LETTERS: THE Penang Hindu Association (PHA) is worried about the effects of the declining Indian population.
The Department of Statistics' census on the ethnicity breakdown of the population over the years shows that the ethnic Indian population has been declining.
Ethnic Indians made up 7.3 per cent in 2010 and dropped to 6.7 per cent in 2020 and 6.6 per cent this year.
This decline is more pronounced among ethnic Indians than that of other races.
If this trend continues, the possibility of losing their demographic status as the third largest ethnic group in Malaysia is real and apparent.
This worrisome status would also pose a threat to the existence of Tamil schools, where low enrolment would eventually lead to their closure.
The obvious outcome of this would also be the decreasing number of worshippers visiting Hindu temples, which would provide a reason for the closure of Hindu temples in the affected areas.
In the political scene, the declining Indian population might lead to questions about the necessity to have government representations and ministerial posts to represent the voices of ethnic Indians.
PHA sees the career-first attitude among Indian youths as the primary cause, leading to the reluctance of many young ethnic Indians to get married and start a family at an early age.
This non-committal perspective is more significant among the career-minded, middle-income ethnic Indians, who focus on their career rather than on their marriage to be financially stable.
Unfortunately, by the time their financial expectations are met, many would have reached their 30s or beyond, and at this stage, they assume that finding a life partner to start a family would be a difficult task as they have crossed the ideal age of marriage.
So they decide to remain single, contributing to the decline in the population of ethnic Indians in Malaysia.
In seeking answers to reverse this demographic imbalance, PHA is promoting the institution of marriage among ethnic Indians, encouraging them to have bigger families at a younger age.
PHA is of the opinion that Hindu temples need to take on an added responsibility by widening their role to include talks on the sacrament of marriage, and providing marriage counselling.
Eligible youths could be made to realise that sharing financial responsibilities and decision-making in marriage may help alleviate the fear of having a bigger family.
PHA has embarked on a mission to encourage marriage between eligible Malaysian Hindus by organising a programme called "Suyamvaram", which means "matchmaking event" in Tamil.
This is a non-profit programme organised for Hindus who are single, divorcees (with or without children), widowers or widows (with or without children) and also for single parents and the physically challenged.
This programme has been ongoing for the past two years with a number of success stories.
The main event is held in September, while ongoing sessions are held by PHA.
With the continuation of this programme annually, PHA hopes that it will be among the factors that slow down the demographic decline among ethnic Indians in Malaysia.
P. MURUGIAH
President
Penang Hindu Association
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times