Community Leaders or Feeders?

As a community that is rapidly growing in Australia, it is to our credit that we have a growing number of Indian associations that adequately represent us. But is it to our credit when some of these associations are created by the same people?
A few self-proclaimed community leaders who speak so highly of community unity, then contradict themselves by creating several associations while always acting alone.
That raises the question of whether we have community leaders who stand for the community or feeders who feed off the community.
Whatever the personal motivations of joining an association, whether it’s political, cultural, sports etc, what we as a community can expect as a minimum is that the people who put themselves into these positions behave with dignity and respect.
In a long line of people who become the subject of abuse by some individuals; recently one person has stepped forward to ask the office bearers of a number of community associations take some action to stop this.
This person is the victim of being personally abused, harassed, insulted and offended not once, but several times – all because they took a business decision that the association’s representative did not like. Let’s face it no-one is compelled to sponsor, support or attend any function or event by any association. All this person did was to simply exercise their personal right to decide.
The event in question is being held in the near future and that association representative will no doubt be standing up to make speeches about the virtues of Indian values, while basking in the glory of having set up yet another association.
Well Indian values are about respect, dignity and decorum, those values are not about insulting someone because they happen to disagree with you. After all in celebrating Indian Independence this weekend, aren’t we celebrating the largest democracy in the world?
Pretty sure the constitution does not make exceptions to those values when one is speaking to the president/chair/secretary etc of a fairly insignificant and unimportant little association in Sydney.
For that representative who ranted abuse at someone they barely knew and for no legitimate reason, you are a shame on the whole of the Indian community! For the record you are not a leader but a feeder!!!
For the mass community, just take a few considerations when attending any function where you hear those sort of patriotic speeches, take a closer look at the organising parties. Ask them how many associations they are members of or do your own research by asking Dr Google. If there are several organisations they belong to, ask yourself why? Is it because one is a sporting club, or another is a religious one or are they all very similar, with similar alleged philosophies.
Then ask yourself why some people need to belong to so many like organisations and what their relationship is like with the earlier organisations. The point being, if you are really community minded, then the least you should be able to do is get on with the members and committee of the association.
It’s only considered falling on your sword if you resign on principle, not when you want to dominate and the others won’t let you. However when people start creating new organisations like it’s an addiction, then isn’t it more likely that they can’t get on with other people and by definition they are not community minded.
For those who come in new to this world of community associations, do your research, because as so many before you have found out – the next person in line for abuse could be you.