LETTER | Stop meddling with Tamil Hindu sentiments

LETTER | Some quarters affiliated to the Tamilnadu Dravidian Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) politics in India are causing confusion here in Malaysia over which day ought to be celebrated as the Tamil New Year. 

They are imposing that the first day of the Tamil month ‘Thai’ which has traditionally been celebrated as the ‘Ponggal Festival’ be called as Tamil New Year and the first day of the Tamil month ‘Chitirai’ which has for millennia been celebrated as the Tamil New Year to be called a ‘Hindu New Year’ instead. There is a whole lot of Tamil Nadu politics involved in the imposition.

I urge the ministers in the government of Malaysia not to facilitate the import of such ‘nonsense’ into our Malaysian system. I am not the one saying the confusion caused is ‘nonsense’ but am quoting former Tamil Nadu chief minister the late J Jayalalithaa who said such a move was ‘nonsense’.

I am making this call in direct reference to the Minister of Communications and Multimedia Saifuddin Abdullah’s letter to the Malaysian Hindu Sangam wherein he is said to have stated that the first day of the Tamil month ‘Chitirai’ ought to be called as ‘Hindu New Year’ and not ‘Tamil New Year’.

The confusion over the matter created by the DMK administration in Tamil Nadu in 2008 has already been buried in the place where it emanated by the subsequent AIMDK led-government there. It only still remains as an issue amongst those who carry forward DMK ideologies or those affiliated with the party, directly or indirectly.

MIC leaders here are also generally seen aligned to the DMK party in India. Some were even seen publicly wishing their candidates success in the recently concluded state assembly elections there. Therefore, they are acting as the protégés of DMK ideologies. 

This is evident from the banner placed at the entrance of the MIC headquarters for greeting the New Year celebrations to all ethnic groups of Indian origin. The banner declared the first day of Chitthirai as ‘Chithirai New Year’ and not ‘Tamil New Year’. The is as absurd as saying ‘January the first’ is ‘January New Year’.

We the Malaysians of Tamil origin do not want Tamil Nadu political stunts and controversial ideologies to creep into our Malaysian system where we have been celebrating the festivals and New Years as per their long-standing tradition. The tradition has its deeply-rooted justification in science and astronomy.

This is amplified by the fact that the president of India Ram Nath Govind, prime minister of India Narendra Modi and also the chief minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi Palanisamy all of whom are devout Hindus had wished on the first day of Chithirai as Tamil New Year for Tamils worldwide and not as the 'Hindu New Year'. Similarly, the president of America has also wished on that day as the  Tamil New Year.

On our soil, our Yang di-Pertuan Agong has been wishing Tamils on the first day Chitirai as the ‘Tamil New Year’. 

Our king, the Indian government and the Tamil Nadu government and even world leaders and the Tamil people are clear about the Tamil New Year celebration. 

Then why is the Minister of Communications and Multimedia Saifuddin Abdullah conflating the issue by advising the Tamils in the country to observe that day as the ‘Hindu New Year’ and not the ‘Tamil New Year’?

Even if the minister had been advised as such, it is an error which has caused irreversible damage. All the government-controlled radio and television channels failed to recognise the first of Chithirai as the Tamil New Year and went on to address it as ‘Chithirai Putthandu’ just like how MIC issued its greeting. 

I sincerely hope that the information minister will issue a corrective statement soonest.

It is our request that Malaysian ministers stop meddling with the sentiments of the Tamils and the Hindus.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.