were thrown into.
   The British, with their divide-and-rule policy, therefore kept the fires of
caste prejudices alive; for them the practice was a boon in their quest to reap
as much as they could from Malaya.
    So, if the lower caste Tamils had earlier assumed that Malaya was their
salvation and hope to break free from the shackles of discrimination that had
bound them for generations, they were sadly mistaken.
    Thus these unfortunate people, after having travelled thousands of miles,
found themselves deposited into a scenario that was not too different from that
in their native villages.

THE RURAL SITUATION THEN

According to Assoc Prof Dr Rajakrishnan Ramasamy of Universiti Malaya's Indian
Studies Department, plantations also took steps to maintain residential
segregation. among the labourers based on their castes as well as giving them
separate provisions for drinking water, burial grounds and shrines.
   "The separate living areas which were known as layam (lines) came with their
own shrine and toddy shop as the estate's white management assumed these were
enough to make the-labourers content,'' says old-timer Dravidamani Nalathambi
who lives in Batang Berjuntai, Selangor.
   Seventy-five-year-old Nalathamhi, a senior member of the Malaysian Dravidian
Association, adds that it was even unimaginable then for a resident of the 1ower
caste lines to venture out of his
"cocoon.''
   As if such segregation wasn't enough, the supporting supervisory staff were
given absolute power over the workers.
    It was officially recorded in the Despatches From Indian Office To Colonial
Office, 31 May, 1926 that: "Those who exercise control over the labourers are
kanganis (overseers), mandurs (foremen) and kranis (clerks). The kanganis and
mandurs are mostly (upper caste) TamilS while 99% of the kranis are Jaffnese
(Sri Lankan Tamils). The hardships  to which the labourers are subjected to by
kanganis and mandurs under the instruction of the kranis, are indescribable."
    Being treated with such scorn and contempt, it is not surprising that the
lower caste Tamillian was described as being "a poor specimen, both in physique
and morale and of being abject, cowardly and generally lacking in vitality ...
had a half-starved look about (him) and seemed to be thoroughly dissatisfied
with (his) lot in life .... "  (L. Ainsworth. The Confessions Of A Planter In
Malaya: A Chronicle Of Life And Adventure In The Jungle, London, H.F and G.
Witherby, 1933).

THE URBAN SCENARIO

Although the lower caste workers had more freedom of movement in the urban area,
they could not  escape the same ill-treatment and contempt that were dished out
to their rural brothers.
   "As ritually defiling  human beings they were forbidden not only to enter
temples but also restaurants owned by "higher'' caste Indians." (Assoc Prof Dr
Rajakrishnan Ramasamy--Subculture Of Poverty Among Malaysian Indians, 1987).
    If in the plantations it was the supporting supervisory staff who were the
tormentors, in the city it was the higher caste Tamils and the Brahmins..
    "It was common at their time for an uyirntha jathi (higher caste) person to
summon or address anyone from the thalntha jathi (lower caste) in the most
degrading and offensive manner.
     "The latter did not see anything wrong with this for that was what they had
been used  to all their lives," says Nalathambi.
    He narrates how in the 30s, it was the norm for the only Indian restaurant -
owned and run by a Brahmin - in Kuala Lumpur to serve members of the thalntha
jathi on the five-foot-way.
    "Used condensed milk cans were hung outside the restaurant on a bamboo pole
and whenever a thalntha jathi person wanted to buy a drink, he had to take one
of those tins and hold it out for the restaurant worker to pour the beverage
into.
   "When finished, he was expected to wash the tin and hang it back on the bamboo
pole."             Payment was left at a designated spot on the five-foot-way
and the restaurant owner only picked up the money after sprinkling water on it
in a ritual "cleansing.'
   Another veteran member of the Malaysian Dravidian Association, A.M.
Thirunavakarasu, tells how a Tamil daily owned and operated by a Brahmin often
ran editorials propagating casteism.
   According to the 75-year-old, caste segregation was also  practised in the
municipal quarters in Kuala Lumpur in the  early years.
    "Just like in the estates, there were the mandatory toddy  shop and shrine.
    And it was this that led. to social trauma among the  Tamils which still
exists today," points out Thinmavakarasu who is from Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. (Some
of these toddy shops still exist in Kuala Lumpur.)

A MATTER OF SELF-RESPECT

While caste discrimination was in full swing in Malaya, the situation was
rapidly changing in India especially in the South, where many began to realise
the folly and cruelty of the amcient system.
    Led by one of India's most renowned social refermists of  modern times,
Periyar E.V. Ramasamy Naicker, the Untouchables in India began to demand for due
respect and recognition as human beings.
   In view of this, the situation in Malaya took on an entirely new twist as
Periyar's active propaganda to eradicate casteism began to garner a great deal
of support from the
Tamil immigrants here.
   Periyar spread his philosophy among Malayan Tamils and visited the country in
1929 and 1954 to propagate the Self-Respect Movement here.
    But, according to historian Datuk Prof Dr Khoo Kay Kim, several anti-Periyar
Indian associations held meetings and passed resolutions to prevent Periyar from
making the 1929
trip to Malaya.
    "The situation was especially bad in Penang where Periyar's ship was
scheduled to dock,'' he says.
   Unperturbed, not only did Periyar make the trip but he spent an entire month
visiting estates and villages throughout Penang, Perak, Selangor and Johor.
   "Why suffer the throes of casteism in a land where everyone has the chance to
be the master of his own destiny?'' he had asked.
   "Forge ahead. Seek education. Strive for economic strength. That's all that
really matters."
    He advised all Dravidians (South Indians) to unite and strive to improve
their economic status as well as battle the evils of caste segregation.
    "As a result of Periyar's first visit in 1929, the Adi-Dravidian movement was
established in Batu Pahat (Johor) followed by another one in Johor Baru," says
Dr Khoo.
   Encouraged and motivated by his visit as well  as backed by the self-respect
movements, the lower  caste Tamil immigrants here "began to  demand for equal
rights in the use of wells,   temples, cemeteries and other public places" -
(Tamil Nesan, July 8, 1933).
   Prompted by this, several temples in Klang and Penang opened their doors to
all Hindus regardless of their castes in 1932 and 1935 respectively.
    Unfortunately, the temples in Kuala Lumpur did not entertain such requests
and "lower caste workers from the railways and municipality pressed for the
construction of separate temples for themselves" -( Tamil Nesan, Aug 20, 1935).
    Thus, "despite'' the zeal and enthusiasm unleashed by the reformist movements
at eradicating caste practices, the  urban 'lower' caste worker remained, in
almost all respects an inferior human being in relation to the higher caste"
-(Assoc Prof Dr Rajakrishnan Ramasamy, Subculture Of Poverty Among Indians in
Malaysia, 1987).
     Nevertheless, positive changes were more pronounced after Periyar's second
visit to Malaya in 1954 and elimination of caste prejudices took on a firmer
stance from then on.

ENDS
ARTICLE 2 OF 4

Sugu mentions caste prejudices as being one of the main reasons behind the
Tamils' (or did he say Indians') backwardness. I believe so too. I researched a
little and wrote a few articles on it a few years ago. My stories were published
and I'm posting them for your comments. May be a little choppy here and there as
had to write in record time. Had to say some nice things about Uncle Sam and the
MIC as well........HAD TO....



THE STAR Monday November 1997

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Stories by WANI MUTHIAH

EARLY last year, Mr and Mrs Maniam (not their real names) approached matchmaker
Malathi Raju to find a suitable match for their 25year-old schoolteacher
daughter.
   They specifically requested that their future son-in-law have both wealth and
education.
   "So I matched the girl with a young British-educated doctor whose father owned
several successful businesses as well as quite  a bit of real estate. His two
brothers and a sister were also professionals," says Kuala Lumpur-based Malathi
who has been in the trade for more than two decades.
     The couple then met and agreed to the match. After a brief engagement, a
grand marriage was fixed to take place in the boys hometown of Ipoh.
     On the wedding day, everything was going well and the marriage rites were
already in the second phase when all hell broke loose; an ancient Indian custom
reared its ugly head in the midst of the ceremony - caste consciousness.
     The bride was being dressed for the thali-tying ceremony when one of her
aunts spotted someone she vaguely knew amongst the principal guests on the
groom's side.
     The aunt approached the woman whom she knew was from a lower service caste,
and exchanged pleasantties with her. Upon learning that the woman was a close
relative of the groom, she immediately informed the bride's family.
     "The wedding was halted and I was given a public tongue-lashing," recalls
Malathi with a shudder.
    The poor matchmaker was held responsible for the "shame and humiliation" that
the bride and her family were put through.
      The groom's family, after voicing their disgust to Malathi, walked off in a
huff with all their guests.
      Malathi explains that she does check on caste compatibility for many of her
clients but only if they request for it.
      "Since the Maniams never mentioned caste, I didn't ask.
      "They were very specific about wealth, social status and educational
accomplishments so I assumed that the girl's family - who were upper caste
Goundars - being well educated and modern did not hold on to caste prejudices
any more.
     "Besides, the bride's father was 'merely a retired government servant and
the family's only property was the double-storey link house that they live in.
So as far as I was concerned, that girl had a very  good catch," laments
Malathi.
    However, she admits to not asking the groom's family about their caste as she
felt it was not important.
    "They were rich and and cultured. The groom's father is a very important and
well-respected man in his hometown and the family house is a big mansion in
Ipoh."
   If it weren't for the aunt "publicising the matter, Malathi believes the
bride's family wouldn't have stopped the marriage.
     "But because they were members of a close-knit 'caste community, they
worried about what the the others would think or say about them,'' sighs
Malathi.

AN INGRAINED PRACTICE

To Assoc Prof Dr Rajakrishnan Ramasamy of Universiti Malaya's Indian Studies
Department, the
brouhaha comes as no surprise.
   Caste consciousness, he notes, is very common in arranged  marriages.
   As he writes in his book, Caste Consciousness. Among Indian Tamils In
Malaysia:  "... for a marriage proposal to be effected, primordial loyalties
like caste receive primary attention, Only then is class status questioned. A
wealthy lower caste Tamil is unlikely to succeed in winning the consent of a
higher caste parent, who might be lower in class status, to contract a
marriage."
     In recent times, this obsession with caste seemed to be loosening its grip.
For Malathi, with fewer clients asking for caste matches, she had assumed that
the Maniams were like that.             However, the  traditional customs and
practices which came with the early immigrants are ingrained in the largely
Tamil Indian community in Malaysia.

INDIAN SURPRISE

Like in India, there have been and still are, herculean attempts from several
quarters in Malaysia, including the MIC, to dismantle the caste system but all
its complexities remain influential.
     So wben K.R. Narayanan was elected president of India in July this year, it
attracted worldwide attention because for the first time in the history of the
caste-riddled nation, a Dalit (formerly known as Untouchable) holds such and
esteemed position.
     But only a day after Narayanan took over as president, the Dalits of
Vilakanampoodi village in the Tirnvallur district of the southern state of Tamil
Nadu were attacked by a group of caste Hindus.
     Apparently, a group of Dalit youths tried to paste on an autoricksbaw a
handbill to hail tbe victory as well as to thank the Government. The rickshaw
owner, who was a caste Hindu, protested and a clash ensued.
   There were also two other incidents where Dalits had attacked several caste
Hindus.
     This was followed by the latter torching 20 huts and damaging over a 100
houses belonging to Dalits. Men, women and children were also assaulted.
According to newspaper reports, even the Dalits' cows weren't spared of a good
thrashing.
   Despite the reservation or quota policies and the increasing power of the
Dalits, serious caste sentiments still thrive in India. And from most accounts,
in Malaysia too.      ·
      According to various sources the old prejudices are most obvious in
arranged marriages.
      Ironically, this caste-conscioushess isn't only confined within the Hindu
community but is also quite predominant among Indian Christians.
      Take the case of 26-year-old Anna, a Roman Catholic Tamil, who was unable
to wed her 30-year-old boyfriend David because their castes didn't match.
      "My parents threatened to disown me if I marry David. They said I'd only
bring shame to the family since he's an Untouchable,'' wails Anna who belongs to
an upper farming caste.
      But just how knowledgeable are Malaysian Indians about casteism?
      Several Malaysian Indians from  various walks of life were interviewed and
all had their own ideas  about the subject.
    Technician S. Selva feels that the caste system is "not a very intelligent
thing for Malaysian Tamils to cling to.
    "I don't' care to know abont my caste. What purpose does it serve anyway?
Knowing one's caste will only lead to further divisions in our community. Don't
we have enough of that already?" asks thirty something Selva who is from Kuala
Lumpur. '
   But others like 39-year-old clerical assistant M. Shanti will maintain that as
a Hindu, one must adhere to the caste system.
   Shanti, who is proud that she is a member of the "upper'' Goundar caste, says
the system is an "integral part of the religion.''
    Hence, it is a common practice for Shanti and her family to keep a distance
from those whom they assume are from lower caste groups.
    "My family and I also won't dine with or accept food and drinks from people
wbose castes we do not know.''
   Despite such an emphatic stand, however, Shanti's knowledge of the subject is
rather pathetic.
      Asked if she has  read any of the Hindu 'scriptures or the  Manusmirthi
(Hindu  code of law), she says she hasn't even heard of them. Neither is she
aware of the Varnadharma (the four-tiered class system. )
    Why then is she so particular  about caste?
    "That's the  way I was brought up," she replies.

A CHANGEABLE THING

Indeed, many misconceptions are attached to what the caste system is all about.
For one, it is not supposed to be a system not open to change.
   According to Swami Guhabhaktananda, president of the Divine Life Society,
anyone can elevate themselves to any position they desire.                      
.,
     "For example, if a Sudra dedicates his entire life to the pursuit of
knowledge as well as religion, is not interested in acquiring wealth, has high
moral values and practises vegetarianism, then he is a Brahmin.
     "And if a person bern to Brahmin parents does not believe in acquiring
education, drinks and commits all kinds of sin, then he does not fall into any
of the four classes but is instead an Untouchable.''
     Concurs Simeswara Dasa, president of the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness Temple in Kuala Lumpur:.
    "According to the Bhagavadgita, every individual is prescribed a social duty
which is particular to his mode of nature. A man who is by  nature attracted to
the kind of work done by the Sudras cannot artificially claim to be a Brahmin
even if he is born into a Brahmin family.
     "We can see that caste is ascertained by qualifications and not by birth.
Everyone is given the chance to select the social class that he is mentally and
spiritually most compatible with.
     "An Untouchable is not given a place in the social structure due to his way
of life. But even he can qualify to become Brahmin if he turns to God and
practises all the  virtues which a Brahmin has to cultivate.''

THE CURRENT SITUATION

Still, Indian Progressive Front (IPF) president Senator M.G. Pandithan reckons
that casteism is a deep-rooted issue in Malaysia which is silently but strongly
being practised.
   "It's time everyone realises that the caste system is evil and all those who
defend it are devils," says Pandithan, a former MIC vicepresident.
      MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, however, refutes this, saying that
nobody in Malaysia thinks about caste anymore.
   "I do not want to say  anything that would acknowledge the existence of
casteism.
    "If there was such a thing in the  past, it is  dead now,'' insists Samy
Vellu.
   On the other  hand, he agrees that there may be certain people who use caste
sentiments for their personal gains.
    According to Pandithan, the real culprits who practise casteism are the elite
and educated who form caste-based associations to help members of their own
caste.
   He claims there  are about  22 caste-based orgarisations in Malaysia (story on
page 4) .
     "These organisations offer scholarships to students who are acquiring
college and tertiary education and in the process, infect these young minds with
caste consciousness.''
      UM's Dr Rajakrishnan agrees that caste-based associations do pose a problem
in the eradication of caste. He points out that though these associations claim
not to preach the superiority or inferiority of caste, the fact that they are
formed on a narrow factor of identification with restricted membership and
emphasise on caste endogamy, suggests  implicitly. the desire to sustain caste
ideals.
     Pon Maruthan, treasurer of Mukkulathor Association (Kallar, Maravar and
Ahamudiyar castes), says "finger-pointing at the caste-based organisations is
unfair.''
   He likens such groups to Chinese clan associations.
     "Our main objective is to propagate tertiary education among our members'
children. We offer interest-free loans to those who  are studying locally as
well as abroad. We feel that by doing so we are helping Malaysian Indians to
equip themselves with education which can help them come up in life.
     "Apart from that, we also help our members to set up businesses and so on.."
      Although Maruthan admits that his association's membership is made up of
people from the same caste groups, it does not mean it is promoting caste
consciousness.
      "The Chinese clan associations go by family names. We can't, so the closest
we can get to that is by forming this kind of association.
      "But we do not demand that marriages should be within our group only. That
is wrong. Even my wife is from an entirely different group.
      "We are all Tamils. I don't see why some people should still go by the
upper and lower caste thinking, which is nothing but utter nonsense.''
      It is, however, telling that seVeral people who were asked to comment on
the present caste situation refused because it's  "too sensitivelah.''

CASTE POLITICS

According to Dr Rajakrishnan, casteism was never an issue in the Malaysian
Indian political arena in its early years of development. This was because the
Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) identified itself with the general local Indian
population.
    Furthermore, he adds, the involvement of other ethno-linguistic groups did
not warrant the use of caste to gain support among the Indians.
    But caste  did make a brief appearance in Malaysian Indian politics as "its
active development can be traced back to about two years prior to the MIC
elections held in June 1977'' - (Caste Consciousness Among Indian Tamils In
Malaysis by R. Rajakrishnan).
      This led to the MIC top leaders condemning caste politics as being
unethical and accusing the "casteist" politicians of perpetuating divisions
among the Tamils.
    The practice of caste politics received the rudest shock perhaps in 1984 when
Samy Vellu threatened several party leaders with expulsion for using caste
issues in  party election campaigns.
    He had also advised all party members, including those at branch level, to
resign from communal-based caste societies.
     "There was no such thing as people being born into different levels of
society," he was reported as saying then.
       Head of the Malaysian Dravidian Association's cultural section Kalacharam,
E.R. Ramasamy, reckons caste politics is under control because of Samy Vellu's
efforts.
   "Everything would be in chaos if Samy was not around as several crooked
politicians - regardleess of their castes - have been known to use this tactic
in garnering suport from the public,'' he adds.
   As Dr Rajakrishnan states in his book,  "Caste is a sentiment that has
occasionally acted as a catalyst to muster support in the process of aquiring
power.''
   If caste politicsis under control, is it a clear sign then that it will lead
to the community itself abandoning caste consciousness altogether?

A DYING PHENOMENON?

In his book, Dr Rajakrishnan writes that "......for caste to be eliminated the
consciousness of status must be based on class where each and every individual
has the opportunity to strive for upward social mobility.
   "This is posible only through the aquisition of education. With education
follows modernisation and secularisation of traditional customs, liberal
attitudes and broader outlook of life. Primordial loyalties like caste will
erode when egalitarian views and important social values crystalise.''
   This is apparently happening as Malaysian Tamils are begining to base a
person's social status on his educational and economic standing rather than his
caste.
   Furthermore, with the easy availability of education and direct intervention
of the MIC in matters pertaining to the caste system, people no longer need to
be deprived of the essentials of life.
   Establishments like TAFFE College and Sri Murugan Centre (SMC) must be given
credit for their initiative and hard work in making education available to
Malaysian Indians from all walks of life, especially to those from rural areas.
    Hence, says A. Navamukundan, executive secretary of the National Union Of
Plantation Workers (NUPW), if caste prejudices were prevalent in the estates in
the past, it has certainly been greatly eroded.
   "In those days, caste-bound conduct in our plantations was moulded by the
traditional village practice in India but today, the rural folk have assimilated
the Malaysian way of life and thus will not take any nonsense associated with
caste prejudices.''
   He adds that trade unions, too, are responsible in propogating self-respect
and solidarity among plantation workers.
   "Everyone came together under one banner to look out for each other and this
broke down whatever caste barriers that existed.''
   With everyone equiping themselves with education, not only will the residue of
caste prejudices - which had paralysed the growth of some Tamils for years - be
totally abolished but the demons of the past too can gradually be abandoned.
   Only then can the Tamils do justice to their forefathers who - "packed like
sardines in a tin, seasick and wretched to make the five-day journey under
conditions which would be intolerable to a white man'' (Census Of Madras 1911,
Madras Government Printers, 1912) - came to Malaya with the hope that one day
their descendants would be free.
ENDS

ARTICLE 1 OF 4

from www.malaysiakini.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     

Sept 30 - Oct 1, 2000

MUSINGS
Sugu

Indians: Malaysia's dispossessed

The spectacular Sydney 2000 Olympics opening ceremony
put to shame the Atlanta edition which came through as
a third-rate Hollywood production. It also delivered a
surprise when the country's Aborigines were given a
major role despite the acrimonious relationship
between them and the white government.

It could be that the original inhabitants' role in the
history of the continent could not be ignored, but
still their share of the world's premier sporting
event was generous and provided a visual feast.

One just could not help but cast the mind to our
hosting of the Commonwealth Games two years ago. We
patted ourselves on the back for the grandness of the
opening ceremony, as did quite a number of foreigners.

I was still working then and the following day I had
to field questions from outraged Indians who wanted to
know why the community had been left out of the
opening ceremony's cultural show. I had to exercise
restrain and patience as the callers vented their
spleen. Their anger was justified.

A whole community treated as though they didn't exist.
As though their feelings did not matter a jot. The
history of their contributions to the nation
practically dumped into the bin.

And there at the grandstand seated at the VIP section
was the self-proclaimed leader of the Indian community
and president of MIC, S Samy Vellu, together with his
other cabinet colleagues. What thoughts ran through
his mind in those moments will remain his secret. As
far as I can recollect, there was not a single peep
out of him over the issue.

Another telling example is of the two Indian members
of the Malaysian expedition who made it to the peak of
Mt Everest. Shortly thereafter a question was raised
in Parliament: "Why didn't the two wait for the others
to catch up with them?" The query, of course, came
from the government side of the House.

What that MP did not realise was the shocking
ignorance he had displayed which did not reflect well
at all on the August House. Did he really think that
ascending the highest mountain in the world is as
challenging as a stroll around his garden? What was
implied in that question is, how dare the Indians be
the first. The MP must have drawn his inspiration from
the "30 percent" Umno mentality.

Muddled thinking

These two incidences crystalise the treatment meted
out to members of this community for ages.

Then in last year's general election, they went out
and voted for Barisan Nasional, playing a crucial role
in the results of some constituencies. Presumably
because they could not really trust the opposition or
were so thoroughly brainwashed that they voted like
automatons.

What provoked this froth at the mouth is the sudden
resurfacing of the Indian gangsters issue after a
five-year lapse. There should be no muddled thinking
about this. The problem is mostly confined to the
Tamil-speaking community and should not embrace the
others who also share the Indian tag.

Because the country has been so heavily racially
politicised, the question why the sudden lather over
the high percentage of Indian criminal elements in
society rises. Suspicion also grows that the
government's main motive for this display of a caring
attitude could be a cynical vote-getting tactic.

It's not that far-fetched an idea when seen in the
context of Prime Minister and Umno president Dr
Mahathir Mohamad personally taking charge of reviving
the fortunes of a very factionalised party, apparently
taking a leaf out of PAS' book of non-stop political
campaigning.

One can be sure that he is keeping eyes on the next
poll, which is approaching at a steady clip, when
every vote will count. While the Umno president sets
out on his task to win back Malay support, two
corporations are chipping in with their TV commercials
to court the others including Indians.

One comes from Petronas whose video clip shows a palm
oil plantation with rows of white-clad young Indians
doing stretching exercises. The camera zooms in on a
little girl who smiles ever so prettily. The eyes are
big and sparkle with good health.

The message is on racial unity but the subliminal one
appears to be that Indians never had it so good. A
squatter colony location would have been closer to the
truth but that would have defeated the purpose of the
exercise in illusion.

The other by Milo highlights Indian athletes breasting
the tape in various track events. The prominence given
to the community is rare, bordering on non-existent.
But I am quite sure that quite a few Indians' laugh
would have been laced with bitterness.

The commercials could be a hit with those waddling
jewellery cases clad in dhoti and silk shirts and
sarees that gather annually to celebrate their status
in society and listen to Samy Vellu's monologue and
swallow his scoldings without a murmur. These people,
constant travellers to India, live in a world
light-years from those families who have lost members
to the underworld through circumstances beyond their
control.

Those families are the dispossessed. Exchanging their
lives in rubber estates for squatter colonies and now
languishing in crowded longhouses. With promises of
proper housing reneged on they have little hope of
ever moving into homes of their own.

They drifted to squatter settlements after being
chucked out of house and home when rubber land was
sold for development where the drive for profits takes
precedence over human misery. Children growing up in
such an environment face a future heavily pregnant
with uncertainties and fear. With hardly any
difference between squatter colonies and longhouses in
their squalor and stink, they provide rich recruiting
grounds for recruitment into a life of crime.

Deaf ears

When Bukit Aman deputy CID director Datuk Ramil Yusof
reportedly said there are 38 Indian gangs with more
than 1,500 active members, Samy Vellu reacted as if he
had been caught with his pants down.

Straightaway he blamed the government for not doing
enough to curb the problem as though his pleas for
help had fallen on deaf ears, raising the question
which government is he talking about. Isn't he a
member of the ruling administration?

That statement must have been meant for solely for the
consumption of the Indian community. He must think
that they are so dense that he and MIC can be absolved
from the gangster issue after they have also declared
themselves to the sole champions of Indians.

Perhaps it was an attempt at diversionary tactics, so
that the community won't ask what the party was doing
for five years while the sore was festering. If so, it
was a pathetic one.

Then he turned his accusing his eyes on rich towkays,
saying they are the ones who are recruiting Indian
youth into their triad societies. Why has he been
keeping this a closely guarded secret? If he can say
towkays then he must know who they are.

There is no indication that he had lodged a police
report on the matter. Or is he following his master's
example and picking on the Chinese?

Samy Vellu then hogtied himself with this
contradiction, saying MIC is the only party that can
save Indian youth. Hear that? That was my unhinged jaw
crashing to the floor. He has been chanting this
saving the Indians mantra ever since when.

Five years since the issue was brought to light by the
then deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob, the
situation seems to have remained unchanged or turned
for the worse. As per normal, MIC swung into action
for the benefit of the mass media, cleaning up an
Indian settlement off Old Klang Road and then
retreated when the issue died down.

Others blame the violence in Tamil films for Indian
youth turning to crime which is a simplistic view.
However, there in another and more insidious element
most people have overlooked. The next time you watch a
Tamil movie look out for dollops of self-pity being
dealt out in generous proportions. It is an opiate
that robs an individual of self-respect and the will
to overcome challenges.

Law of karma

My own feeling on this is that the caste system, which
I believe has still a strong hold on the community,
married to the total belief that one is a helpless
victim of the law of karma, have done great damage.

Karma and caste can provide very convenient excuses
for not taking any initiative to improve one's lot. In
other words, a blind acceptance of fate.

But those who took to a life of crime clearly show
that they have broken through the chains that bound
them, to prey on the society that had betrayed them.

However, there are others in the ethnic group, members
of Indian non-governmental organisations that are
doing their best to educate the community and give
hope to the younger ones.

This could be a pointer that Indians should no longer
look to political parties as their saviour.

In fact, all of us, regardless of race, must learn to
manipulate them into serving the interests of society
instead of themselves.

Hold politicians hostage with the most effective
political weapon - the ballot. It does not matter what
side they belong to, the government or opposition.
They are all the same no matter what noble sentiments
they profess to hold. They are after the most
aphrodisiac and addictive of fruits. Power.

The route to that is through the people, so
politicians must be made to sweat for the privileges
and perks they desire, as the Umno leaders are doing
now. At least for that party, a lesson in the proper
workings of democracy has been taught and appears to
have been learnt.

But pressure must continue to be applied so that
people are no longer taken for granted. Those holding
public office exist at the pleasure of the people. And
the public must not allow itself to be fooled by the
words of politicians. Judge them by their actions
which they cannot hide.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
K SUGU began his journalistic career in 1964 and has
worked in the New Straits Times, The Star and The Sun.
He became a Buddhist monk in 1981 and had his first
taste of press freedom when he worked in Bangkok for
The Nation. He is now retired and spends his time
writing and trying to get a handle on the fleeting
nature of life.



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