Malaysia Race Relations

Have been reading a post from a commenter to a thread in this forum
repeatedly for a number of times. I feel the writer put forward
eloquently what many right thinking malaysians (esp:non-bumi) feel
about race relations in this beloved country of ours. Many people
(including lawyers, professors, teachers and professionals) do have
this kind of racist mentality. As such, it’s no wonder after 4
generations the Chinese and Indians reach the shore of Malaysia, there
are still people who think that this country belongs solely to a
single race and that we are merely squatting in their God blessed
land, and that we need to show our gratitude for their benevolence and
generosity. Never mind of the fact that they weren’t the original
inhabitants of the country in the first place.

Afraid that the post may be archive or deleted in due time, I do a
copy and paste as below -

Assimiliation is the answer

written by Nik Elin Zurina Bt Nik Abdul Rashid, 17 April, 2008 at
05:18 pm

I google searched for the meaning of “the social contract” and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract_(Malaysia) defined it to
mean the quid pro quo trade-off through Articles 14–18 of the
Constitution, pertaining to the granting of citizenship to the
non-Malay people of Malaysia, and Article 153, which grants the Malays
special rights and privileges.

I know I should not be depending entirely on a Wikipedia to
support my contention, but that was the easiest piece to google for
its meaning.

It proceeded to state, “the social contract is typically taken to
mean a quid pro quo agreement that provides the non-Malay and other
non-indigenous peoples of Malaysia (mostly the Malaysian Chinese and
Malaysian Indian) with citizenship, in return for their granting
special privileges to the Malays and indigenous people of Malaysia,
collectively referred to as the Bumiputra (sons of the soil).”

Article 153 of the Federal Constitution states that: “It shall be
the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the
special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of
Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in
accordance with the provisions of this Article.”

The Malay special position are thus fundamentally guaranteed under
the Federal Constitution. So why are we still questioning this special
position?

The issue here is that if each and everyone of us, in the words of
HRH Tengku Mahkota Kelantan, “tidak ungkit mengungkit” (meaning it
cuts both ways, ie Malays don’t raise issues about non Malay rights
and non Malays don’t raise the issues of Malay rights) then racial
harmony can be achieved. Which means, “if you don’t provoke me, then I
have absolutely no right to provoke you”. But if you start questioning
my special position which has been enshrined in the Constitution,
then, I will have a right to question you on how you have managed to
gain your citizenship.”.

And although this is a hard fact to swallow for many non Malays,
it is actually very much still relevant, unless and until such time
that the Federal Constitution is amended.

HRH was giving his keynote address in a forum entitled “Malay
unity is the core of national unity” . I take it to mean that neither
the non Malays nor the Malays should raise issues of each others
rights in order to ensure racial harmony. Now what is so wrong with
that statement?

Most unfortunately, it has been mischievously and gravely reported
to read that the HRH Tengku Mahkota has commanded that NO non Malay is
to question the Malay rights if Malaysians wanted to enjoy peace and
harmony in Malaysia since the Malays were “co-erced” into giving
citizenship to the non Malays. Now that’s what I call VERY provocative
selective reporting.

Instead of showing the beauty of co-existence that HRH has asked
of us in most of his 24 paragraph speech (which was prepared for him
and given out the night before and where HRH made major amendments to
the original text), the reporters instead chose to report as follows:

“Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays
had been coerced into giving non-Malays citizenship and the latter
should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.”… “Therefore,
the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights
and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for
the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million
non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.”…Thus, it is not
appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only
(later) to seek equality and privileges,” said Tengku Faris, who read
from a 11-page prepared text.”

Now compare this with the actual read out text.

“17. Tidak harus ada apa-apa kebimbangan.Raja-raja akan menjadi
payung kepada perpaduan dan menjadi sumber ketaatan kepada seluruh
rakyat, sebagaimana yang termaktub di dalam perlembagaan dan rukun
negara. Dengan demikian, sewajarnyalah semua rakyat bersatu dan tidak
harus (not necessary) ada ungkit-mengungkit mengenai hak dan
keistimewaan orang-orang melayu kerana ia adalah quid pro quo sebagai
balasan kepada beri-paksa kerakyatan kepada 2.7 juta kaum lain yang
datang ke Persekutuan Tanah Melayu. Maka memanglah tidak wajar setelah
kaum lain mendapat kerakyatan, mereka menuntut pula persamaan hak dan
keistimewaan.”

The whole text can be found at


http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/opinions/comments/text_of_tengku_mohammad_faris_p\
etra_s_speech.html#jc_writeComment

The text must be read in its entirety. I presume the 3 persons who
prepared the text for HRH to read must have used the same wikipedia in
order to extract information about the Malay race.

Anyway, this should be taken to mean that I have no right to
question the right of an Indian to practise his faith and beliefs, and
I have no right to question the right of a Chinese to have his pork
and eat it, much as they have no right to question about my
privileges. Does anyone disagree with this statement? I am careful not
to use the word, “Malay rights” as it is not Malay rights that are
enshrined, but the Malay “special position”.
Lets put it this way, if my parents had adopted a Chinese brother
and an Indian brother for me when I was young. We grew up together as
brothers and sisters living in harmony and co-existence. Lets say, the
Chinese and the Indian continue practising their faith in our home.
They are given their space to do as they like. But the house is still
a Malay home, rumah Melayu.

My Chinese adopted brother works hard to help my father run his
rubber estate business and contributes substantially to our family
expenses with his very clever business acumen. The Indian adopted
brother helps my father tap rubber as I am too lazy to tap the rubber
myself. I sit at home and take care of my father. Then when my father
dies, as a Muslim, only I get to inherit his estate and wealth. Surely
the Chinese and Indian brother would be upset as they had worked just
as hard as my father to build up the family wealth, and thus the
constant bickering with my brothers. But I am “special” as I am his
natural child. Although my father tries hard to raise us all as
equals, it is difficult as the Chinese refuses to come down and be my
equal partner. He still thinks that his race is far more superior than
mine and as such, refuses to accept our customs and traditions. The
Indian brother, on the other hand, has always practised the
traditional “caste” system. And even among the people of India back in
homeland India, they fight with each other, saying that they are not
“Indians” but Malayalese, Tamils, Ceylonese, Keralalese, Bengalis and
Punjabis etc.

(I remember when I was teaching part time a long time ago, I
taught about our various races that made up Malaysia. I asked all
Malays to raise their hands, and then the Chinese, and then when it
came to who is an Indian, there was this Indian girl named if I
remember correctly, Elizabeth Sebastian, and when I asked her her
race, she told me that she was Christian race and not an Indian. She
refused to acknowledge herself as an Indian girl and she was almost in
tears when told she was of Indian descent. After that I learnt never
to look at a person by their race as it would only upset people. Not
everyone is proud of their lineage.)

Anyway, to continue my story, my 2 adopted brothers, are still
allowed to live in my Melayu home. Although I had secretly hoped that
after all these years, they would have assimilated themselves to the
Malay culture and Custom. But they dont.

(I must confess that had this been the real situation, I would
have given to my adopted brothers 1/3 of my fathers estate as “wasiat”
as that would be permitted under Syariah laws, since they are my
adopted brothers)


http://www.muis.gov.sg/websites/rservices/opendocall.asp?type=I&sno=549.

Having had a family of their own now, they send all their children
to Tamil schools and Chinese schools, instead of sending them to the
normal sekolah kebangsaan. The reason, they don’t want their children
to lose their ethnicity by mixing with the Malay Muslim children. They
still don’t know how or refuse to speak proper Malay, although they
have lived with us for so many years. To them, their race is superior
and should not be sacrificed.

(Sekolah kebangsaan has bacaan doa selamat in the school and this
they highly object to as their children are not Muslims). So they make
their children grow further apart from the Malays.

My neighbour, on the other hand who has adopted a Chinese and an
Indian child as well, does not face this problem as their Chinese
child has started wearing kebaya’s and batek and speaks Malay and
although they are still Buddhist they are now called Baba’s and
Nyonya’s instead and very much still proud of their ancestral Chinese
lineage. The Indian child has converted to Islam and although he still
looks Indian, speaks Tamil but has been called themselves Mamak and
Mami’s.

It is the responsibility of ALL Malaysians, irrespective of race,
to stop provoking for equal rights as what they are actually asking is
for them to be accorded more respect and privileges than the Malays.
If that is what they keep on harping, then they are playing with fire.
If we cant then, lets just live together in harmony and forget the
colour of your skin, or what is my faith. I believe that in order for
Bangsa Malaysia to be born, we need to completely assimilate into one
race.

SO many talk about not looking beyond race. SO IS EVERYONE ready
and really willing to give up your race? Only then can we really find
the true meaning of a nation with only one race. Bangsa Malaysia.

What I am trying to state is that if all Malaysians truly believe
in equality, then one shouldn’t ask for “special treatment” for the
Chinese or Indians.

Why don’t we sit down together and plan a true Malaysian race,
devoid of any one particular race being dominant, like the Nyonyas and
Babas and the Mamaks. I would have no qualms about the Baba’s and
Nyonya’s and the Mamaks and the Mami being called Bumiputras and
accorded the same treatment, privileges, rights as Bumiputras. They
deserve it as they have assimilated themselves well with the local
customs and culture. Now that’s what I call Bangsa Malaysia. I cannot
see how we are ever going to reach Bangsa Malaysia, if all we do is
try to suppress Malay “special position”.

If you want to be equal, then be equally Malaysian. Don’t try and
turn Malaysia into China or India.

Nik Elin Zurina Bt Nik Abdul Rashid

A commenter responded bravely to correct Nik Elin thoughts -

Reply to Nik Elin

written by Gerard Samuel Vijayan Lourdesamy, 18 April, 2008 at
03:15 pm

I am shocked by the ravings and ranting of Nik Elin. Things should
be put into perspective. Frankly, we can all agree to disagree on the
Crown Prince of Kelantan’s speech. But there is no need to descend
into a racial tirade against others just because some of us may have a
different view of his Highnesses’ speech.

If Nik Elin has an axe to grind just because she may be
disappointed with the outcome of the 12th general election that is
perceived to have eroded Malay political supremacy, please don’t take
it out on us non-Malays. The overwhelming majority of the voters,
Malay and non-Malay alike decided to reject the abuses and excesses of
UMNO and the BN over the last 50 years including UMNO’s purported
defence of Malay rights and privileges that has only benefited a
select group who are well connected and well remunerated by the ruling
party. The vast majority of the Malays have been left out of the Malay
agenda by their own leaders and people. That is the reality.

Nik Elin should perhaps explain exactly who is questioning the
Malay special position as enshrined in Article 153 of the
Constitution. All races have accepted this. None of the political
parties in the BN or the PR have raised this and neither was this an
issue in the election campaign. If Nik Elin is unhappy that the PR
wants to replace the NEP with a more open, transparent and effective
affirmative action policy based on need, irrespective of race, so be
it. But don’t give the impression that the Chinese and Indians are
threatening the Malay special position just because all races are
clamouring for justice equality and equity. So who is provoking whom?

The social contract is not defined in the Constitution. Neither
does the term “Bumiputera” appear any where in the Constitution.
Article 153 of the Constitution that is much alluded to talks only
about the special position of the Malays and the natives of Sabah and
Sarawak in the context of quotas in the public services, education and
in the giving of business permits and licenses. It does not envisage
Malay domination at the expense of the other ethnic groups to the
point where their fundamental rights are eroded and they are treated
differently. A good example would be UITM where although a public
university, funded by all taxpayers irrespective of race but only open
to the Bumiputera and not others. Article 153 does not justify this.
Neither does it allow for the government, the public services, the
universities and government linked companies to be dominated by one
race only irrespective of merit and ability. The same applies to
appointments and promotions in the public sector, the awarding of
public contracts, the granting of licenses and permits. There is a big
difference between affirmative action programmes and institutionalised
discrimination. The former it can be argued has its limited origins in
Article 153 but the latter runs foul in the face of the Constitution
and is against both the letter and spirit of the Constitution.

Article 153 was only intended to last for 15 years but it has not
been reviewed. Even the late Tun Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman, was of the
view that this provision should not be retained longer than 15 years
as it would not be helpful in creating a genuine Malaysian society
based on equality, mutual trust and tolerance. But I concede that
given the present climate in this country and ever since the NEP was
introduce in 1970, there is a culture of dependency, mediocrity and
malaise that is prevalent to the point that Article 153 is used as the
convenient fallback position to avoid any serious discussion about
where we are heading as a nation and to justify the endless abuses and
misdeeds of the ruling elite and their supporters.

Nik Elin’s little analogy about her “adopted” Chinese and Indian
brothers reveals a lot about her way of thinking. Firstly, why must it
always be known as a “Malay” home and not a “Malaysian” home? Is it
because the Chinese and Indian brothers are still considered outsiders
despite living in this country for three or four generations (far
longer than some UMNO politicians from Indonesia who are immediately
called “Bumiputera”) and are perceived to have the option of returning
to their “homelands”? Secondly, it is unfair to generalise that all
Chinese think of themselves as superior to other races. They only make
up 28% of the population. If Malays feel inferior to the Chinese then
they should ask themselves why they feel insecure, what are their
weaknesses and inadequacies and why after 37 years of affirmative
action policies by a Malay dominated government, they lack the ability
to compete with the Chinese on a level playing field without a
“constitutional” crutch from the government? Thirdly, what has the
Indian “caste system” got to do with inter-ethnic relations in
Malaysia? As a Malaysian of Indian origin, I can safely say that caste
is not a major issue or barrier in Malaysia for social mobility
amongst Indians. As for India, just to enlighten Nik Elin, there are
two major ethnic groups, the Indo-Aryans (who live mostly in Northern
India) and the Indo-Dravidians (who live mostly in Southern India).
These are sub-divided to various smaller ethnic groups depending on
geographical location. As such Tamil, Malayalee, Telegu, Bengali and
Punjabi are not “castes” but regional ethnic groups living in
different parts of India. They are not fighting or killing each other.
They are all called Indians collectively and are very proud of their
heritage in diversity. The “caste” problem is only prevalent in the
poorer states of eastern and central India such as in Bihar, Orissa,
Madhya Pradesh and also in parts of Gujerat and Rajasthan where
because of land ownership disputes resulting in a preponderance of
land being owned by higher “caste” persons, the poor are marginalized
and abused. In any event, the Government of India has addressed these
issues through laws including constitutional safeguards for those of
lower castes and other scheduled groups. Do we have laws in Malaysia
to deal with race relations and discrimination?

As for the anecdote about the little Indian Christian girl who had
somewhat confused her ethnicity with her race, that can be excused.
Perhaps she was not well informed by her parents. After all there are
many Malay Muslims who behave as if they are Arabs and practice an
Arab-centric form of culture and deny their Malay roots and identity.

Nik Elin’s broadside about vernacular schools and the reason why
Chinese and Indian parents send their children to these schools in not
fair and totally unjustified. I myself am the product of a government
school. But I was there in the 70’s and 80’s. A lot has changed since
then. Standards and quality have declined. The school administration
and teaching staff are dominated only by one race and most hold very
prejudiced and derogatory views about other races. Some even impart
their racist and bigoted views to their students. Students who are
from minority communities are told to conform to other religious
teachings and beliefs, cover themselves even during games (although,
they are wearing standard uniforms) and other imposed values that are
not shared by other ethnic groups. I know of many cases where
non-Malay parents were forced to take their children out of government
schools because of acts of discrimination and indifferent treatment by
Malay principals and teachers. But there are some good government
schools with dedicated and qualified Malay teachers who are not
influenced by race and religion. They are becoming a rarity. As far as
speaking in proper Bahasa Malaysia is concerned, it is incorrect to
say that most non-Malay students from the vernacular schools are very
poor in the language. It is true that few speak the language at home
but most parents emphasize the importance of the national language in
order to live and work in Malaysia. It is equally important in order
for them to pass public examinations and gain entry into public
universities and colleges. Therefore, it is not true to suggest that
they are utterly illiterate or useless in the language as disproved by
the pubic examination results. On the same token, after more than 100
years of Chinese and Indian migration to Malaya, how many Malays can
speak in Mandarin or Tamil? It must be remembered that 45% of the
population is non-Malay.

On the “doa selamat” issue. Firstly, why must such prayers, be
said in non-religious schools. If we want to talk about
multiculturalism, then apart from Muslim prayers, non-Muslim prayers
should also be recited but that is not permitted because only Islam is
the official religion. Secondly, when I was in government schools, 30
years ago, the “doa” was never recited except in the Islamic religious
studies class. Thirdly, why is it that non-Muslims are lumped together
in “moral” studies classes as if they are morally lacking or
deficient? Are they not entitled to instruction in their own religious
beliefs? Has the government introduced courses on comparative
religious studies and understanding as part of the curriculum in all
national type schools and public universities? There are many within
the education system that favour and encourage separatism. It is
unfair just to blame non-Malay parents for this.

I am surprised at Nik Elin’s enlightened idea about assimilation.
Assimilate into what? A Malay dominated culture. I think that is what
you are suggesting. I don’t mind a Malaysian culture that is
representative of our shared heritage, beliefs, customs and values.
But not the imposition of one culture on another purely based on
statistics and history. Why can’t we have unity in diversity, a true
form of multiculturalism based on mutual respect and tolerance? What
about Sabah and Sarawak? Have the Malays there who are a minority
assimilated into the majority Kadazan and Iban communities? It is
remarkable that in East Malaysia, an ethnic minority community that is
Muslim can dominate in government and economics over the majority
ethnic Christian communities. This is the end result of UMNO exporting
its Malay supremacy (even through) illegal means into the two states
and maintained by the proverbial divide and rule policy. What has
happened to the special position, rights and privileges of the Sabah
and Sarawak natives under Article 153 of the Constitution and the
famous 30 Points of Agreement that was their basis for entry into
Malaysia? It would seem that all this was conveniently sacrificed at
the altar of Malay supremacy. Please practice what you preach first
before imparting words of wisdom to others. Assimilation as far as I
know was an abject failure in southern Thailand, in Indonesia and
parts of the Philippines. So why experiment with something that is
unworkable and counter-productive to nation building. Have Muslims
assimilated in the West?

The non-Malays are not provoking for equal rights in the context
of Article 153 of the Constitution. They are neither questioning the
status of the Malay Rulers, of Islam and Bahasa Malaysia. These are
unifying and entrenched features of our Constitution and focal to our
common destiny as a nation. What the non-Malays are seeking is fair,
just and equitable treatment as citizens of this country. We are all
only subservient to God, the Constitution and the laws of the country.
We only want what is right and fair for our communities. Just like the
Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, we have also contributed
immensely to the peace, progress and prosperity of this country since
before independence until now. Why deny us a proper stake in the well
being and future of this country? Why work overtly and covertly to
weaken, erode and destroy our rights? We are not interested in special
treatment or privileges. We have never needed them and we have very
little use for a crutch. There are poor and marginalized Chinese and
Indians just like poor Malays who also need help and assistance, why
ignore them?

Nik Elin can keep her “special position”, status and privileges
and reconcile them with her Islamic faith. I leave that to the
judgment of God. All this talk about playing with fire is unnecessary.
It cuts both ways. If Nik Elin is advocating “constructive
destruction” I am all for it. Perhaps we can rebuild a new Malaysia.

There is no question of Malaysia becoming China or India but
neither do we want it to become another Afghanistan, Sudan or Saudi
Arabia.

Gerard Lourdesamy

http://chickenfeet.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/malaysia-race-relations/

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