Kuala Lumpur, February 13, 2025 – The Indian community in Malaysia is raising crucial questions to YB Tuan M. Kulasegaran, the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), regarding the true size of the Indian population in the country. The community is concerned that the official figures provided by the government significantly underestimate the number of Indian Malaysians.
Despite being the fifth-largest Indian diaspora globally and the largest Tamil diaspora, the Indian community in Malaysia is officially recorded at only 6.5% of the total population. This is in stark contrast to estimates based on the Thaipusam celebrations in 2025, where the participation from key locations around the country suggests a much larger Indian population.
The breakdown of participants in the 2025 Thaipusam celebrations is as follows:
Batu Cave: 1.5 million
Penang: 700,000
Ipoh: 500,000
Johor: 300,000
Sungai Petani: 200,000
Other Thaipusam celebration locations: 300,000
At home: 500,000
Total estimated: 4 million
This leads many to believe that the Indian population in Malaysia could actually be as high as 11.5% of the total population—approximately 4 million people—rather than the 6.5% reported by the government. Many in the community are concerned that this data is being manipulated for undisclosed reasons.
The call for a more accurate census (banci) has gained momentum, with many suggesting that the government’s figures do not reflect the true size of the Indian community. The government’s apparent reluctance to address this issue has raised suspicions among netizens and analysts who believe that the Indian population is being undercounted and sidelined.
YB Kulasegaran, as a leader within the Cabinet and a strong advocate for the Indian community, is being urged by many to raise these concerns in Parliament and demand a thorough review of the population data. The community has expressed that if the government continues to ignore the discrepancies, they may be forced to conduct their own census to ensure their accurate representation in the nation’s demographic data.
“Why is the government hiding the truth? Why are we being misrepresented?” asked one concerned netizen. “The Indian community in Malaysia deserves better, and we need accurate data for our future.”
In response to these concerns, YB Kulasegaran has been urged to speak up and take action, as his leadership on this matter is seen as vital in ensuring that the Indian community is properly recognized and represented in Malaysian society.
The debate surrounding the true population of Indians in Malaysia is far from over, and many are calling for transparency and honesty from both the government and the nation’s leaders.