INTERVIEW The MIC lost its relevance in politics and to the Indian community as far back as 1974, said National Indian Rights Action Team (Niat) chairperson Thasleem Mohd Ibrahim.
"It started becoming irrelevant much earlier, but (former MIC president) S Samy Vellu had his own way of making the party appear relevant," Thasleem told Malaysiakini in an interview last week.
His statement contrasts with the popular view that S Samy Vellu, who assumed office in 1979, was the cause of MIC's downfall, culminating in the 2007 Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) rally, which brought some 30,000 protesters onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur.
Thasleem, a long-time Tamil education activist, claimed that the MIC in 1974 forwarded a memorandum to the Cabinet Committee on Education, but its proposals got nowhere.
The memorandum, he said, called for the upgrading of Tamil schools and syllabi, better teacher training and residential schools to be set up to "enable Indian students to overcome the debilitating effects of their socio-economic environment." Thasleem, you are a great man. You win my respect. I agree MIC and MCA are just serving their leadership. They do nothing for their communities, other than social welfare programs. I am only disappointed with your fellow Indian Muslims, who claim and behave like Malays. When you have indian ethnicity, be proud of it.Hats of Mr Tasleem sir. You earned my respect. But I'm really disappointed with KIMMA, who now wants UMNO to accord them the Bumiputra status. Indians like us, even if we are Muslims will never be Bumis, please instill this fact to this KIMMA morons. And yes, I concur to some view here that, these are the bunch of people who are creating unrest in Penang. Shame on these mamaks..you are a big digrace to the community..!"Another four or five years is not going to bury the community for good. you have hit the nail on the head! Indians mean, malayees, sikhs, tamils, gujaratis, indian muslims, etc. The leadership did not see it this way and wanted "yes" men around them! We have already gone through this for 55 years. I have lost hope that BN would ever, ever look at the Indian issues genuinely.""CRY MALAYSIA" Thasleem Mohd Ibrahim, I said the same thing for MCA (and MIC) in the other forum. I only went as far as 3 decades. You beat me by almost another decade and I ain't making any complain. Both MCA and MIC (including Gerakan and all the other small component parties of BN) are LONG DEAD... thanks to UMNO and not the least the said component parties themselves. Bastardized bastards!Thasleem how is it that the Indian Muslim have problems when the 4th PM whose roots are from Kerala,India can become a malay and bumiputera.You just need to follow his footsteps,one by one,to work yourself to be a member of UMNO.Again look at those Penang mamaks, some whose skin colour just stand out differently but are also malay and bumiputera.You are right when you mentioned that the BN parties are just damn too timid to stand-up up to their big brother,UMNO,which resulted in the current problems faced by the non-malays..Ubah and do the right thing this coming 13th GE,vote for PR to take over Putrajaya then we will know who can lead Malaysia out of the present rotten, corrupted system that we inherited from the 4th Mamak PM since 1981 Congrats! You're one heck of a mamak to openly claim an Indian. Shame on the 'mamak bedukang' fellow MM. The Indian Muslims in Malaysia have an obsession to become Malay. MIC is relevant but it is in a pathetic state. The fault is offcourse with the leader, the honourable samy velu.While he was enjoying euphoric status for nothing other than absolute luck, Umno and MCA were sharing the cake 50:50 leaving the indians with zero meaning there is nothing the community owns.Thats the leader samy velu is. What is he boosting now. Pathetic indeed.
the dATEthe brits learnt their lessons well when they gave up india. the mistake they made when giving up india was never repeated with the other colonial countries including malaya .why on earth would they want to give the country to the true nationalist who fought the british and died for the country but to the impostors who would do their bidding. Wonder how many from umno , mca and mic have died fighting for the country . I can 't recall a single name. so they spin it around and say that malaya was never a colony so no need to fight for independence Encouraged by your honest comments on MIC & Hindraf. The MIC leaders showed that changing masters from the British to fellow Malaysians (UMNO) came easily. Hindraf started gloriously, but personal greed and egos took over and we now have "many chiefs and no Indians" They can only claim credit for awakening Malaysians from their slumber. Support Indian causes ? Why - we are Malaysianssamy velu a good man...sorry mr Thasleem, the excuse of not being surrounded by good men is no excuse..he had the power to do otherwise but he did not. Was he honest..heck no. He had his yes men and his son that pari bugger rape and sodomise Maika holdings and i should know as i was in the audit firm that was auditing it. RM110m of poor indians(the bulk of it anyway) money was stolen under his watch. Was aimst necessary? It would have been better and cheaper to buy a medical college in russia then set aimst up...its cheaper to study in russia than at aimst. And chopping up people with gangsters was his method of keeping the indians in their place.Sorry Mr. Thasleem, i hava a lot of respect for you but by not calling samy a thief and a gangster you have been less than honest.
u r a constitutional Malay n benefited greatly in engineering work designs commissioned by Govt during CW games.So,y this sudden betrayal? If u can praise SV as "a leader who did the best under his circumstances" y single out TSi Manicka, the gentlemen. The politics in 74 was towards nation building n no way the Melayu Civil service n Ghazali Shafie would agree!UMNO reigned then n many MIC leaders had to sacrifice their wealth to get many a citizenship!MIC had good plans and leaders in 74 who showed restraint in favour of national goal.TS Manicka died prematurely and when Mamak kutty came into power, he could only care to destroy indian identity! Was Aimst necessary? SV could simply put the RM2 billion in FD and RM60 mil interest income can give 120 decal seats annualy to give away.!Now it needs RM50 m pa, so draining RM110mil pa? Those w grand design n personal interest should always stay at home,with their tongkat! the problem is the indian muslim do nt want to assosiate with therem ( INDIAN)...they think they are malay...idiots.....where the fuck you become malay....look at them ....you go to their shop ...ther treat indian less that malay and chinesse...many of my friend sexperience that.....if like that what the fuck u are taking up indian quota ..to uiversity and other...SHAME on u...dont want to speak tamil.......but speak malay at home and public/.....feel shame to speak ...when there are other indian near....IDIOTS......i always dont support them ..from many many years of experience......will never support them. Is Indian Muslim belongs to Malay community or Indian Community ?Some they blend with Indians ,but mostly become sudden Malays.They dont want to be with MIC or UMNO but form their own party KIMMA in BN?Most of trouble makers at the moments politicaly are Indian Muslim and less Malays involve, expecially in Penang.Are the real Indian Muslim loosing their track? because of economical gain they fast change to become Malay .
At the Indraf rally, Anwar had condemned Najib for ignoring the plight of the Indians and offering only sugar-coated short-term solutions to ‘buy’ their votes.
“I want to make a stand. It’s not about politics or a contest for power. It’s not just an Indian issue – it’s about every minority. It’s not an Indian problem, it’s a national problem. What is Najib doing about this? No Malaysian should be insulted or abused in this country,” said Anwar.
The Indraf 2.0 rally at Brickfield was backed by Pakatan Rakyat leaders and attended by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and other fast-rising star such as human rights lawyer N Surendran.
our ultimate aim is to have an umbrella body that reflects the entire community,” National Indian Action Team chairman Thasleem Mohamed had told the Sundaily last week, just days before the Brickfields rally. Indraf 2.0 pro-tem committee members were DAP’s Prof Ramasamy, the Penang Deputy Chief Minister II, Niat chairman Thasleem Mohamad, and Malaysian Indian Voice adviser R Kengadaran. Raidu is the MIV chairman and Ganabatirao an adviser in the newly set-up part
our ultimate aim is to have an umbrella body that reflects the entire community,” National Indian Action Team chairman Thasleem Mohamed had told the Sundaily last week, just days before the Brickfields rally. Indraf 2.0 pro-tem committee members were DAP’s Prof Ramasamy, the Penang Deputy Chief Minister II, Niat chairman Thasleem Mohamad, and Malaysian Indian Voice adviser R Kengadaran. Raidu is the MIV chairman and Ganabatirao an adviser in the newly set-up part
“We have not forgotten the impact and instrumental role Hindraf has played in efforts to help the Indian community, it was after the Hindraf rally in 2007 that the government realized the Indian votes were important. With this new name, Indians from other faiths such as Islam, Christianity and Sikhism will feel included because we are fighting for the rights of the entire Indian community and not just be a religious body.”
the poorest of the poor are found in the estates where the INDIAN community worked?? why after 54 yrs – so little progresss lived as i come from an estate lah.. i know the conditions= no water – no lighting n no roads – dirt roads only n no sewerage system/ why In the Indian movies always got the good guys and the bad. And the bad are always the samseng and gangsters…sigh… the bad Indian Malaysians are proving themselves the gangster and samseng lot. When will they ever learn and rise up from the stereotypes. So predictable these bad Indians lackey for useless gangster leaders who use and pay them little for dirty jobs If the police can’t do a damn thing, then what about citizens arrest on this cowards who go in groups but not alone? LOOK! YOU BASTARDS! WE ARE WATCHING YOU AND WE WILL HUNT YOU DOWN. There are many out there who have the brains and they will know what to do when the time comes. Your Job-Zero!, Your faces will soon appear in face book. This is the beginning of your end and those who were behind you….you got it right this time….fight for all minority and all indians by all means ..not just HINDUS………this is not india……a lot of us non hindus shunned HINDRAF and could not be bothered by them…but now i find indraf is the right choice…..so lets all stand up as one in being indians and fight for the common cause….change of GOVT.Many Malaysians, especially from other racial groups may not have realized it yet, but politics in the Indian community is shaking up in a big way, with new players emerging and new ‘heroes’ set to take the front stage.
This has led to a spate of violence among the various political camps as incumbents resorted to all ways and means to hang onto to their territory.
V Ganabatirao and his brother Raidu – among the ‘new stars’ in the Indian community and responsible for helping organize last Sunday’s Indraf 2.0 rally – were attacked by three men on Wednesday night, suffering serious injuries and warded in a private hospital in Klang.
Ganabatirao sustained a broken nose while his brother’s arm was broken.
“We were in Meru to attend a funeral when three gangsters approached us. One of them used a car steering lock and assaulted us,” Ganabatirao was reported as saying.
The escalation of violence against the rakyat has reached a point of grave concern for us all. The most recent incident was when yesterday, Indraf Co-founder V. Ganabatirau & his brother (who is also the Indraf 2.0 Committee member) V. Raidu were attacked by BN gangsters at Bukit Raja last night.
While Gana was treated and released from the hospital, his brother sustained more serious injuries and is currently admitted at the Sri Kota Medical Centre, Klang.
DAP leaders gathered this morning and expressed their disappointment and disgust with the targeted violence against activists, NGO leaders, student leaders and opposition leaders and anyone else who is peacefully working towards the betterment of the country.
We held a Press Conference at 11am today at the medical centre.
Prior to last night’s attack, Gana, his brother and another Indraf leader/ founding member R. Kengadaran, as well as those who were involved in organising the Indraf 2.0 gathering last Sunday (27 May 2012), have been receiving threatening calls from people unknown to them.
As a result of the assault, Gana’s arm has been injured. His brother Raidu suffered a dislocated and fractured arm while his neck has been injured.
They were beaten-up by a group of thugs when they were about to enter a friend’s home in Meru – to pay respect to a friend who passed away last nite.
They were beaten-up by a group of thugs when they were about to enter a friend’s home in Meru – to pay respect to a friend who passed away last nite.
Meanwhile, Gana said he is able to identify the attackers. I urge the police to take immediate action. They should not procrastinate, especially with the availability of witnesses to identify the attackers. These gangsters should be charged under Section 326 of the Penal Code — causing grievous hurt by use of weapons.
In a show of solidarity, Penang DCM Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy drove down from Penang to Klang this morning to visit the Indraf victims and leaders.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang has said he will visit the duo on Thursday morning. Lim has denounced the ruling BN coalition for violent politicking ahead of the 13th general election, where the opposition is rated to have an even chance of wresting the federal government from Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Meanwhile, Ganabatirao confirmed he had lodged a police report over the attack.
In any profession there is usually a requirement to start at the grass root levels, and when I mean grass root, I really mean starting at the very base. I have been through it when I was an Audit trainee during my CA days; I have done my fair share of ticking, vouching, and reconciling and even stock taking coffee beans in the dingiest and smelliest of factories. The coffee beans eventually go on to become the world’s most famous coffee brands and it’s a different matter that very few know about the long arduous ride of every coffee bean and those associated with it. I hated it, but I had no choice. No professional can skip a few levels and get to where they are today. Everybody goes through the same momentum and it does not matter what profession you choose, once you have the necessary qualifications you are then introduced to the real deal, nowhere as pretty or cozy as what you imagined it to be.
There is a system and one is expected to follow it. You start as a trainee or as an apprentice, learn the skills, sweat it out and then slowly move your way up. The only profession, which completely bypasses grass root level training or apprenticeship, is the political one. Like Bollywood where bloodline and connections do matter, a profession in politics thrives by it. Even in Bollywood the off springs go through the rigors of dancing, emoting and get trained in acting to some degree before they surprise us or shock us. Or for that matter, any vocation whether it is cricket, law, medicine, business etc that has been practiced by generations imbibes a sense of discipline and training quite naturally. Only politics sticks out for not inculcating the commitment, training and discipline in working for the people in a professional manner.
And how many of our politicians actually engage in training to serve the people in an unbiased, free and fair manner at the base level before moving to the top? So-called youngsters are head on into the game, at the very top. No longer ‘youth’ as they are widely proclaimed to be, these are middle-aged men in their late 30’s and early 40’s, the swagger stems from either a foreign education or false sense of education and family backing. Education is not a requirement though to get through the doors. To be eligible for membership in the Lok Sabha, “a person must be a citizen of India and must be 25 years of age or older, mentally sound, should not be bankrupt and should not be criminally convicted”. How about prior experience in serving the citizens of this country or compulsory military service? A compulsory military service as a pre-requisite would filter out a lot of unwanted elements along with a minimum level of education. Criminally charged individuals are indeed Members of Parliament. It is no secret that one-third of our Indian MPs have criminally charged cases against them and yet they make it through the doors of parliament. The chances of being mentally deranged in politics are a lot higher than being financially bankrupt and the odds of being mentally bankrupt is the highest for successful membership. If one had to draw observations from the ‘sexcapades’, greed and avariciousness of some of the Members, it would be easy to conclude that some of our politicians would make excellent research subjects. How many of us would swing through our office doors and be promoted with a criminal charge in our names whilst being mentally bankrupt in our respective professions?
The next generation of well-educated Indian politicians like Sachin Pilot (Wharton Business School), Milind Deora (Boston University), Jyotiraditya Scindia (Harvard & Stanford), Akhilesh Yadav (University of Sydney) surely have the family credentials and educational credentials backing them. But is this enough to convert them into professional politicians? Absolutely not, the young blood need to work for the people and remain committed to the people despite the distractions of power and absolute wealth. In a country where 50% of the population is below 35 years of age, it is represented by 94% of members in Lok Sabha who are above 35 years. The average age of the Lok Sabha is 53 years and the average age of the Rajya Sabha is 63 years. Our Prime Minister is almost 80 and represents a largely ‘young’ country that desparately seeks a young Prime Minister. Even if Rahul Gandhi spends more time with Adivasis and tries to connect at the grass root level with a very small section of the population, it is quite difficult to term him professional as yet and especially with all the confusion around his qualifications. He has a long road ahead of him and even if young India needs a young Prime Minister to lead it, I don’t think despair should force ‘young’ Rahul to lead India for now. Let him concentrate on completing his apprenticeship first.
MIC has always been a party of gangsters.MIC gangsters are no better than PDRM! They are rabid mongrels of the lowest kinds. Even a dog knows gratitude. They on the other hand are mad dogs!Nowadays UMNO gangster @ line ke3 has recruited new member… Wonder when Chua Soi Lek’s Johor taiko will join them… PKR … Read more
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