Not an unusual scenario. For the umpteenth time, the Malaysia Indian community are in a quandary over their future after the person Najib Tun Razak put in charge of their affairs resigned.
With the exit of P Waythamoorthy the Indians now have to go back to the drawing board once again.
If the Indians heavily backed Barisan Nasional (BN) and head of government Najib Tun Razak in the last general election, it was for a reason. Najib had given in to almost every wish and request made by the Indian community.
All looked well and most Indians backed BN heavily contributing to BN’s sweep to power in the 13th GE.
But once again things are beginning to look bleak for the Indians and it looks as if a withdrawal of support for BN is about to take place.
But the big and pertinent question is – will Najib and BN stand by and watch idly as the Indians leave the BN fold? No.
Najib will stand by the Indians
It is easy to read the signs on the horizon. While Indians do not make up the majority of the voter base in this country, they are an influential lot. A fact that Najib seems to understand and appreciate perfectly well.
After going out on a limb in the last general election, the prime minister is not about to desert the Indian community which he highly values and prizes.
What is expected to transpire is that Najib will look at alternative measures to see how the affairs of the Indians in Malaysia can be best handled.
This means that in the near future the prime minister is expected to make changes in the way and manner Indian community affairs are looked after. The most pressing decision for him is to look for a suitable replacement for Waythamoorthy.
Since Waythamoorthy was not a team player and seemed to have his own designs and agenda, the person Najib Tun Razak will look for is expected to come from the ranks of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and moves are already in place to prepare a shortlist of candidates.
If any community has a significant pool of leaders, it is the Indian community. There are a large number of Indian leaders whom the prime minister personally endorses and approves, and they not only hail from MIC, but a number of non-governmental organizations as well.
While selecting a candidate to be the person to look after the affairs of the Indian community will not be an easy task for the prime minister, he will be ably assisted by Indian leaders to arrive at a consensus as to who should replace Waythamoorthy.
Is it necessary to replace Waythamoorthy? Yes.
The search for an Indian leader
The search for an Indian leader to replace Waythamoorthy is inevitable. While other BN component parties might think it best to leave things as they are and carry on with business as usual without Waythamoorthy, political pundits believe that Najib Tun Razak has a different view.
In Najib’s mind, the Indian community must be represented at the forefront of the nation and it is his personal wish and desire to see that the community, especially the hard core poor, are not neglected or left behind in the nation building process.
Najib Tun Razak’s vision is one of inclusiveness as he is gravely aware that an Indian community not on par with the other races will in the long run prove to be the provider of many social ills and injustices in this country.
The prime minister is clearly aware of this and wishes to avoid it at all costs. This is why it will not be long before Indian community affairs will be looked after by a candidate that sits well with BN and its leadership.
Analysts also see that this will take time unlike the shotgun move to appoint Waythamoorthy. The prime minister is not about to be rushed into making a decision and at the proper time will arrive at a solution to appease the Indian community.
BN’s inclusiveness of Indians is genuine
What Najib Tun Razak hopes to achieve from the Waythamoorthy fiasco is to prove and guarantee the Indian community that his inclusiveness of Indians under the “Satu Malaysia” concept is genuine and that he will always look out for the community.
The prime minister has stated and confessed openly time and time again to assure every Malaysian Indian that BN is sincere and genuine in wanting to see them prosper and take their rightful place in the nation building process.
With this assurance from the prime minister, the Indian community should not fret and be impulsive but wait patiently for their leader and leaders to be duly appointed by the BN government, to look into their welfare and well-being.
