As it dealt with the many problems of the Indian diaspora from East Africa to South Pacific, not to mention the sub-continent, New Delhi became conscious of the huge gap between easy rhetoric and the difficulty of changing ground reality in foreign lands.

New Delhi’s consistent advice to the Indian diaspora on becoming model citizens in their adopted countries was not an abstract one; it was based on the recognition that hot words from New Delhi would only queer the pitch for the Indian minorities.

The leaders of the Indian civil society must caution the HRAF leaders against excessive enthusiasm about internationalising their problems. Once the TV channels get bored with their cause and the human rights groups have said their piece, the Indian minority will have no option but to engage the Malaysian political system to improve its lot.

The HRAF activists, New Delhi is aware, belong to a new generation that is reacting in frustration against the failure of the traditional institutions like the Malaysian Indian Congress to stand up for their rights. Malaysia is no exception to the pattern in which majorities often push minorities into a ghetto by co-opting a few of their leaders.

For the HRAF, the answer lies in a genuine effort at building new political coalitions within Malaysia. Indians, who form 10 per cent of Malaysia’s population, are not alone in voicing their grievances against Kuala Lumpur’s “Bhumiputra” policy of positive discrimination in favour of the Malay Muslims. So do the Chinese who form nearly a quarter of Malaysia’s population.

... contd.