Malaysia's problem is not ethnic

P. Ramasamy, The Star, Asia News Network, Kuala Lumpur

Over the last few years or so, it has come to be established that Indians in Malaysia have a tendency to engage in violent behavior leading to crimes more so than other ethnic groups.

Frequent media reports about Indian involvement in armed robberies, murders, rapes and fighting have strengthened the argument of Indian inclination to engage in violent activities.

It is not that other ethnic groups do not engage in these sort of criminal activities, but the numerical inferiority of the Indian community, the tendency on the part of some to highlight only Indian problems, the visible role performed by some Indian organization to tackle the social ills of the community and others have given credence to the prevailing notion that Indians have cultural propensity to engage in violent crimes.

Although the statistics on Indian involvement in violence is not adequate, one can obtain a general picture that the situation is not that acute or alarming.

At same time, recent data also indicates that Malays and Chinese have their share of criminal activities.

In fact, in some forms of violence, ethnic groups other than Indians have a greater involvement. So it would be not accurate or scientific to argue that Indians alone have the natural tendency to engage in crime.

Violence is not the monopoly of any ethnic groups, all groups engage in it in varying ways.

In other words, violent or criminal activities are not functions of the presence of an ethnic group, rather it must be seen in the broader framework why particular segments of the society are more prone to engage in violence than others.

While it can be established that the proportion of Indian involvement criminal activities exceeds their population proportion, but it is not alarming as it has been made out to be.

Highlighting a few cases of Indian involvement in crimes does not mean that the entire community has the tendency to do the same.

Of course, some Indian organizations would like to paint a gloomy picture of Indian propensity for violence, but this merely justified for sourcing funds from the government or donor agencies.

Cultural or ethnic explanation for Indian involvement in crimes is basically not adequate and it might even have the propensity to reify certain ideological/political positions in the society.

Alternatively, we have to examine and understand the Indian problem from a larger sociological perspective taking into account the interplay of political, social and economic forces.

Not all Indians are involved in violence, those in upper socio-economic bracket do not engage in criminal activities as result of their material and social status.

Indians who are involved in violence invariably belong to working class especially those in urban areas.

Why Indians in this particular socio-economic category are involved in violence and other forms of unexpected behavior cannot be merely explained by ethnicity.

Rather one has to examine the political economy of Indian existence in general and about the nature of Indian working class.

This particular methodology will have to examine and analyze factors such as the history of Indians, the nature of governmental policies, inter-ethnic relations, the impact of the New Economic Policy and other relevant matters to conceptualize the larger Indian problem.

Such an approach might give some indications that propensity to engage in violence among Indians or for that matter any other ethnic groups depends on socio-economic existence.

In the case of Indians, the lack of effective political representation to articulate their grievances, the ethnic discrimination of Indians in employment in the public and private sector, the lack of opportunities for Indians and others have contributed to situation in the country where Indians especially the members of the working class are becoming alienated and estranged from the rest of the society.

Only by considering these factors and other related ones that one can arrive a proper understanding as to why Indians are involved in crimes and other social ills.

Political, economic and social factors contribute to the situation of hopelessness among Indians in urban areas fueling their involvement in violence.

Violence amongst Indians has taken a fratricidal dimension; Indians fighting, killing and injuring other Indians.

The ethnic compartmentalization of the society, the nature of ethnic discourse, the lack of integration amongst the different ethnic groups has created a social situation of deep psychological insecurity among and between the various ethnic groups.

Amongst the Indian working class, lacking a meaningful existence, many of them adopted harsh measures to deal and overcome the everyday forms of existence.

Threatening, challenging, fighting, injuring and others have been adopted as way to fulfill the lack of powerlessness among the members of the working class.

Furthermore, the lack of good political leadership and the absence of effective civil society have made it difficult for groups to be guided along responsible and moderate path.

Social problems amongst Indians or any other ethnic groups should not be seen as ethnic problem that only requires the active intervention of an ethnic political party.

In this respect, it serves no purpose for the government to make financial handouts to Indian-based political parties to inquire into the factors that contribute to social ills amongst Indians.

Social ills among Indians or others should be construed as national problems that need the attention of the government as whole and not component parties.

Unless this done, we would only contribute to "ethnicizing" social problems in the country.