Dear Datuk Seri G. Palanivel,

Lately, there is a sudden rise in racist remarks and racial tension in our country. Starting with the “Allah” fiasco,we have seen plenty other incidents further escalating the tension among the various communities.

If we trace them back to their roots, it is clear they are all part of some religious and ethnic-based fanatic parties' propaganda.

There is one big question still lingering here. As the president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) which claims to represent a significant portion of Indians in Malaysia, what have you done thus far to really address this issue?

As we mark the dark day of May 13 riots 45 years ago, it is time something serious is done to curb these racial remarks and make those responsible for them pay.

Take into consideration the recent public remark by a bigot Muslim convert lecturer of one of the public universities. Belittling the contributions of the non-Malays to this country is in my opinion, stooping super low.

This particular person’s statements seem seditious, considering he has undermined the non-Malays at every turn, just to prove a futile point. Well, this is not the only weed in the society. 

Threatening that there are over five million foreigners to instantly take over the non-Malays' place in this country should they “abandon the ship”, he seemingly has forgotten that these instant "replacement citizens" are not going to give in all their might to protect their beloved country in case of an ordeal.

However, what is even saddening about such incidents happening in a supposedly harmonious society is that no leader is willing to question such remarks.

Where is the future for a unified society heading to? Are the political leaders simply sitting by idly and wait for a better time to react on such matters?

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) questioned the need for grand refurbishment of the Sundaraja Perumal temple in Klang. Where were you?

Former Court of Appeal judge, Mohamad Noor Abdullah, idiotically said sculptures of non-Muslim deities should not be built in the open. He meant the Lord Murugan statue in Batu Caves. Where were you?

There is a special reason you have been chosen as one of the people’s representatives. If you decide to ignore their grievances, you might as well sit and watch by the whole time.

There have been some initiatives from MCA, at least, voicing out the Chinese community’s disapproval of certain issues in our country, namely the proposal to implement Islamic penal law. 

Alas, this is not the case with MIC. Where are you guys in these matters?

Surprisingly, your Youth Wing leader, C. Sivaraajh, did oppose hudud, albeit not on a scale comparable to the MCA. 

You, yes, you, took two to three weeks to give out a simple press statement on this issue.

Why is there such a long delay in expressing your discomfort in such a situation? Is it that tumultuous? Talking about the draconian Sedition Act, authorities use the law selectively to silence their critics. 

That is the only plausible reason that can be made, looking at how certain party leaders are going around making bitter seditious remarks and still get to roam around freely.

Economically, Malaysian Indians’ equity holding has stagnated or has remained the same in the past decade. 

The wealth disparity among the Indians has increased while the Gini coefficient (which measures income disparity) for the Malays and Chinese shows a downward trend. 

This means within the Malaysian Indian community, the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer. And don’t be eager to repudiate this, I’ve sourced the data from the Department of Statistics.

I sincerely hope you would take these matters seriously and put some good thought in voicing out the people's grievances. 

Well, someone has got to put a stop to such incidents to ensure harmony in this country. This is where our strength lies. If we are on the verge of losing it, it is high time that measures are taken to maintain harmony in society.

You can silence your dissidents in the party by expelling them but you can never silence the people. 

People anticipate a lot from you after you succeeded the controversial Datuk Seri Samy Velu, but you are no better in any way.

Stop being an apologist and start serving the people, regardless they are Indians, Chinese, Malays or any other race. – May 15, 2014.

* Subashiny Prabakaran is a second-year engineering undergraduate in University of Malaya.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Source :http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/an-open-letter-to-mic-president-subashiny-prabakaran?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed