Letter to editor
IT caught my attention when I read that Tamil movie “Jailer” movie grossed RM10 mil in five days, running for a 27-day marathon and entered into the Malaysian Book of Records (MBR).
The superstar Rajinikanth’s latest blockbuster made me wonder the potential of the Malaysian Indian community who is always said to be a poor and in dire need of financial assistance.
Being able to spend RM10 mil in five days is a reflection of their capability to raise RM10 mil from the Indian community within five days. Hence, I truly wonder the innate capacity of the community to contribute to other Indians who are lesser off in term of education, social and economic factors.
Will the Indian community come forward and generously contribute the amount of money for a just cause for the community?
Will they be hesitant to do so given the mindset that it is the problem of the government and not the community to look into the welfare of Malaysian Indians?
The Indian community must learn from their Chinese counterpart the philanthropy spirit. Successful Chinese businessmen contribute generously for the education, social and other cultural well-being of the community.
Though there are not many successful Indian businessmen around to contribute generously to their community as in the case of the Chinese community, the “Jailer” movie is an eye-opener that individual Indians can come together as a community to help the lesser members of their community.
The mindset from crab mentality – or other prejudicial mindset of the community – needs to be reformed and transformed so as to enable the Indian community to move forward and excel as “leaves of one tree and flowers of one garden”.
When will they learn that they have the capacity to rise as a phoenix from the ashes of defeat which they are perceived collectively ever since Malaysia’s independence 66 years ago?
If they remain disunited within due to creed, caste, clans and many more of their prejudicial divisive tendencies which they inherited from their ancestral trajectory, then the hope is dim. As it is, the oneness of the Indian community is lacking even though they only form a small subset of 6.6% of an estimated Malaysian population of 32.7 million in 2022.
ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, the former head of the Baháʼí Faith (1892-1921) once penned: “Humanity may be likened unto vari-coloured flowers of one garden. There is unity in diversity. Each sets off to enhance the other’s beauty. The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord”.
Until and unless the spirit of unity and oneness gets embedded among the Indians, the progress will be piece meal in its trajectory for few selected Indian but never collectively, socially and economically.
We need not just political leaders to move the community forward but the contribution from non-partisan, neutral, all-encompassing and inclusive leaders without tainted character. – Aug 28, 2023
K. Tamil Maran (K.T.Maran)
Seremban
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Pics credit: Free Malaysia Today (FMT)
