Having vehemently argued in favour of freedoms, I cannot sit back and pretend that I am completely oblivious to the plight of ethnic Indian community (predominantly Hindus) in Malaysia which has hogged the limelight after a recent massive protests by the community in Kuala Lumpur against discrimination. So I have decided to cut short my rest and jump at yet another subject that calls for a stand upholding, yes, freedoms.
I am not equipped with all the details of the racial fabric of that country except what I have read in newspapers after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi condemned the treatment of ethnic Tamil population in Malayasia much to the discomfiture of the Government of India and the subsequent statement by the Central government expressing its `concern' over the plight of the ethnic Indians.
Malaysia is often projected as a moderate and tolerant Islamic society. But the protest staged by the ethnic Indians exposed that thin veil of moderation and tolerance. The Indians who settled there during the Raj have now started to feel the pinch as Islamisation has been on the mend there over the last few years. Several temples have already been demolished on the ground that they are illegal constructions. A group of British MPs has expressed concern in Parliament over `the stated intention of the government of Malaysia to demolish 79 Hindu temples'. If this kind of discrimination against ethnic minorities who include the Chinese happens in a county, it is a serious matter and cannot be dismissed by resorting to the excuse of national sovereignty. Discriminations and human rights violations should not be allowed to evade from questioning under the cover of national sovereignty. Human rights are universal. We cannot allow Christian rights, Muslim rights, Jewish rights or Hindu rights. National and religious boundaries should vanish when it comes to addressing violation of basic human rights.
I am not equipped with all the details of the racial fabric of that country except what I have read in newspapers after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi condemned the treatment of ethnic Tamil population in Malayasia much to the discomfiture of the Government of India and the subsequent statement by the Central government expressing its `concern' over the plight of the ethnic Indians.
Malaysia is often projected as a moderate and tolerant Islamic society. But the protest staged by the ethnic Indians exposed that thin veil of moderation and tolerance. The Indians who settled there during the Raj have now started to feel the pinch as Islamisation has been on the mend there over the last few years. Several temples have already been demolished on the ground that they are illegal constructions. A group of British MPs has expressed concern in Parliament over `the stated intention of the government of Malaysia to demolish 79 Hindu temples'. If this kind of discrimination against ethnic minorities who include the Chinese happens in a county, it is a serious matter and cannot be dismissed by resorting to the excuse of national sovereignty. Discriminations and human rights violations should not be allowed to evade from questioning under the cover of national sovereignty. Human rights are universal. We cannot allow Christian rights, Muslim rights, Jewish rights or Hindu rights. National and religious boundaries should vanish when it comes to addressing violation of basic human rights.
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