Malay tamils real-life Kabalis

CHENNAI: For 58-year-old Antony*, a Tamil taxi driver in Malaysia, 'Kabali' is not just a movie of his favourite actor Rajinikanth. It is also a reflection of his old days as a gangster -on the streets of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.

Just like Rajinikanth's character Kabali recollects his life experiences as a gangster in the movie, Antony narrates how the mafia has filled the city with drugs, prostitution, and extortion. Tamil gangs are the most numerous of the ethnic gangs in the nation. “They are extremely dangerous. They first shoot and then speak,“ Antony says.

Indians amount to 7% of Malaysia's 36 million multi-racial population. With the majority being immigrants or Malaysia-born Tamils, the Tamil diaspora is small but significant.

In a reflection of the social and economic status of the vast majority of Tamils, some 60% of Malaysia's prison population are ethnic Tamils, says veteran journalist Maalan who is also an expert on Tamil communities in south-east Asia. Involved in crimes such as bootlegging, robbery, prostitution, drug trafficking and sometimes working as hired goons for politicos and businessmen, Tamil gangs are spread across Malaysia.

A notorious gangster was Bentong Kalimuthu, who became a menace for the police in the 1990s. Entering a Chinese gang when he was just 14, Kalimuthu started with crimes such as street fights, robbery, and drug smuggling. He served a jail term of five years and was released at the age of 19 after which he started his own gang named Gang `04' in the capital. Kali was gunned down by the police in an operation called 'Ops Buncit'.

But what caused Tamils to turn to crime in Malaysia? Experts say racial discrimination and poverty forced them.“A chunk of Tamil population migrated to Malaysia during the British rule in India. Most of them worked as labourers in rubber estates where they were given lesser wages compared to their Chinese counterparts. They didn't raise their voice earlier but in the 1970s, they realised that privatisation of estates, changes in Malaysia's economic policies allowing cheap foreign workforce and urbanisation, and unequal career prospects had left them unskilled. The situation made many socially and economically impaired, forcing them to take to crime to earn their bread and butter,“ says Maalan.

In the 2000s, the involvement of youth in crimes and formation of gangs by all racial groups were seen as major threats to the country's law and order situation.Thr crackdown by the Malaysian government only led to allegations of bias. Laws that allow the police to detain Mafia suspects for two years without trial has only led to more Tamils landing up in jail.

“Here authorities show no mercy for criminals belonging to minority groups.I managed to escape the life of crime due to fear of life and responsibilities I had as a family man,“ Antony says.

Explaining ethnic dynamics of Malaysian gangs, associate professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia P Sundramoorthy says, “The gangs are well-structured like a corporate. Though Tamils form their own gangs, they are mostly controlled by Chinese or Malaysian kingpins. Tamils do underclass work like delivering drugs to a particular client and executing contract killings at their bosses' behest.“

He says it was the Chinese that lorded over others till the 1970s. “They were mostly into a transnational drug trade and gambling. Mafia gangs in the late 20th century, however, were a mix of Chinese, Indians and Malaysians,“ he adds.

While Chinese and Malaysians gangs protect their ethnic groups and help each other out, Tamil mobsters, who were driven to crimes due to poverty and unemployment, look for ways that would fetch them quick money , Sundramoorthy says.

Matters came to a boil in 2007 when a rally organised by Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF), a union of 30 NGOs, against the alleged policies that were in favour of Malays in the country . “HINDRAF went through a split on the eve of an election. While one section of NGOs joined the government, the other joined the opposition. Joining hands with the government didn't help Tamils a lot,“ says V Suryanarayanan, former professor and director of Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Madras said.

It would seem the crab analogy the movie 'Kabali' uses often to explain events continues to be at work among Malaysian Tamils.

(* Name changed)
(The writer was recently in Malaysia)