Deepavali vs Diwali Sparks New Political Row in Malaysia
In India, religious sentiment has become such a fragile commodity that it can be hurt by almost anything: a joke, a film song, a movie title, or even a slogan printed on a T-shirt.
Far from India, a slight change in spelling and pronunciation has sparked a political maelstrom. In Malaysia, the Hindu festival of lights is celebrated as a public holiday. This time a controversy erupted because the traditional terminology, “Deepavali,” was not used in public greetings.
After Kuala Lumpur City Hall erected festive arches wishing the public a “Happy Diwali,” M. Saravanan, deputy president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), accused the authorities of erasing the traditional terminology. For him, the change in spelling has become a question of cultural identity and religious sentiment.
Saravanan subsequently wrote to Hannah Yeoh, minister in the Prime Minister’s Department responsible for Federal Territories, asking her to restore the legally gazetted name. He said that the choice of name was not merely a matter of semantics but one of respect for the linguistic and cultural heritage of Malaysian Hindus.
Saravanan’s objection is linked to the fact that he, like the majority of Malaysian Hindus, traces his ancestry to southern India, particularly Tamil Nadu. He says the term “Diwali” is typically associated with North India, while most southern states in India continue to use “Deepavali.”
The controversy highlights the apprehension that minorities face in any country, where tinkering with religious or cultural symbols can be seen as an attempt to dilute their identity, particularly given Malaysia’s history of ethnic tensions.
However, there is a political dimension to this debate. Critics see Saravanan’s objection as an attempt to bring back MIC in political discourse, as the party, after being drubbed in the 2018 general election, lost the sobriquet of sole representative of the country’s 2 million Hindus. Even the party’s supreme leader Samy Vellu could not retain his parliamentary seat, which he had held since 1974.
The historic 2018 election completely reshaped the political landscape. For the first time, Indian voters moved away from the MIC, in favor of Pakatan Harapan and its two main parties, the Democratic Action Party and People’s Justice Party.
Critics and political commentators argue that the MIC’s focus on semantic issues is a calculated effort to regain its relevance amid its declining influence in Malaysian politics. The “Deepavali versus Diwali” debate may generate headlines, they say, adding that the party needs to address deeper socioeconomic challenges, such as the forced relocation of Hindu temples and the long-standing economic disparities facing Malaysian Indians.
