By Pravin Periasamy
Picture this: an Indian Malaysian youth who grew up in extreme poverty, enduring hardship and emotional anguish.
Unable to afford an education, he is disillusioned with the state of his appalling circumstances. Tormented by the pain of having to survive daily, he falls into a cycle of violent crime out of desperation.
Chained to a fate of relentless stigmatisation and social ostracisation, he suffers further alienation. Alone, terrified, with deep hatred and anger at the country that has apparently betrayed him, he regresses into a life of decline.
This continues until one day, he perishes under the crippling weight of his banal existence. His death becomes another statistic among the many others who struggled through a cursed life.
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This is just but one of the many lived experiences of poverty-stricken ethnic Indian youths. For decades, they have struggled for a better future, one that is not drowned in misery.
At present, the ethnic Indians are disproportionately affected by poor living conditions. This has fostered an environment which has left many youths vulnerable to many social problems – lack of literacy, gang crime and drug addiction. This could explain the widespread stagnation in the development of the ethnic Indian community.
The challenges the community faces could worsen in the absence of effective government policies to uplift them. Many Indian youths have suffered to the extent of dropping out of schools and educational institutions.
Suffering from a lack of opportunities, these youths are often preyed upon by malignant forces that compel and incentivise them to participate in criminal activities. The most notorious of these involves participation in gangsterism, drug cartels and other types of violent crime.
Stronger institutional measures are needed to boost investments in the development of Indian youth.
Conduct programmes and activities that will redirect these groups from a life of crime to one that allows them to participate in national and economic development.
Youth entrepreneurial initiatives could provide these youths with personal development funds that would allow them to establish new small businesses and enterprises. This will empower them to create new economic opportunities through the accumulation of capital, which can be used to further invest in their development, breaking the cycle of poverty and crime.
Capacity-building initiatives could be introduced as well. Invite youths to build and form NGOs and youth associations. Fund these groups with grants that focus on tackling social issues that affect the community.
Supporting such initiatives would create a culture of nation-building in the community, inspiring disenchanted youth to contribute towards social empowerment.
Another area of youth empowerment could involve the introduction of education sponsorship schemes. These schemes would enable youths who have opted out of education because of poverty to return to school.
Establish dedicated institutions that invest in projects that aim to uplift the community. This will be crucial in breaking the underlying forces that have kept the community tied down.
The government needs to diversify the ways it supports the Indian Malaysian community, particularly the youths. Innovative youth development projects should be the central focus in the development of policies to empower them.
These initiatives could break the cycle of poverty and crime among the community and empower the youths.
Pravin Periasamy is the networking and partnership director of the Malaysian Philosophy Society.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
