I AGREE with MIC central working committee member Datuk P. Kamalanathan that former premier Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who held office from 2009 to 2018 did more for the Indian community than prime ministers before and after him.
It is true that under Najib’s leadership, financial assistance to Tamil schools increased, the number of Tamil schools grew and Indian student admissions to the matriculation programme improved.
He was also known to be approachable and open to mediation by the MIC which played a key role in advocating for the Indian community.
However, whether the allocated funds effectively reached the intended beneficiaries remains a matter of debate.
Najib was relatively better in his approach but this does not mean he managed to dismantle the entrenched racial structures that have long shaped Malaysia’s political and social landscape.
‘Not a racist, chameleon’
While Najib was perhaps more sympathetic – particularly toward subaltern groups within the Indian community – he was far from a reformist or maverick. He did not undertake significant measures to address systemic racial or religious discrimination.
In Malaysia’s deeply polarised ethnic and religious environment, even minor deviations from the norm can appear significant. Najib’s gestures towards the Indian community, though relatively modest, may have been magnified in this context.
Being historically aligned with UMNO and a beneficiary of Najib’s policies, MIC has every reason to highlight and perhaps exaggerate his contributions.
To his credit, Najib was not perceived as a racist or a political chameleon like some of his predecessors or successors who often say one thing publicly but act differently in private.
He respected the Indian community’s need for representation in the Cabinet. However, whether MIC-appointed leaders effectively championed the rights of the community is another matter altogether.
In the rigidly stratified Malaysian political landscape, even a slight shift in favour of marginalised communities can be seen as extraordinary.
Najib’s relative deviation in favour of the Indian community might well be perceived this way. But the larger structural issues remain unresolved. – May 12, 2025
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
