|
Tamil schools, sacrificial lambs of a
political agenda
Prof P Ramasamy
Tuesday April 10 Malaysiakini
12:17pm, Tue: Of late, discourses on the nature and development
of Indian community in Malaysia have invariably touched on the issue of Tamil
schools in the country. One view is that Tamil schools given the poor
performance of students, their lack of modern facilities, their location in the
interior and others are hindering the progress of the Indian community.
Adherents of this view feel strongly that Tamil schools should
be gradually phased out in the coming years. Another view examines the schools'
system form a cultural and emotional point of view.
It is argued that since Tamil is rich in meaning and ideas; some
even go the extent of saying that learning and understanding Tamil might unlock
answers for future problems!
The above two positions on the future of Tamil and Tamil schools
is untenable for a number of reasons. The first view that regards Tamil schools
as the source of the problems is a very simplistic and naive one to say the
least.
Tamil schools themselves do not constitute a cause rather their
existence is the effect of how the Indian community has developed over the
years. In other words, the state of Tamil schools and their poor performance is
nothing but a reflection of the political, social and economic position of the
Indian community.
Today, if the community is developed and self-sustaining, the
Tamil schools' system would have been quite dynamic, something like the Chinese
schools. But because the community is poor and deprived in many ways, the Tamil
school system has also suffered as a consequence.
Nationality right
This particular approach rather than examining the political
economy of the Tamil educational system, tends to focus merely on those effects
that have been caused by the interplay of larger societal forces.
Apart from basic theoretical flaws, this approach tends to
underestimate the political dangers in pursuing this kind of reasoning.
Calling for termination of Tamil schools not only deprives the Indian community
of its nationality right to learn and speak the language but also undermines the
deep emotional and cultural attachment the community has for the language.
Such attachment is no different from what the Chinese, Malays
and other nationalities have for their respective languages. The question here:
why should Indians alone be told to sacrifice their language and their school
system?
Beyond this, the proponents of this view do not have any
scientific basis for the rejection of the Tamil school system. It is merely an
assertion among some sections of the middle and upper middle class who have a
simplistic understanding of the plight of the Indian community. Some of them do
not even the speak the language and are even shy to admit that they are Tamils
in the first place.
The real issue is something else; the colossal failure on their
part not to acknowledge the real problems faced by Indians having their roots in
the racial policy of divide and rule.
Insane exaltation
The other popular argument is the way the language is very often
exalted to a point of insanity. While Tamils should be proud of their language,
there is not reason to deny the importance of other languages as well.
Pursuing the kind of argument to its extreme only makes a
mockery of the Tamil language. Tamil is no different from other languages in
terms of its historical greatness. But beyond this, it is merely a mother tongue
to millions of Tamils around the world.
While nobody should deny Tamils the right to learn and speak
their mother tongue, the language itself is not superior or inferior to other
languages. Like others, it has grown and developed in its various aspects as
result of the interaction of various people in the world.
To say that the language has a secret that is waiting to be
unlocked actually contributes to nothing but merely to highlight chauvinism on
the part of some members of the community.
For the Indian community in Malaysia, Tamil language constitutes
an integral part of its existence and identity. No sane member of the community
would want to part with this right, immaterial of the costs of sustenance.
Real problem
Rather than blaming the language and its school system, we
should first find out why the community and its school system has suffered over
the years. Is it because of the inaction on the part of the government or is it
because on the inability on the part of the Indian elite to provide the kind of
representation for the community over the years?
There is really nothing wrong with the language or the Tamil
school system. The real problem lies in the nature and manner of the
un-development of the Indian community over the last 43 years or so.
The non-interest shown by the government in addressing the
fundamental problems of the community is the real reason why
Indians have become marginalised in the country.
The Tamil school system is one particular aspect of this
marginalisation and there are others. Unless and until comprehensive
policies are devised to deal with the whole range of issues, groups and
communities without the power of numbers would have a dim prospect of progress
in the country.
To call for the termination of the Tamil school system would
really mean playing into the hands of racists who have been long arguing that
the vernacular system in the country is the main reason for the lack of national
integration.
As we are more than aware, the real reason for the lack of
racial integration in the country is the racial policy of the BN regime that
refuses to acknowledge the equality of all races in the country.
Malays hold the trump card for Indians
Dr Ananthan Krishnan
Puchong
3:48pm, Tue: I admire the audacity of Prof P Ramasamy for his
recent comments in his article OPP3's tasty morsel to fatten the
Indian elite (April 7). Truth will bear ample testimony to this platitude, I
cannot but agree to his logical argument, particularly on
the plight of the Indian Malaysians and the effect of capitalistic approaches on
the socio-economic status of the marginalised
predominantly labour community.
Capitalists, to a large extent, can survive if there is an
exploitable, subservient working labour class. Colonial imperialists created
this large pool of menial workers by importing South Indians of the Dravidian
origin, reputed for their servility, a by-product of the pernicious caste system
of the Arya Brahmin clergy.
These Indians were the preferred 'commodity' to maximise profit
and minimise labour cost. Notable among the characteristics of this group were:
unquestioned loyalty to the capitalistic feudal barons, willing obedience to the
orders of the boss, content with what they earn and non-rebellious nature
against the authorities even if the latter are wrong! Hence the Indians were the
perfect models of a working class.
Silenced, oppressed and ignored , these Indians were trapped in
their own niche, relying only on the news and information dished out by the
colonialist, who guarded the precious servility with undiminished vigour. The
British feudal barons ensured these labourers did not change for the better.
After independence in 1957, the power changed hands from the
British to the Alliance, also led by elites. Capitalism continued
unabated, now controlled by the Umno Alliance feudal barons.
MIC, which became a party to the Alliance, derived its seminal
inspiration from the Indian Congress, a party created largely by the Indian
Aryans (Gandhi was from the Kashtriya class, next to the all-powerful Brahmin
clergy class). MIC's early leaders were from the professional and business
class, hence MIC inherited the feudal-like class and caste-based culture; even
today this culture is discreetly preserved by the MIC leaders.
There was very little chance for the Indian labour class to
break out from the fetters of feudalism: They did not have the education, the
audacity, or the spirit. Only when labour unions started to become a potent
force, thanks to communism, that the Indians started to demand for better deals
with their feudal barons.
But they were never successful: The RM325 per month minimum
salary for estate workers of the new third millennium bears ample testimony to
this misery.
Racism, feudalism and capitalism were the triple curses that
kept the Indians in darkness. Misled by the fallacy of the high per capita
income of Malaysia, with a few Indian tycoons blowing their trumpets, the lay
Indians remained mesmerised, unable to mount a struggle against the mighty
capitalistic giants who, having tasted the pleasures of worldly riches and
power, never wanted to lose their heaven on earth.
Until now there is hardly any reasonable avenue for the majority
of the Indians to emancipate from the clutches of economic tyranny of the
oppressed culture. Unless racism in politics is abandoned and there is fair
distribution of the nation's wealth to all races, it will be a bleak future for
the Indians.
A three percent stake for the Indians in the OPP3, as what Prof
Ramasamy says, will be a political rhetoric, just to excite and silence the
Indians, giving them the usual false hope, which the Umno-Barisan Nasional
coalition has been doing since independence.
A new worldview, which transcends the primitive limitations of
race and creed, must be created, nurtured and established. Only when the Malays
interact with the Indians, without prejudice, bring them into the mainstream of
politics, will we be able to see a
change.
The Malays hold the trump card for the Indians, they must shed
all negative feelings and fear, mingle and mix, share power, and engage in the
decision-making process with the Indians. This can only be made possible by a
multiethnic Malay-based party.
Thank God the Malays took the bold step to create Keadilan, a ray of hope for
the Indians.
Let the Indians seize the opportunity, strike when the iron is
hot, move in with the new age Malays, build a new multiethnic political culture
and claim their rights, and forge ahead with their urge to emancipate from the
fetters of feudal dominion.
The civilising process supports the cohesion of the peoples of
the world. Racism becomes an evil force in this process. Indians must discard
narrow racism which has hindered their progress and step ahead with the new age
Malays who have decided to embark on the road to a more advanced multiethnic
politics. |
