Conflict between haves and have-nots is eminent in every corner of the world and when it comes to Malaysia,it’s not among the exceptions. Rich dominates the poor doctrine has no different implication in this part of the world as it use to have. The three racial groups that comprise Chinese, Malays, and Indian have the same order (according to number of people) when it comes to haves and have-nots. Since we [Indians] are at the bottom from every aspect, we face duel battle for the survival. Survival is getting tougher and tougher with the increasing rift between Indians and Malays who is the majority community. We ethnic Indians, who once were the backbone of Malaysia’s labor force, are gradually losing identity. Additionally, availability of cost effective Indonesian labor in the Malaysian market is adding salt to the injury.

The current clashes again bring to limelight the plight of ethnic Indian community in Malaysia. However, Malaysian PM doesn’t accept this, but the protesting ethnic Indians being arrested are enough to tell what Indians are through in Malaysia for the past 50 years. Additionally, Malaysian govt. has also played pivotal role while leaving the poor Indian community uneducated and untouched to progress, just to exploit us for the sake of political ends. Indian lot is withering with every sunrise and we have not been given the deserving clout in the govt. Even though the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) is constituent of the government, but in lack of influence it failed to cater to Indian interests and the result is discrimination that presently we are going through.

Every plan (e.g. 1991-2000) was focused to give credit to the Bumiputras. Since we Indians are the minority here sans numerical strength and political influence, we could not add something too substantial to the Malaysian economy, hence the headway for governmental apathy. However, it’s only due to the Govt.’s crooked planning to put us off the mainstream.

As Malaysian Govt. denies the discrimination against us, however there is yet another side of the issue. Like foreign workers elsewhere, people here resent us. They accuse us for taking away their jobs. And Rela, a volunteer self-defense corps created in the 1960s, plays the major role to cause havoc on Indians and constitution gives them free reign to execute the same. After this, Govt.’s denial to repress Indians is a dodge to the world.

Rela is a nightmare for foreigners and it keeps us awake in nights leaning and peering in the dark streets looking for safer place when Rela will raid. Rela officials are authorized to search our houses without a warrant making us targets of an expanding campaign of harassment, arrest, whippings, imprisonment, deportation, looting... and sending foreign laborers to detention camps. Even those who run in to the jungles to escape Rela’s wrath and live there by making hey huts, don’t find any respite as here even they are chased by Rela like merciless hounds.

Notwithstanding, our brothers in India are unresponsive to our plights and had done nothing indeed to mitigate our miseries. Neither does the Indian Govt. tried to ensure the implementation of service conditions for the migrating labor nor does it did enough to help provide educational facilities to us. Due to this, result can be witnessed in the form of vacant seats in quota that Malaysian Govt. provides.

There was no more reason than hope to write this article on behalf of my millions of brothers and sisters who are witnessing the discrimination on the daily basis. However, I am sure this will again fall on the deaf ears like thousand other articles from many others like me. But, what a hopeless thing ‘hope’ is...it just makes you try again and again and again. You might have finished reading the article with a hope that Indian Govt. will lend the helping hand while we here in Malaysia hope that this discrimination will end soon.