By Clarence Fernandez
TANGKAK, Malaysia (Reuters) - On Malaysia's lush greenrubber estates, Indian labourers whose ancestors were broughtby British colonial rulers in the 19th century to work in tinmines and on plantations, complain of being marginalized.
Indians, one of the smallest ethnic groups in Malaysiamaking up just seven percent of the population, say they havebeen left behind as the country's Muslim majority and ethnicChinese population reap the rewards of economic prosperity.
Race relations, a sensitive subject in Malaysia since raceriots in 1969 underscored the fragility of its fragmentedethnic makeup, have become tense recently as non-Muslims feartheir freedom of worship is being infringed upon and complainof government favouritism towards the majority Malay community.
With a snap election expected to be held early next month,ethnic Indians are threatening to use the ballot box to ventfrustration over the failure of government policies to improvetheir living standards and incomes.
"In the papers every now and then, the government says itis going to do things for us, but nothing happens here," saidAnand, the third generation of his family to work on a palm oilplantation at Tangkak, about 200 km from Kuala Lumpur.
"So the government doesn't do anything for estate workers,being Indians. If they were not Indians, maybe Malays orChinese, the government would have done something for them."
The Muslim-majority Malays make up about 60 percent of thepopulation, while ethnic Chinese, who dominate the businesssector, account for about 25 percent.
An examination of monthly household income of all threeethnic groups shows Indians are lagging behind, with averageannual growth of just 3.5 percent over the five years from2000, compared to 3.6 percent for Chinese, and 4.9 percent forMalays.
Issues that have grated on the community include a stringof temple demolitions that aggrieved many Indians who feltcivic authorities rode roughshod over their sentiments, andsquabbles over Hindus' rights to bury relatives who convertedto Islam.
Analysts say Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's rulingcoalition is certain to win re-election with a healthymajority, but the growing unhappiness among the ethnic Indianand Chinese minorities is worrying the political parties in thegrouping.
The Indian community has usually voted for Abdullah'sBarisan Nasional coalition as the best guardian of itsinterests.
But that feeling has changed after the government crackeddown hard on a demonstration by more than 10,000 ethnic Indiansin November, using tear gas, water cannon and police batons tobreak up the protest, which aired charges of racediscrimination.
The demonstrators complained of being deprived of educationand employment opportunities.
The government used a harsh internal security law to detainfive protest leaders without trial, further fuelling Indians'anger at the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a party inAbdullah's coalition, for what they saw as its failure toprotect them.
The outrage has continued to simmer, with Indians meetingat "People Power" gatherings in temples to fast and pray forthe release of the prisoners, who belong to a group called theHindu Rights Action Force, or HindRAF.
"OUT OF TOUCH"
In Tangkak, one rubber tapper said she would vote againstthe MIC to help dislodge its leader, Works Minister Samy Vellu,calling him out of touch with poor Indians. Vellu has been acabinet minister since 1979.
"We will make a difference not by approaching peoplepersonally, or doing a protest, but by quietly giving the voteto the right people so it shows up in the numbers," saidAyamma, 48, who wakes up at 4 a.m. each day to spend sevenhours collecting about 80 litres of rubber sap from trees on aleased plot.
The MIC, with 620,000 members, says the criticism that ithas done little to improve the job and educational prospects ofIndians is baseless but has vowed to reshape itself to servethe community better.
Even if the entire Indian community chose to vote for theopposition, the government would still maintain a majority.
"Their number is too small to make a significantdifference," political analyst Zainon Ahmad told Reuters.
Opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim said opposition partiesstood to gain by tapping into the Indian voters' discontent.
"The minorities are really, really angry, and in the caseof Indians that will certainly translate into votes," Anwartold Reuters, adding that the opposition would do its best towoo them with an attractive line up of candidates and electionagenda.
Abdullah's government has sought to calm ruffled feelingsby boosting funds for Tamil schools and agreeing to along-standing request for a public holiday on the key Hindufestival of Thaipusam.
But ethnic issues are certain to be at the heart of theelection as both ethnic Chinese and Indians complain ofdiscrimination and favouritism towards the Malay majority.
The workers in Tangkak are particularly bitter as they seeothers enjoying the trappings of wealth from a burgeoningeconomy and soaring prices of palm oil, which is in demand as abiofuel.
"There are many Indians among the plantation workers whohave helped to make the sector a success," said Anand, theplantation worker, adding that his salary had grown to 13.50ringgit ($4) a day from 6.50 ringgit when he first began workin 1980.
"So why have they not been given a share of the remarkableachievements of all these years?"
($1=3.238 Malaysian Ringgit)
(Editing by Megan Goldin)
