PRIME Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim need not to identify with the ideas of India’s constitutional expert B.R. Ambedkar Jayanthi to say that he is against racial discrimination.

At the birth anniversary of Ambedkar held in Shah Alam yesterday (April 14), Anwar praised the profound ideas and philosophy of Abedkar, an economist, lawyer and constitutional expert.

Ambedkar was one the individuals responsible for the drafting of the India’s Constitution. He came from a low caste himself and is well-known for his publications and public advocacy against the caste system embedded in the Hindu Society.

Anwar in his keynote address paid respect to the ideas of Ambedkar. In the same speech, he made references to the Indian community in the country. He tried his best to allay the fears and concerns that Indians are discriminated in Malaysia.

Financial allocations to the Indian community were cited as examples of how his unity government cares for the community.

In fact, Anwar said that he should be “stabbed” if he ignored the Indian community. He emphasised the point of Malaysians engaging in intellectual discourse to move away from the constraints race and religion.

He went on to remind the audience that Ambedkar was an Indian icon of great intellectual standing in the national development of India. Whether Anwar was the right person given his populist politics of race and religion to present a keynote address on Ambedkar is a moot point.

Anyway, the convention on Ambedkar provided an opportunity for Anwar to ingratiate himself with the Indian community.

Riding on Ambedkar

Whether the timing of the conference has anything to do with the impending Kuala Kubu Bharu (KKB) by-elections remains to be seen.

From young, Ambedkar was troubled by the endemic caste system in India. He wrote books against the caste system, the pernicious Brahminical religious domination and why was caste such an enduring aspect of India.

As a protest against the caste system, he left the religion of Hinduism to become a Buddhist with his supporters.

I am not sure how much Anwar has read and digested the ideas of Abedkar. I certainly agree that Ambedkar was an icon of Indian national development. It is nothing wrong for Anwar to have officiated Abedkar’s birth anniversary even for the sake of political publicity.

If the right-wing Barathia Janata Party (BJP) has appropriated Ambedkar for the enhancement of its national political strategy, it is certainly possible for wishy washy politicians to capitalise on Ambedkar’s ideology.

Even if the organisers of the conference might not have the same fervour against the caste system as Ambedkar in India. I really wonder whether the organisers would agree to the idea of reforming Hinduism by opting for another religion.

Even though Periyar Ramasamy, the leader of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu, and Ambedkar fought against the caste domination of Indian society, they might have differed in the ways to overcome the caste affliction.

While Periyar wanted to function within the Hinduism fold to reform the caste system, Ambedkar opted out to embrace Buddhism.

I really wonder whether the new-found love of the convention’s organisers for Ambedkar has anything to with the political strategy of the Hindu-right to appropriate Ambedkar’s ideology as part of its national political strategy.

Anyway, Anwar’s attempt to dispell the widespread notion that the government is not doing enough to assist the Indian community is not borne by facts on the ground other than meagre financial support given to some Indian-based agencies.

Words that don’t match action

If Anwar can dismiss the fact of Indian discrimination in the public service, in the admission to the matriculation programme, public universities and others, then what evidence is there for Anwar to say that Indians are treated equally in the country?

Recently, Indians were not given ample opportunity to be represented in the cabinet. Isn’t this an example of the discrimination of Indians?

Anwar can indulge in ideas and philosophies but the fact remains that he must take the responsibility for Indians being discriminated in the country.

Has he taken any measures to rectify the discrimination of Indians in the country? The answer is definitely no.

Yes, some sycophant Indian leaders might praise Anwar sky high for his contributions but they are doing this for their own political survival more than anything else.

Anwar must match his words with actions in terms of governmental assistance to the Indian community. While billions are channelled to the Bumiputera community, peanuts are dished out to Indians in the form of financial assistance that he mentioned in his speech.

Anwar lacks the statesmanship that is required to be fair and just to all Malaysians irrespective of their ethnicity or religion.

He is nothing but an ethnic and religious champion to ensure his own political survival. Political expediency is the hallmark of the unity of Madani government.

Officiating the Ambedkar birthday anniversary is just another example of how Anwar seeks to ingratiate himself as the “champion” of Indians in the country.

There is big gap on what he says on the stage to the audience and what is done to alleviate the suffering of the Indian community who has contributed in tears, sweat and blood to their motherland.

When Anwar asked Indians to “stab” him if fails the Indian community, was he implying that Indians are by nature violent? - April 15, 2024

Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. 

https://focusmalaysia.my/ramasamy-unnecessary-for-pm-anwar-to-invoke-ambedkar-to-ingratiate-himself-to-indians/