As the High Commissioner to Malaysia, you have undoubtedly interacted vastly and thoroughly with all sections of the Indian community in this South Asian country. What is your overall observation and perception about this large community?
The Indian community is a part of the multicultural society of Malaysia. It comprises about 7 per cent of the total population. It is as diverse as it is in India. Persons of Tamil origin form about 80 per cent of the Indian community. Its origins go back to the British colonial days as indentured and contract labour. It had participated in India’s struggle for independence. It has now grown into an important component and integral part of Malaysia’s society. On my first arrival at Kuala Lumpur I was struck by the banners marking Deepavali (Festival of Lights).
At the political level it is integrated as it is a part of the coalition Government, which is a decision by choice of the majority community, but not the result of compulsions of coalition. The Tamils, however, have a dominant place in the Indian political party, the Malaysian-Indian Congress, as they represent the single largest community.
At the economic level, it is a mixed story, given its historical background. Some of the children of rubber tappers have become highly respected professionals like doctors, lawyers and teachers. A number of tappers and their children, however, have not found it easy to fit into the new economy. They still remain at the poor end of the strata of society. This is the main problem, which the leaders of the Indian community and the Government of Malaysia are addressing and it has to find a way out, as to how to make them an integral part of the society, before they further drift away.
At the social level it reflects the diversity of India in terms of religions and the regions, although it is largely a Tamil dominated community. The population has a mix of Tamils, Telugus, Malayalees, Punjabis, Gujaratis, Sindhis etc. In terms of religion, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians are there although the Hindus are the largest in number. At the cultural level, it has the freedom to pursue its religious and other cultural activities. It maintains its connections with India.
Indians have risen to higher and important positions and have contributed meaningfully towards Malaysian development. Their contributions are well recognised and they are given full respect
What is the expectation of the Indian community in Malaysia from India?
The primary expectation of the Indian community from India is in two areas—education and culture. India has provided education facilities to persons of Indian origin, in particular, in the professional courses. Indian contribution in training doctors is substantial, as at present, 30 per cent of doctors in Malaysia have studied in India. A medical school in collaboration with the Manipal Medical School has been set up at Malacca, Malaysia. Indian presence is also there in the IT education sector in Malaysia. India missed an opportunity to set up more joint ventures in the education field as Indian education institutions did not see the potential of education as an expert earner. Australia and the UK have come in a big way in Malaysia, taking full advantage of the openings in the education sector.
The Indian community also looks up to India for cultural connectivity, facilitating a regular flow of cultural troupes religious teachers to meet the growing requirements of local religious and cultural institutions.
Now, with the increasing linkages between India and Malaysia in the economic sector, Malaysian Indians have started playing an active role in promoting such links, as a bridge between Malaysian and Indian companies.
What has been the role of the Punjabi diaspora in Malaysia?
The Punjabi diaspora plays an active role in Malaysia, as it is an important professional group. A number of Punjabis occupy important positions as lawyers, academicians and doctors. Punjabis are a well respected community. In fact the first president of the Malaysian-Indian Congress was a Sikh, Budh Singh.
There are over 100 gurdwaras in Malaysia and the Sikhs enjoy full freedom to practice their religion. The Malaysian Government facilitates the entry of religious priests (Granthis) and singers (Rags) from India. The Punjabi community entered Malaysia largely as policemen. As the first ship brought them from Calcutta, it is not uncommon for Malays to describe the Punjabi community as “Bengalis”.
Is there a positive change being brought about in the image of India by the new immigrants?
The change in the Indian image in Malaysia is largely on account of India emerging as an economic power. The image of India in Malaysia has changed over the years. Indian expertise in the areas of IT, science and technology, medical and engineering are well recognised. The emergence of India as an economic power has further improved India’s image as it has resulted in increase in India-Malaysia trade, investments and tourism.
A Malaysian survey of race relations released last year says Indians have the lowest share in the nation’s corporate wealth—1.5 per cent compared with 19.4 per cent for the Malays and 38.5 per cent for the Chinese. Even after a 100 years of existence, do you attribute this situation to a lack of enterprise or discrimination?
It is true that the share of the Indian community in the business sector is the lowest. It is largely due to the fact that Indians, unlike the Chinese, are not an entrepreneurial class. Over the years, the Malays’ share has gone up, because of the policy of Bhumiputra adopted by the Malaysian Government, which provided for Malays’ involvement in the business. Here again, it may be noted that despite the Bhumiputra Policy, the Malay share has still not reached up to the expectations of the Malay leaders. It has also given rise to an arrangement, commonly described as “Ali Baba”, where the Malays play the upfront role, while the Chinese still continue to control the business operations. The low percentage of the Indian participation in the corporate sector, therefore, cannot be ascribed to racial discrimination.
Think Tank: Former High Commissioner Sahai seen at a workshop organised by India Empire in collaboration with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
Also, the same survey makes some uncharitable remarks about the Indian community, they are stereotyped as people who may not be easily trusted…. Do you think that the basis for such a generalisation is grounded in reality?
Any community tends to acquire certain stereotypes which are not always close to reality. I have not come across such a stereotype. The community enjoys a certain amount of trust. The leading Political Party of Malaysian-Indians called “The Malaysian-Indian Congress (MIC)”, is an integral part of the governing coalition, with the dominant Malay Party, the United Malay National Organization (UMNO). Indian professionals also are well respected in the community and they have created a niche for themselves for their uprightness. There are always some black sheep in any community, who would like to take advantage of any situation for their personal gains, be it Indians, Chinese or Malays.
Do you think that Indian politicians (in Malaysia) have been neglecting the larger, and more serious interests of the community at the expense of promoting their own?
Indian political leadership in Malaysia is not in any way different from political leadership of other communities and in other countries. The leadership has a delicate role to play, in finding a right balance, in protecting the interests of the community, while ensuring at the same time that its own interests are not undermined. The Malaysian-Indian Congress, which is an integral part of the ruling coalition, should, therefore, be in a position to better protect the interests of the Indian community. At times, it is, however, not possible to do so, given the politics of governance. Therefore, in certain situations, it may be seen to be not protecting the interests of the community. There are also vested interests. Infighting among the leadership also sends wrong signals to the people but this is also a part of democratic governance, be it Malaysia or India.
What has been the outcome of the Bhumiputra politics, and has the Government of India failed to have a dialogue with the Government of Malaysia in this matter?
The ‘Bhumiputra’ Policy is a kind of positive discrimination to uplift the status of Malays in business and other areas. It is born out of Malaysian political necessities. It is something on the lines of India’s ‘Policy on Reservations’, which is still being debated upon by different groups in India. India sees Bhumiputra policy as an internal policy matter for the Government of Malaysia. It may, however, be mentioned that the word ‘Bhumiputra’ has its origin in Sanskrit, which means “the Sons of the Soil”. Different countries, including the United States, have adopted policies towards positive discrimination.
Despite the teeming underclass, Indians have scripted some dramatic stories in business and enterprise. Is it that those who succeed, despite the system and not because of it?
You are right about certain individual success stories of Indians in Malaysia. Indians have risen to higher and important positions and have contributed meaningfully towards Malaysian development. Their contributions are well recognised and they are given full respect and recognition at the time of the Annual Awards given by His Majesty, the King of Malaysia.
An individual’s success is both the product of his own competence as well as the result of environment, in which he lives. In the olden times, we always talked about Indian success stories abroad, but never talked of India’s success. Now the scene has changed, as we have both—the success story of India as well as that of Indians. This has resulted in India and Indians abroad supplementing each others’ positive image.
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