LABOUR CLASS - 80% of ethnic Malaysian-Indians are laborers, Industrial Manual Group workers, office boys, security guards, public toilet cleaners, general workers, road sweepers, beggars, squatters, criminals, gangsters.
ETHNIC MALAYSIAN INDIAN POOR - Indians form 60% of urban squatters and 41% of beggars. About 80% this community is in the poor or very poor bracket.
LOWEST PER CAPITA - Studies have revealed that Indians have the lowest per capita income at 1000.00RM per month. The national per capita income is estimated at 14,954RM in the 2004 budget. Therefore, Indians are about 95% below the national average. In reality, many Indian families earn a meagre RM450.00 per month.
ABUSE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN - Everyday Indian women and children are victims of abuse. For instance, during an interrogation at Rawang police station, an Indian lady was ordered to perform oral sex on another detainee. Her husband and daughter were stripped naked before her. She was told that her 18year old daughter would be raped. Another 14year old boy was arrested from his house, and while in police custody, ordered to do 150 push ups. When he stopped after 20 he was kicked by police and his leg was broken.
NO EFFECTIVE LEGAL AID - Of those detained, almost 95% of them plead guilty when they may not necessarity be guilty. Most of the crimes they commit are poverty related. They cannot afford legal fees and there is no effective legal aid system.
VICTIMISATION BY POLICE - Studies have revealed that Indians form about 60% of innocent people shot dead by the police, 60 % of innocent people dying in police custody, and 60% of detainees in police lockups and detention centres.
NO BUSINESS LICENCES / OPPORTUNITIES - Few or no business or commerical licences are given to Malaysian-Indians, and as a result only 1% of Indians participate in the country’s economic wealth. Moreover, rumours indicate that this 1% is largely the result of the contributions of one state sponsored Indian millionaire.
MAJORITARIAN RULE THROUGH CIVIL SERVICE - Discrimination against Malaysian-Indians in employment in the civil service sectors is evident. Figures indicate that Indian participation in the civil service has reduced from about 40% in 1957 to about 2% in 2003. Of this 2%, the majority work in the clerical and industrial manual group. There is no equal opportunity for promotions.
HINDU TEMPLE DEMOLITION - In Malaysia, a temple is unlawfully demolished by the authorities every three weeks There have been reported cases of policemen torching, throwing molotov cocktails or simply bulldozing temples.
POVERTY AMONG ESTATE WORKERS / LABOURERS - 54% of Malaysian-Indians work as plantation or urban underpaid laborers.
POOR STUDENTS - 200million RM was allocated to assist poor students to continue with their education but it is estimated that hardly 1% of Indians actually benefit.
PATHETIC MONTHLY WAGES - The state has placed a cap of 325.00RM per month on the monthly salaries of plantation workers and of 350.00RM per month for rubber tappers.
SQUATTERS - The rapid development of large plantations has resulted in the displacement of plantation workers, who are then forced to become squatters. The squats are then in turn demolished to make way for more developments.
EMERGENCE OF A NEW ETHNIC MALAYSIAN INDIAN CRIMINAL CLASS - Poverty and lack of opportunity leads to high Indian involvement in crime. There is a high incidence of slashings and killings among the Indian community.
ORPHANS / OLD FOLKS - The majority of orphanages and old folks homes are filled Indians - a clear indicator of poverty they suffer.
SKILLS TRAINING - Access to even the lowest-level skills training institutions are withheld from Indians, which leads to the majority remaining as unemployed or unskilled workers. Even at the NTS Arumugam Pillai Institute, which was built with the help of the South Indian Labour Fund, not one Malaysian-Indian student was admitted in the first round offers.
LEAST ATTENTION BY THE, OPPOSITION PARTIES NGOS’ AND CIVIL SOCIETY - As the Indian community is politically, economically and internationally insignificant even the opposition parties, NGOs and civil society groups generally give them little attention.
NO INDEPENDENT MEDIA - The print and electronic media gives little attention to the discrimination, victimisation and violations of human rights suffered by the Indian community. The media too plays to the majority and prefers to highlight “majoritarian issues”.
UNCARING INDIAN PROFESSIONALS / BUSINESSMEN - Indian professionals and businessmen do not care or ignore the real problems befalling on their community, perhaps in an attempt to appear as “multi-racial” or “non racist”.
UNDOCUMENTED ETHINC MINORITY MALAYSIAN INDIANS - Despite 48 years of Independence, there are still thousands of Malaysian-Indians who remain undocumented without birth certificates, identity cards, marriage certificates. This in effect precludes and excludes them from even the official primary school structure, sectors of the formal job market and business community.
THE MALAYSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION AND THE ROYAL POLICE COMMISSION REFUSE TO REPORT THE TRUTH - The Malaysian Human Rights Commission and the Royal Police Commission have continuously refused to report even the most serious violations of human rights by the state against this community. For example, the Kg.Medan genocide, of the killings of suspects death in police custody and the holding at gunpoint of a human rights lawyer.
INDEPENDENT ATTORNEY GENERAL - The attorney general has shown bias in many instances including, prosecuting lawyers for defending the rights of the Indian community, failing to initiate inquests into custodial deaths and avoiding prosecuting authorities.
GOVERNMENT BODIES / INSTITUTIONS NOT INDEPENDENT - Almost all government institutions and services are biased in favour of the government and have been known to have engaged in “cover ups” against the people.
INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY - The majority of cases against the state which relate to violations against the Malaysian-Indians are dismissed without a hearing.
FEAR FACTOR - This community as a result of years of oppression and suppression is riddled with fear. They are fearful to stand up for even the worst form of violations, victimisation, discrimination and human rights abuses perpetrated against them.
HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE - Indians have the highest suicide and divorce rates in the country.
NO FUNDING FOR NON PRO-GOVERNMENT NGOs - No funding is granted to NGOs which are not pro-government.
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