What is the Malaysian Indian dilemma? Plenty. Education, social status, economic strength, you name it. Who are we to blame? The Malays? The Chinese? The government? The alignment of Jupiter and Saturn? Ultimately, we have only one place to point the finger at. We have to point it back to ourselves. I believe that, other than life and death, everything else is within the ability of man to control. Thus, whatever is thrown at you, you must stand up for it and fight. You must be willing to break free from the norms and defy what is common.

Why do many Indians complain about the Never Ending Policy, yet they refuse to take action and stand? Let us spare ourselves of the rants of “Oh we are a repressed group.. minority… bla bla bla…”. We have the brains. And the brawn. You don’t need to resolve to massive rioting or killing to make a change. Remember that all great conquests were made by proper strategem and the skills of the mind. We sure do not lack that, do we folks?

Malaysian Indians have been stereotyped for the many years that have passed. Drunkards, wife beaters, academically challenged students, scruffy lorry drivers, high suicide rates and such. But at the same time, not many people decide to look at the other half of the statistic table. A high percentage of professionals, high rates of academic grades in universities, high standard of work ethics and a genetically predisposed knack for achieving excellence. Go brush up on your Indian history. You’ll know what I mean.

Why is it, that for so many years, we have been lying dormant, without a sound, no matter what injustice that was thrown against us? Why didn’t we stand up for what we deserve 5, 10, or 20 years back? Are you saying that discrimination back then was not so high-profile, and now it is? I say bullshit. The truth is, Malaysian Indians have slacked. We absorbed everything like punching bags. But surely, a punching bag will sway back towards the puncher, right? But like they say, it’s now or never. I’m glad voices are being raised NOW, and not 10 years later. I’m glad that we are coming out of the coccoon.

What coccoon, you might ask? Haven’t you realised, that any information that is relayed to us, is either misinformed, or truly a worthless one? Perhaps yes. But what did we do to right the wrong? Try going into an Indian barber shop. Ask your barber for his 2 cents in politics. I assure you, he will give you his 50 cents worth. But if you ask him this question: “What are you going to do about it?”. Chances are he will drift off to another topic. We want change, but we don’t want to BE the change.

Lately, I feel that the Malaysian Indians have realised about this dilemma, and are standing up for principles. But much yet leaves to be desired from that. We have to remember that being an Indian goes beyond religion. Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, anything that might be, all that matters that if you are an Indian, then you are an INDIAN. Period. There is no “shifting” to the other side just because you worship a different GOD. There is no asking for “Malay” status just because you are a Muslim. Isn’t that degrading? Selling your ancestory just for special privileges?

So, we must now fight for our rights as one true entity. I am not asking for parangs to be raised and rifles to be polished. What I am asking is simple. We Indians need to embrace an open mind if we want to stand for our principles. If you are divided within, then surely your demands will receive no respect from others.

PS: This is a repost from my site. With the elections coming around, I just feel the need to reinforce some points to ponder.