What happened to sincere, straightforward greetings without the need for one party to say that they have down more for the Indian than any other party?
The general election is imminent and both the ruling party and the opposition are in untenable positions. Umno and Pakatan know that they cannot win the election on their own. The Malay vote is split, the Chinese will probably vote for the opposition and that leaves the Indians.
So, the party which successfully courts the Indian vote, will undoubtedly be in a stronger position.
In his address on the eve of Deepavali, G. Palanivel, the MIC president, told the Indian community that the government ‘was listening’ and would ‘assist them in the transformation process’.
Palanivel who also holds the post as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, also said that Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak had helped the Indian community in their many requests.
He said, “The government has extended much assistance to date where some have been implemented and others will be put in place soon.
“I am confident that the Indian community is on the right track and will continue to progress if they stay united”.
This is a clear indication that he is aware that Hindraf is able to unify and mobilise the Indian community.
He warned against stirring up dissent in sensitive matters and said that it was important to preserve racial harmony.
Palanivel urged Indians to adopt the spirit of 1Malaysia to contribute to a successful nation. He also said that the community had much to look forward to with the introduction and implementation of projects in the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and Government Transformation Programme GTP).
He said, “These programmes are inclusive and the Indians will be able to tap into the programmes to raise their socio-economic standing”.
Unsurpisingly, Najib’s Deepavali address which was posted on his blog 1Malaysia.com.my, was no less grand.
Najib said that this year’s Deepavali celebration would be “all the more special” because Malaysia was beginning to see the end result of the country’s national transformation efforts (NTE).
He wrote: “The special initiatives that we have undertaken over the last two years are yielding results that have a real and positive impact on Indian families and individuals.
“This has given us the confidence to further strengthen and widen our efforts so that we may reach all who need us”.
Najib told the Indian community that his government would include direct initiatives to increase their incomes and that he would attempt to increase the full business prowess of the Indian community.
He urged professionals, high profile personalities and community leaders to help him change the lives of the Indians for the better and also work towards national transformation.
He said, “Without the full commitment and support of each group, we will simply not achieve our collective ambitions for Malaysia.”
Meanwhile, in her Deepavali message, Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, the president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, also invoked Indian sentiments when she illustrated the Indian community’s poor economic status and low social standing.
She stressed that her party was not going to allow the Indian community to languish and made reference to the ills that afflicted the Indian youth and the disappearance of billions of ringgits worth of shares which had been allocated to the Indian communities.
Despite the grand talk and deeply politicised Deepavali wishes by all parties, it is evident that BN and the opposition are worried.
The reason is obvious. It is the new-kid-on-the-block, the Hindraf party.
Hindraf has energised the Indian community and given it a new lease of life.
The Hindraf leadership under the pro-tem secretary-general P. Uthayakumar and his brother, the Hindraf leader-in-exile, P. Waythamoorthy, have told Indians that they, too have rights and cannot be pushed around like a political football anymore.
As a result, the Indian voter is more astute than ever and is at liberty to vote with his head, and not his heart. Nor be subject to the coercion of the Jack-boot of the MIC thug.
In the 2008 general election, the teamwork of Pakatan and Hindraf was one of the contributory factors to Pakatan’s success.
However, in the years that followed, Hindraf claimed that Pakatan failed to focus on solving the problems experienced by the Indian community and the Pakatan-Hindraf relationship subsequently disintegrated.
Uthayakumar said: “In the last general election, we gave Pakatan a chance where for the first time BN lost its two-third parliament majority and lost control of five states.”
Nonetheless, the word on the ground is that Indians need not bother with politics or politicians: “Why should we care? They (the politicians) only come and see us in the days before the election with presents, makan and money. We might as well be invisible the rest of the time,” said one labourer from Sungei Siput.
For the past four years, he has been submitting forms to the welfare office for financial help, with the help of an MIC official. But he alleges that his application had always been rejected, until a few months ago.
His children can now go to school, his disabled mother and child can also receive disability benefits and four of his children who did not have birth certificates have now been provided with the necessary papers. This year too, he was rewarded with a hamper, which he claimed had never happened before.
This voter is happy that MIC has finally helped him and he claims that he is aware that the help probably materialised because of the impending GE-13.
Nevertheless, he thinks that MIC’s help is just a bribe and he will vote for the opposition, at GE-13.
With Prime minister Najib tight-lipped about the date of GE-13, it remains to be seen which party will successfully court the Indian vote.
MARIAM MOKHTAR
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