kampung buah pala ignored

Now this is something huh … images of anguished Indian women … mothers and aunties mainly … fighting and pushing cops and FRU personnel without fear or second thought. I cannot think of any other reason except desperation and family pride that pushes these women to the forefront of Indian struggle and national headlines. They have been sidelined, discriminated and ignored … no political mileage and definitely no economic voice.

It’s strange and amusing … in an island of expensive condominiums, 5 star hotels and luxury apartments … smack in the middle is a village that time just stood still. I just can’t believe how authorities and city / state planners all these years can sit back and not do anything. To run a state successfully with progress and development is not an overnight job … it takes years of careful planning and more often than not … at least 10-20 years of strategic urban / state planning. This village has been around for more than 100 years lah … and ignored all this time?

For me … this somehow reflects how poor Indians are ignored in this country … yes … ignored = to refrain from noticing or recognizing. The British brought our ancestors to labour in plantations, railways, roads, telecommunication, public sector, schools and energy. With hard work, low pay and perseverance under the hot burning tropical sun, steaming humid afternoons and deplorable living conditions … we have these great roads, railways, power and telco grids … and pushed this country as one of the largest exporter of rubber, palm oil, coconut and sugar in the world. Indians were outsourced even then. Kampung Buah Pala is a reflection of ignored struggles, uncivilized govt policies, inhumane ignorance and pure unadulterated selfish greed.