We have a serious problem, and it’s time we face it without excuses. For too long, a few bad apples have stained the name of our entire community. Because of them, the rest of us – the hardworking, honest, law-abiding majority – carry the weight of stigma, slurs, and backlash that we do not deserve. “Keling”, “paria”, “botol kicap”, “snake”, “don’t rent to Indians” – these labels stick because of the actions of a loud, destructive minority.
It is unfair, it is painful, and it must stop.
Look at the numbers. After 70 years of independence, nearly 40% of Malaysian Indians remain in the B40 category.
Indian equity ownership in the economy is still below 1%. In 2015, only 44% of Indian students passed all SPM subjects – and dropout rates are shocking: up to 90% of low-income Indian students leave school before Form 5, with roughly 10,000 Indian students dropping out every single year. Primary school dropout is already at 13%. Only 5% of Indian children from families with no formal education make it to tertiary level.
According to Malaysiakini, the official figure showed that 23.4% of the victims of police custodial deaths between 2002 and 2016 were Indians (who only comprise 7% of total national population). This figure, however, is projected to be as high as 54.8% according to Suaram.
This is a cycle we are allowing to continue: poverty → poor education → social problems → crime → more stigma → more poverty. Over 75% of triad-related violence, public misbehaviour, and alcohol-related issues in the headlines come from our community. Every time one drunkard causes a scene, every time one tenant skips rent, every time one gangster throws his weight around, the entire next generation pays the price.
Enough.
We have more than 10 Indian political parties that spend all their energy splitting our votes and fighting each other. What is the point? When these leaders finally get power – Waytha Moorthy marching people to the streets only to become a minister and disappear, or Ramasamy doing nothing as Penang Deputy Chief Minister and only turning critical later – they forget us.
Now in the Madani government, we have Indian leaders like Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
He declared personal assets worth RM63.5 million, while the entire Malaysian Indian population is only about 2.3 million.
His declared wealth is roughly 30 times the per capita equivalent for our community — yet what tangible transformation has he delivered for the B40 Indians?
These leaders come into power with big promises, enjoy the perks, wealth, and positions, but when it comes to real upliftment — better schools, skills training, business support, or breaking the poverty cycle — they are nowhere to be seen. Many use the community as a voting bank and stepping stone, then forget us.
It is foolish to entrust our community’s future to any politician.
We understand the historical context of pre-independence temples. But what about the thousands of illegal temples built after independence?
We have temples growing faster than our population, yet we keep building illegal temples post-independence while lacking proper education institutions. Historical temples built before independence are one thing. But today’s thousands of new illegal ones? They enrich a handful of committee members through donations from struggling families, import priests from India over local ones, and call it “dharma.” That is not dharma. That is business.
The Chinese way is smarter: build business and wealth first, then legally buy land to build temples that give back to the community — including funding Chinese schools and scholarships. We must follow what works.
Chinese parents use every disadvantage as fuel. They tell their children: “The system is unfair? Then you must study, save, and work three times harder.” Many Indian parents only complain and pass on a victim mindset. Their children grow up blaming everyone else instead of studying, saving, working, and correcting what is wrong.
The Malays have government, GLCs, zakat, and the entire ecosystem behind them. We have nothing external. That is why only we can save ourselves.
The Mitra fund has poured in billions. Where has the money gone? NGOs and Indian associations are too busy fighting for positions, prestige, and personal funding to actually help. They treat the community as a cash machine, not a family.
Our community is badly divided. Some who get rich mixing with Chinese businessmen become “more Chinese than the Chinese.”
Others chase popularity on social media by currying favour with Malays and become “more Malay than the Malays.”
Converts to Islam become more radical than the originals, while some converts to Christianity become “more American than Americans.”
And those who cling strongly to Indian roots sometimes become “more India than India Indians.
At the end of the day — where does the Malaysian Indian identity stand?
Even the insulting label “botol kicap” was started by our own community.
The Chinese teach their children to toast with alcohol over business deals or while socialising for networking purposes. Yet many Indian children grow up watching their fathers drink as a daily habit. This environment is unhealthy for the next generation. Moreover, the money wasted every day on alcohol could instead be invested in their children’s education and future.
The way out is crystal clear:
- Education first, temples and politics second. Stop pouring money into more temples until our children can actually finish school. Chinese businessmen build their wealth first, then legally buy land for temples that fund schools and scholarships. We must copy what works.
- Parents, wake up. Education will not make you rich overnight, but it builds the foundation for your children and grandchildren to thrive. Stop normalising daily drinking as “culture.” That money wasted on toddy could buy books, tuition, or a better future. Chinese toast with alcohol over business deals – we must teach our children to build, not just drink.
- Kill the victim mindset. Blaming racism, politicians, and policies is easy. But complaining without studying, saving, and working harder keeps us trapped. Foreign workers from poor countries come here and thrive through sheer hard work. We have 5,000 years of civilisation behind us. Indians are among the highest earners in the United States and doing excellently in Singapore. There is no reason Malaysian Indians cannot do the same.
- To the few bad apples: Stop the nonsense. Your misbehaviour, crime, and excuses are destroying the future of every Indian child. Think about your own community. Stop giving ammunition for slurs. The rest of us are tired of carrying your shame.
We do not need more politicians or more illegal temples. We need financial literacy, educational influencers, strong family values, business networks, and community accountability. We need to build our own support system – just like the Chinese did with associations and businesses, and the Malays did with the ecosystem they control.
The time for excuses is over. The time for self-pity is over. The time for waiting for someone else to save us is over.
Malaysian Indians, help your own community. Correct what is wrong. Uplift the next generation through education and hard work. Build wealth, build excellence, build pride that is earned – not inherited from Chola glory or modern India’s rise.
Your actions are unfair to the majority who work hard and live honestly. Think about your own children and the future generation. Stop the uncivilised behaviour. It is destroying opportunities for all of us.
