Friday, August 25, 2006
We Are 49 Years Old Now And What Have We Achieved?
*** Announcement This post has been read more than 3000 times in the last 3 days. This shows how important the issue is to the nation. Many have commented in this post, which sparked off two other articles. Please read them to fully understand how this post came about. Thank you.
*** I am taking time to highlight some national issues. These posts will be longer than usual, so I appreciate your time reading them. Thanks. *** yesterday, today and forever. Years of Malaysian education taught me that Malaysia is “truly a multi racial country”. I was damn proud of the fact that in my country, there are so many races all living in harmony. Can you recount how many Petronas advertisements and government propaganda subliminally brainwashing us into believing that Malaysia is a multi racial society, where everyone lives respecting the varying cultures and religious beliefs? Like you, I was proud of the fact that Malaysia was harmonious. It implies other countries were not as special as Malaysia. Why? Because they were not “multi racial”, of course! It was a fall from grace the moment I set foot in London. I saw people of all skin colours and heard languages that I have never heard in my life. We are not talking about just 3 major races and 3 major religions here. We are talking about diversity as broad as your mind can allow you to. I even saw a black guy speaking fluent Cantonese to an old Chinese lady in the tubes! Now THAT’S multi racial. We are not talking about just the Malay, Indian, Chinese and “dan lain-lain” (trans: others). We are talking a mixing pot of various colours, languages, cultures, food and religious beliefs, all freely mingling and interacting with each other. London has been this cosmopolitan before Tengku Abdul Rahman shouted “Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!” (trans: Independence! Independence! Independence!” on the birth of Malaya in 1957. Can we ever say the same for Malaysia? Please raise your hands if you had racial slurs thrown at you. Perhaps someone called you lazy because you were born Malay. Maybe they call you “India Keling” just because your forefathers came from India. I had the “Balik Cina lah!” (trans: Go back to China!” thrown in my face by young, village kids. Be honest with yourself and ask, where is the “multi racial society living in harmony” in our lives? I don’t know where it is. You want multi racial society? You go to London or New York. Those two metropolitan cities are truly multi racial. What we have in Malaysia is the Petaling Street version of the original thing. Did I hear some of you grumbling out there? Dear Miss Otto, a traitor to her race and country, you said? To be honest, I love Malaysia. I love Malaysia to bits. I love Malaysia, right after my family, some closer friends, my business and Alex (not necessary in that order of importance). I sincerely think that it is time for our nation to stare that big zit in the face. You are absolutely wrong if you say there is nothing wrong with Malaysia. There isn’t a place on earth that’s perfect, what more our multiracial country which is still searching for its identity. Respect and Diversity It is safe to that the nation is no longer a “child” as it celebrates its 49th anniversary. In recent past, our people stared at glaring problems ranging from the Nude Squat, Bloody Sunday to the UPM students that were never punished and Lina Joy. I don’t know what your opinions are in this whole hoohaa but personally I am glad they happened. In my opinion, these incidences are windows of opportunities for the government and the nation to address issues that have been put off for a long time. Whilst in the past, we as a nation might not be able to deal with the problems but now many of us are working in bigger cities. We have access to the outside world and our interactions with the world help us mature more as a nation. We are able to take up more responsibilities and behave more responsibly. We should be able to voice our opinions, even when they are different. We should respect our fellow Malaysians because we are already grown. We do not have any excuses for failing and when we fail, it shows our immaturity as private citizens and as a nation. I am glad that we are addressing “sensitive” issues. They are not sensitive to me, perhaps because I believe I can carry a decent discussion about these issues without threatening to kill another person who does not agree with me. I hope that there are many others who are able to talk about things without kicking tables or burning a flag or two. The Subsidy Mentality I believe that the government was right in raising the petrol prices. I feel the pinch like every other person but I believe that it is something that the government had to do. How long can the government subsidize us with cheaper petrol? We must realise that the government has to find the money from other revenues, in order to continue provide the petrol subsidy. Think about it this way. The government has to work doubly hard to find the amount of money used for subsidies. So if the government budgets to spend RM1 billion to subsidize the various schemes (such as education sponsorship, petrol and farm subsidies), it will need to find that RM1 billion from other revenues. Compound this with the fact that the same amount of money could be used to develop things that will benefit a wider spectrum of citizens such as better transportation systems, superior quality education for its young citizens and healthcare for its people. I prefer our Malaysian government spend its money wisely, in areas such as education and healthcare. Part of being a responsible citizen is to help the government administer itself smoothly and efficiently. We can start by taking up more responsibilities for ourselves, do not depend on government’s handouts and work hard at being competitive. It is all part of growing up. Education Quota and Employability Where the deteriorating education standards in Malaysia are concerned, we should have realised that we cannot turn dust into gold. The current university quota is not doing the nation any good. We are churning lots of graduates who do not possess the necessary skills for them to work efficiently in private companies. Whilst it was created with the best intentions in mind, the quota directly produced a generation of Malaysians who think Malaysia owes them special rights. These people believe that the country and the government owe them because they are born a certain blood. What these people failed to realise is that they are basically going to ruin the country by not performing to the best of their abilities. I agree that the government has to help the weak but I do not believe that the weak consists of just a particular ethnic. Kat was a part-time music lecturer in UPM. She mentioned that some of the students accepted into the Bachelor of Music program hardly had Grade Two or Three in music. Logically speaking, how is it possible for these students to graduate with Bachelors in Music when their foundations (Grade One to Eight in any musical instrument) are not even in place? Where is the logic? Is it therefore surprising that these students struggled through their university course and graduated by scrapping past their examinations? How are these students going to graduate and be good employees when their knowledge of music was so poor? In what capacities can they serve anyone? Let’s take it a step further by analysing teachers and lecturers in our local schools and universities. It is utterly shameful to sit in some of these classes to witness students correcting their language teachers’ pronunciation! What do you expect from young students when the teachers are weak and not properly trained? Who is responsible for permitting these teacher trainees to graduate and teach our young? On what basis were these teachers trained and hired? If the teachers are bad to begin with, how are they able to train/teach our young? A bad tree can never produce good apples. Period. In its place, we should encourage our young Malaysians to develop ideas and to hold discourses in a rational manner. All students scoring perfect A-s are automatically granted government scholarships, in whatever course they wish to study, in return for a few years of service once they have graduated. All applications are accepted based on abilities, not ethnic. Such regulations will encourage our young people to compete in a healthy environment and to strive to their best possible. We need to learn that we are rewarded for being the best in our fields. Superior quality should always be rewarded. We will not be rewarded for poor performances, be it in education or in our work life. Once we understand this basic concept, naturally we will work hard to improve ourselves. It is the most natural law of nature. Begin With The End In Mind I believe that our nation needs to begin with the end in mind. The country will need to leave behind its racial discriminatory past and quotas if it wants to compete realistically. We should start rewarding our citizens based on merits and good work. We need to make plans to transform the current subsidy mentality and special rights privileges to one that is based on excellence, healthy competition and merit. Perhaps we should start telling our young that they will have only a limited number of years to grow up and compete equally alongside other races. This right will not be there forever, just like parents are not always there to protect their youngs. The rights will be revoked after a certain agreeable years, ensuring that these young people will work hard, capitalising on their actual intellect and resources. Ideally it would be perfect as our 50th anniversary gift to the country but I guess that is a little too late now. The question remains – how long does a nation need before its people can stand up for itself, without calling for hand-outs and privileges? Is not two generations more than adequate to improve our future children and ourselves? Are we so weak that we cannot better ourselves in 10 years? In 20 years? In 50 years? It is time for us to rethink who we are and what we can achieve. The economy will suffer and the nation’s growth will be stunted if we continually fail to reward people who worked hard and excelled. Honestly, are you motivated to be your best when your good work is never recognized? How do you feel if you are turned down for a promotion just because you are not a certain race? How many people do you think are broken spirit and disappointed with the current system? Even the most patriotic spirits will move away to other companies and join other countries that will accept them and reward them for hardwork and diligence. It is already happening. It is called braindrain. The longer we put this discussion off, branding it as “sensitive”, the worse the situation will get. We should stop asking what can the government do for us. It is time for us to ask ourselves, what can we do for our nation. How are we going to shape our future and influence our politicians? What can we do to ensure that our children will enjoy a better Malaysia? How are we going to win back our best students and experts? It is time to get real with ourselves and stop yelling “go to another country if you are not happy here” at critics that disagree with us. I shall end this post with an illustration. It gives us a rough idea of how a nation can potentially grow within a span of time. Let’s compare ourselves with the Japanese, who suffered greatly after the Second World War. They had to rebuild their nation after the two atomic bombs and subsequent repercussions for their participation during the 2nd World War crimes. Despite everything, the tiny nation has grown to be one of the richest countries in the world, being the second largest economy in the world. Its people flourished and enjoy a stable country, with an eclectic mix of traditional and modern. The Japanese managed to rise from their ashes of destruction. In the same time, what have we achieved as a nation? Where do we stand in the world community? *** Small Talk There are many comparisons that I could use to illustrate what mankind can achieve in very short period of years. Such as the Americans being the first people to land on the moon, ACHIEVED IN ONE DECADE. before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project... will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish...." ~ President John F. Kennedy, 1961 The Americans managed to land on the moon in a decade. What have we achieved in five? *** Related Links
*** Tags Merdeka Malaysia UPM riot independence racial+harmony race ethnic Malay Chinese Indian London New York racist racial+discrimination Nude+Squat Lina+Joy subsidy employment education healthcare Japan America |
Well, I think your comparison of Malaysia in general and London in particular are moot points. One is a thriving metropolis that has been the centre of cultural exchange for hundreds of years while the other has only really had 'foreign people' on it's shores for the past hundred of years or so. I'm pretty sure small towns and little villages across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and even England are not quite as multicultural as London is. Also, I'm sure racism occurs in London, and from the pictures depicted by the BBC news, sometimes quite violently. However, I do totally agree with the fact that Malaysia should be for Malaysians, irrespective of ethnicity and religion, just as Britain is for the British.
Also, I would believe that it's one matter to promote equality when there is only a small minority population as in the case of Britain. The population of Malaysia is not quite as homogenous and when the minority (albeit a very large and significant minority) start to establish control of things such as the economy and education, the majority tends to try and protect itself in ways it best can. Still, I believe it's the 20th century and protectionism can only take you so far. Malaysia for all Malaysians.
I'm sure our obsession with breaking records in the Guiness Book Of Record (which was recently scoffed at by Wired Magazine) might have shown some tiny achievements.
Or perhaps people should be more open-minded about falling in love at a young age. Oops, plugging my latest entry. :)
Very sombre points that you brought up. I agree with Anon's point about comparing Malaysia and the UK. You can't really.
That said, I choose to be optimistic because heck, how much more shitty can it get right?
The political system is creeping ahead slowly with changes (first new PM in what 20 years!?). At least Abdullah is willing to say that the Malays have been spoilt by the current system.
The judiciary has improved somewhat. Now if only we can fix the police.
#1 problem is graft. Solution: higher pay for the cops. Easier said than done.
At least the economy is doing ok.
Back on a more positive note, I think if you compare any other country when they were at 49yrs old, we don't seem too bad in comparison.
It's a self-evident sociological adage that Urban life breeds left leaning liberals and rural areas promote conservatism. Blatant generalisation as it may be, it is a reflection of the majority.
Thus your comparison of Metropolitan London to Malaysia as a whole fails to capture the whole picture. It must be said that beyond London, racial divisiveness is a real thing to contend with in the UK. Bradford regularly plays host to ethnic tensions. The first black family to move into a small town saw their son hacked to death by a white kid in a racially motivated attack.
Truth be told, it's biology's fault in a small part. Humans compartmentalise. It is this ability to see similarities and difference that has brought us far in Science via enhancing our skills of abstractions. But there's always the flip side of the coin, and that is strife. Stirfe brought on by this very skill as we learn to differentiate "us" and "them" efficiently, so do we learn to promote "us" and destroy "them".
Either it's obvious overt affirmitive action based on race is destroying us, not least because it has been spinned as a right, giving it an almost divine aura. This makes it seem like something to be effected in perpetuity instead of a crutch to be removed once the proverbial physical therapy have enabled us Bumis to stand on our feet. One brave Bumi leader must one day boldly say that, this will end. He must tell the Bumis that nothing is on this plane of existence forever.
Anyway Education Quotas have actually already been removed on paper, but as it is unless we implement full anonymous admissions procedures such as the disguising og an applicants' name, or disguising whether or not he took Islamic Studies to prevent discrimination on religious grounds, unless of course the person's pursuing theology related subjects.
ok im hungry
cheers
Hi everyone.
My comments on everything that you have raised is available here. I hope it explains some issues that many of you have pointed out.
I also encourage those who are about to comment in this post to read it before commenting because chances are, your questions will be answered there.
Thank you.
After working in different organisations run by different races, I have come to one conclusion: 'All races are racist'.
I have one solution for a better Malaysia: We (including the Govt.) should all actively encourage mixed race marriages (like mine). Realise that in most cases the children born from a mixed marriage are more tolerant. Maybe in the far future we will truly have a real Malaysian race.
You cant compare a first world mentality with a thrid world one. It saddens me that our Malaysians go abroad and obide the no drink n driving rule , no littering etc but in their OWN country they do it. And I am talking about those peopole who go abroad to do professional degrees !
Racism exist and will continue to exist... but Malaysians them selves dont want to be known as Malaysians.
I have tried many times telling taxi drivers u ni orang ape malaysia yelah tapi ape? melayu ke china ke ape ?
get the drift !
Racial counts in school should stop. Go to any School office n see a big board saying ''calss no. of malays, chines, indian , lain lain .. '' Our teacher refered to the nons as BANGSA ASING !! hows that ! Even the teachers are dumb walking with their slipers around the class.
Change has to come from within.
But you and I and everyone else can give our veiws we can be passionate but none of us are actually doing anything.. then again we argue we cant... and so this will never rest. were not even in the UN equal rights list...
List of racial discriminations in Malaysia, practiced by government as well as government agencies. This list is an open secret. Best verified by government itself because it got the statistics.
This list is not in the order of importance, that means the first one on the list is not the most important and the last one on the list does not mean least important.
This list is a common knowledge to a lot of Malaysians, especially those non-malays (Chinese, Ibans, Kadazans, Orang Asli, Tamils, etc) who were being racially discriminated.
Figures in this list are estimates only and please take it as a guide only. Government of Malaysia has the most correct figures. Is government of Malaysia too ashamed to publish their racist acts by publishing racial statistics?
This list cover a period of about 48 years since independence (1957).
List of racial discriminations (Malaysia):
(1) Out of all the 5 major banks, only one bank is multi-racial, the rest are controlled by malays
(2) 99% of Petronas directors are malays
(3) 3% of Petronas employees are Chinese
(4) 99% of 2000 Petronas gasoline stations are owned by malays
(5) 100% all contractors working under Petronas projects must be bumis status
(6) 0% of non-malay staffs is legally required in malay companies. But there must be 30% malay staffs in Chinese companies
(7) 5% of all new intake for government army, nurses, polices, is non-malays
(8) 2% is the present Chinese staff in Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), drop from 40% in 1960
(9) 2% is the percentage of non-malay government servants in Putrajaya. But malays make up 98%
(10) 7% is the percentage of Chinese government servants in the whole government (in 2004), drop from 30% in 1960
(11) 95% of government contracts are given to malays
(12) 100% all business licensees are controlled by malay government e.g. Approved permits, Taxi permits, etc
(13) 80% of the Chinese rice millers in Kedah had to be sold to malay controlled Bernas in 1980s. Otherwise, life is make difficult for Chinese rice millers
(14) 100 big companies set up, owned and managed by Chinese Malaysians were taken over by government, and later managed by malays since 1970s e.g. MISC, UMBC, UTC, etc
(15) At least 10 Chinese owned bus companies (throughout Malaysia, throughout 40 years) had to be sold to MARA or other malay transport companies due to rejection by malay authority to Chinese application for bus routes and rejection for their application for new buses
(16) 2 Chinese taxi drivers were barred from driving in Johor Larkin bus station. There are about 30 taxi drivers and 3 are Chinese in October 2004. Spoiling taxi club properties was the reason given
(17) 0 non-malays are allowed to get shop lots in the new Muar bus station (November 2004)
(18) 8000 billion ringgit is the total amount the government channeled to malay pockets through ASB, ASN, MARA, privatisation of government agencies, Tabung Haji etc, through NEP over 34 years period
(19) 48 Chinese primary schools closed down since 1968 - 2000
(20) 144 Indian primary schools closed down since 1968 - 2000
(21) 2637 malay primary schools built since 1968 - 2000
(22) 2.5% is government budget for Chinese primary schools. Indian schools got only 1%, malay schools got 96.5%
(23) While a Chinese parent with RM1000 salary (monthly) cannot get school-text-book-loan, a malay parent with RM2000 salary is eligible
(24) 10 all public universities vice chancellors are malays
(25) 5% - the government universities lecturers of non-malay origins had been reduced from about 70% in 1965 to only 5% in 2004
(26) Only 5% is given to non-malays for government scholarships over 40 years
(27) 0 Chinese or Indians were sent to Japan and Korea under "Look East Policy"
(28) 128 STPM Chinese top students could not get into the course that they aspired e.g. Medicine (in 2004)
(29) 10% place for non-bumi students for MARA science schools beginning from year 2003, but only 7% are filled. Before that it was 100% malays
(30) 50 cases whereby Chinese and Indian Malaysians, are beaten up in the National Service program in 2003
(31) 25% is Malaysian Chinese population in 2004, drop from 45% in 1957
(32) 7% is the present Malaysian Indians population (2004), a drop from 12% in 1957
(33) 2 million Chinese Malaysians had emigrated to overseas since 40 years ago
(34) 0.5 million Indian Malaysians had emigrated to overseas
(35) 3 million Indonesians had migrated into Malaysia and became Malaysian citizens with bumis status
(36) 600000 are the Chinese and Indian Malaysians with red IC and were rejected repeatedly when applying for citizenship for 40 years. Perhaps 60% of them had already passed away due to old age. This shows racism of how easily Indonesians got their citizenships compare with the Chinese and Indians
(37) 5% - 15% discount for a malay to buy a house, regardless whether the malay is rich or poor
(38) 2% is what Chinese new villages get compare with 98% of what malay villages got for rural development budget
(39) 50 road names (at least) had been changed from Chinese names to other names
(40) 1 Dewan Gan Boon Leong (in Malacca) was altered to other name (e.g. Dewan Serbaguna or sort) when it was being officially used for a few days. Government try to shun Chinese names. This racism happened in around year 2000 or sort
(41) 0 churches/temples were built for each housing estate. But every housing estate got at least one mosque/surau built
(42) 3000 mosques/surau were built in all housing estates throughout Malaysia since 1970. No temples, no churches are required to be built in housing estates
(43) 1 Catholic church in Shah Alam took 20 years to apply to be constructed. But told by malay authority that it must look like a factory and not look like a church. Still not yet approved in 2004
(44) 1 publishing of Bible in Iban language banned (in 2002)
(45) 0 of the government TV stations (RTM1, RTM2, TV3) are directors of non-malay origins
(46) 30 government produced TV dramas and films always showed that the bad guys had Chinese face, and the good guys had malay face. You can check it out since 1970s. Recent years, this tendency becomes less
(47) 10 times, at least, malays (especially Umno) had threatened to massacre the Chinese Malaysians using May 13 since 1969
(48) 20 constituencies won by DAP would not get funds from the government to develop. Or these Chinese majority constituencies would be the last to be developed
(49) 100 constituencies (parliaments and states) had been racistly re-delineated so Chinese voters were diluted that Chinese candidates, particularly DAP candidates lost in election since 1970s
(50) Only 3 out of 12 human rights items are ratified by Malaysia government since 1960
(51) 0 - elimination of all forms of racial discrimination (UN Human Rights) is not ratified by Malaysia government since 1960s
(52) 20 reported cases whereby malay ambulance attendances treated Chinese patients inhumanely, and malay government hospital staffs purposely delay attending to Chinese patients in 2003. Unreported cases may be 200
(53) 50 cases each year whereby Chinese, especially Chinese youths being beaten up by malay youths in public places. We may check at police reports provided the police took the report, otherwise there will be no record
(54) 20 cases every year whereby Chinese drivers who accidentally knocked down malays were seriously assaulted or killed by malays
(55) 12% is what ASB/ASN got per annum while banks fixed deposit is only about 3.5% per annum
There are hundreds more racial discriminations in Malaysia to add to this list of "colossal" racism. It is hope that the victims of racism will write in to expose racism.
Malaysia government should publish statistics showing how much malays had benefited from the "special rights" of malays and at the same time tell the statistics of how much other minority races are being discriminated.
Hence, the responsibility lies in the Malaysia government itself to publish unadulterated statistics of racial discrimination.
If the Malaysia government hides the statistics above, then there must be some evil doings, immoral doings, shameful doings and sinful doings, like the Nazi, going on onto the non-malays of Malaysia.
Civilized nation, unlike evil Nazi, must publish statistics to show its treatment on its minority races. This is what Malaysia must publish……….
We are asking for the publication of the statistics showing how "implementation of special rights of malays" had inflicted colossal racial discrimination onto non-malays.
On the whole I agree with everything on the post. Now let's talk about change. We are, in a word, NATO. So ...
... How do you expect us to change if we don't change?
Also, people who share the same views - we are the minority. What you say is reasonable, some might say well argued. You probably wrote it trying to be as fair as you can be.
But we of these views are the minority.
In other words, a lot of other people who live in the same country as you do not share the same views. And because we share the same piece of terra it won't do any good to just term them as idiots and say we should just change for the better coz it's beneficial for them too. That's called dictatorship.
Personally, I think the way to go, is, for the first ever step, understand how the rest of the country thinks. Take the affirmative action issue. We say it's time the bumis are slowly weaned off their subsidies, etc. Ask them and some of them will respond with the fact that their people - especially those in kampung - are still poor. You can give them all the reasons behind why that's the case and thus they must change - but from their point of view, they are poor. They need help. Or they and their families suffer. And this is just one view.
It is entirely feasible that there are perhaps a few who actually do think 'Malay'sia belongs to the Malays, only. Others think we are asking too much - they give a little inch, inch by inch, then we start demanding feet by feet, they say. And don't deny that that doesn't happen. It does, just not most of us.
Point is, one may stereotype Malaysians to simplify the wording to an argument, as long as you don't buy it as complete truth.
And how do the Indians feel about things in Malaysia? And the orang asli?
How does the rest of the country think? Kelantan and Terengganu? Pahang? Perlis? The rich? The semi-poor? The old Malays and old Chinese? What is the proportion? Who are the majority? What kind of Malaysians get affected by something as distant as the tsunami? How bout our Info Minister, who pronounced non-flag-waving citizens as unpatriotic - how does he think? And how bout the Chinese who badmouth the Malays behind the back - why do they do that?
And truly, what is going through the minds of the UPM Malay students who heckled the Chinese students?
Do you know? I don't know.
But I think once we know, then we truly know what to do next. Spouting rhetoric on how the country needs to grow up and begin the next phase of complete acceptance of each other isn't going to work. That's why policians spout rhetoric that appears in newspapers. They don't have to do anything after that.
i'm a fresh grad from a local public university. just wanna point out that although about 20 others surpassed his results, this guy is getting the Chancellor award because of wat else.. we are so damn pissed off
Okay, I think it'S great to have a critical mentality of Malaysia because that's the only way a country will progress.
Yes, on one hand it is necessary to compare Malaysia to places like London, America.
But on the other, I think the way you are looking at London is quite naive. I was brought up in London, and yes, there is an incredible amount of racism thrown at Indians (not just in the rest of England but in london too), Chinese, Blacks, and everyone else. I'm glad that you think that you've managed to fit in in London with the wonderful people there.. but to dismiss or ignore the terrible oppression that happens in the UK would just be insulting to US, the ethinic minorities who live there.
Japan suffers from TERRIBLE racism towards non-Japanese.
The US did not go to the moon in 10 years, they were founded in the 1770s, the moon landing was a culmination of 200 years of hard work, peace, and slave labour.
In my opinion, it's just as necessary to look at other countries critically and realistically as it is our own.
In 2-3 years time, when it is time for us to buang the undi, we will do it right.
Maybe they can, and have been conning our parents and grandparents for donkey years with the promise of "development".
Maybe our parents and grandparents have seen worse times. But that is no excuse for anyone to perpetuate a divisive and destructive system.
I will be voting for a Malaysian Malaysia.
Comments, criticisms made means you still love and care for this nation.
Besides all these, let's everyone and anyone who happens to come across this blog give our nation a loving thought and a loving wish.
God bless MALAYSIA.
Off all the PM , Tunku Abdul Rahman is the one i truly loved. He has the vision of all Malaysian regardless of race live harmoniusly and progress as a nation. However a majority of power hungry malay do not share his views and create unfairness in the society by the name of " trying to correct the socio economic imbalance". By 2020 perhaps our oil will starts to trickle dry where are we going to find money to subsidize the malay? The Malays are getting more secular by the day. They forgot the teachings of Islam on tolerance and fairness. As any one of them do they think that Malaysia is a fair country. Just ask yourselvesif they truly want to be fair at least the scholarship awarded should follow the population quota of the respective races. No matter how we plead Malaysia will never change cos some politicians will use the threat of riots to intimidate the non Malays. I believe in distibution but to distribute one must first grow the pie. Why dont let those who are capable grow the pie before we distribute the pie. No point robnbing A to feed B. Its a zero sum game.
its just the matter of time things like this happens. without the death of macolm x, US might not be what it is today..
people need to go through something significant to improve, or grow up, or realise something. same as a nation, like japan.
Dr.M days was good, but ignored public morale, its time to change the perception towards our own nation now. theres a reason y we vote once a four years!
well writen post!
aha.
sounds angry, this post.
racial differences are everywhere, whether england or malaysia, its all the same. there'll always be those that can mix with different people, and those that cant.
i suppose you're saying the goverment should instead post propaganda and repeat the May 13 Incident then, instead of trying to promote racial harmony?
I don't see why we should use Japan as a model for Malaysia. Japan is very VERY far from an ideal society. Yes, they might be rich BUT: Lack of democracy, right-wing, mono-ethnic, rife teenage prostitution (and widely accepted), incredibly high suicide rate, saturated economy, TERRIBLE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, monopoly companies, seller's market, CRAZY PRICES. Just because Japan happens to be trendy at the moment, and we like their dramas/stars/technology doesn't mean we should look at it through rose tinted glasses, although obviously there are good points about it.
Wei2
http://justanothershitblog.blogspot.com/index.html
i truly agree with this post, very well written!
that's why i admire lee kuan yew, i'm amazed at how singapore is able to transform from a once-squalid, war-battered seaport to a thriving metropolis in a single generation
you might say singapore is small and thus easier to handle, well what about japan?
singapore did so because they have a very efficient government, everything is systematic and most important of all they advocate meritocracy, it's by now obvious that competition brings out the best of a person
if only malaysia took singapore's path right from the start, we could be very different by now
and luzzio wth are you talking? her article is about steps that can be taken to improve our nation, what you said is completely irrelevant
oh well, let's hope for a better Malaysia, my country after all
A lot of high-minded talk in the comments, but what I do know is this:
If there is an UMNO, MCA and MIC, they will never be a truly united Malaysia. People have ignored this, at our long term peril.
It's ridiculous. These groups polarize the races. There should be groups that a citizen of any race can join.
Fine, have groups of different political ideals, but not race. That is true harmony. Having these groups based on race just means that we are NOT ready to be harmonious yet.
you shouldn't compare Japan with M'sia. Theres only 1 race in Japan while there are tons in M'sia. Taking them as an example just doesn't quite fit in. S'pore would be a better example of a 'triving developed multi cultural country'
Btw, I'm a JPA sponsored student in Japan, so the list is sorta incorrect(I'm a Chinese)
Well written entry.
I've been to several places for business purpose and met a lots of people from all races.
You're lucky because you (perhaps) dont see racism towards other races. You know, some white people tend to degrade asian (as a whole) and that made me realized Malaysia is not the country that have racism society (as everyone would agree after reading your entry).
The education subsidy, yes, it was (and perhaps still) the talk of the town when 1 student scored like.. A for all subjects and didn;t manage to get the sponsorship. I mean, education is important, and no one should be denied for facilities to continue their studies.. as they're Malaysian too.. and keep MyKad in their wallet.
I might be wrong here (in my comment) so please anyone enlighten me with something more intelligent and factual.
Best regards to otto and bloggers.
Nice entry :)
Regards,
izzati,
http://izzietheinternetbugwriter.blogspot.com
dear Anon,
to mark all malays create havoc wherever they're from, is not fair, and a strong racist statement.
Your comment does not contribute to the discussion.
Anon 2:29 PM
Change in political climate starts within ourselves. If we are complacent..... if we feel that it's okay... if we are contented with the current situation, then there will be no change.
How are we different from Tunku Abdul Rahman's time? His generation faced a whole new world all on their own. They could have clung to comfort in the usual British ruled system. You have to admit, it was quite possibly what saved us in the first place.
Countries like Indonesia (conquered by the Dutch) and Vietnam (conquered by the French) are all still suffering today in political and economic turmoil where as Malaysia is one of the few countries conquered by the British, inheritted the English language, its education and legal system.
What we need is a new generation of young people, with new vision for our country - where we no longer vote for a political party based on race. We elect MPs that are capable of running the country. Eg: the Minister of Education should possess at least a basic degree and wisdom or a Health Minister who served as a doctor in the public healthcare services.
Like I've said earlier - change begins from within. I am doing my part. I am writing about change and I hope some readers who read this will be inspired to do greater things in their lives.
Michiyo
Take heart in knowing that the working world is different from the uni lifestyle you had led thus far. Whilst it is true that quotas still exist in the private sector, the Malays suffer from disrespect from the general public.
There is a flipside to the whole story. Malays who work in the private sector need to work harder to prove to the rest that they earned their place through sheer hardwork and intelligence and not because their government gave them the positions. And there are many who work very hard to disproof the non-bumis' assumption that they were given the position out of race privilege and not merit.
I don't know about you but I think that is quite a toughie as well.
Anon 4:40 AM
I never said that I did not face discrimination in London, now did I? The fact is racial discrimination and racist comments are inevitable wherever you are. They rise from the fact that mankind feel a kindred spirit with those who shares similar expriences with them. Equally they feel uncomfortable when confronted with a culture/person that is totally alien to them. The difference causes discomfort and uncertainty, which subconsciously threatens their identity.
Again, please refer to my comments on the comparison to the US & its moon project. I refered to it as a point of reference to what humankind can do within a short period of time. The US were not the first to launch something to the moon. When the US realised that they were behind the Russians in the race to the moon, they bucked up and determined to be the first to land a man on the moon and to return him back safely to earth.
The JFK quote was at the point when the US determined to organise themselves, so as to achieve the objective ---> be the first to land a man on the moon. And they did it, from naught to actual landing within the decade.
You raised strong points about the Japanese being racist towards non-Japanese. I shall try and find time to pen down my thoughts on this issue.
Thank you.
Pokemon
Ahhhh a smart person you are! One of the first changes we can all participate in is to make full use of our voting rights! So please ladies and gentlemen, register yourself at the nearest polling station when you turn 21.
All of us should exercise our rights to voice our opinions and to decide for our future as a nation. While we cannot do it on our own, we can collectively voice our views and help our future politicians in their choices when administering the country.
Anon 4:01 PM
The question we should ask ourselves is how much are we willing to sacrifice for our country? It isn't called, "tanah tumpahnya darahku" (trans: the land where my blood spills) for nothing.
Are we willing to get out of our comfort zones and do the necessary? What is necessary? More discussions and promotion of a Malaysian society. How can we do this? Well we can write about it, in blogs, in the newspaper, in your school newsletter etc. We can talk to our friends about it and start befriending people from other races.
We can start by respecting the rights of others and to help people genuinely immaterial of their race or religion. We can raise our opinions through proper channels and let our present government know what we (the younger generation) want for our future.
As long as there are people who think, "Oh it's not so bad here what....." or "you want them to kill us, is it? Is it?" or "can't talk about this because it is sensitive"....
Let me be the first person to say this ---> It is not sensitive to me. I think I can discuss about this rationally and fairly. A politician should step down if he/she is not able to handle this issue. It is an issue but it is not sensitive. If it's sensitive and they are not able to negotiate a just and fair society for the country, then they are not effective in their roles and therefore should vacate their positions for someone who is better skilled to do so.
Anon 4:01PM
I think generally everyone accepts that society (that means you and me) has a responsiblity to help the poor and needy. A sum of our tax money should be spent to equip the poor with skills to help them survive. Allocation should be made for the NEEDY to receive support in terms of books, facilities and healthcare.
However many of us have a problem when it is the same people who benefit from society's generosity. Kindness should never be abused by a small fraction of society. So whilst in paper, the special privileges were created for the poor kampung folks but in practice, it is the few exclusive families who benefitted from this privileges - from government contracts to favoured business deals.
The politicians should realise that the younger generation is not easily intimidated by "threats of violence and disturbance if you elect some other XYZ political party". Personally I think it more of a self-fulling prophesy than real substance. The more we concentrate and fear this, the more it is going to happen.
It is also quite obvious to the government that capable young people are moving away to foreign lands because of unfavourable working conditions in Malaysia. This trend will continue until the government is willing to address the issue at hand - which is rewarding employees based on good work and innovative minds. so as long as the government continues to impose special privileges in both public and private sectors, the best minds in Malaysia will not return to serve the country.
It is simple logic - would you want to serve a master that mistreats you and does not recognize you for your worth?
Adrian
Again the issue of casting vote and exercising our rights as a citizen in Malaysia. You are absolutely right. We should bring this up more often and encourage the young to sign up at the nearest polling station and when the time comes, to vote appropriately!
The only problem we have as voters is, there isn't much of a choice! The last election, my choice was between PAS and BN. I did not want to vote for either of them! I want to vote for a party that represents a smart and modern Malaysia, not some race or some religion.
So on top of teaching our young to vote, we have to start sowing seeds in our even younger people. Hopefully we would have some people with the right leadership quality and adequate knowledge to administer the country properly. They must have proper knowledge in each ministry they are serving. But above all, they must have passion and love for our nation.
Do you know someone who would represent the spirit of Malaysia?
Luzzio
My question is why are people so afraid of the May 13th incident? Why are you so afraid to the point that you are not willing to take a chance to better your future?
There is always an element of danger everywhere. Just because it has happened in the past does not represent that it will happen in the future.
We will not prevent another May 13 by threatening that it will happen again. We prevent another May 13 from happening by staring it hard in the face. To deny our children from learning about it will directly cause another May 13.
We can prevent the incident from reoccuring by learning a lesson from it. We need to teach our young to respect and love one another, immaterial of age, race, ethnic or religion. We need to talk about this and feel free to discuss this among the school going children, so our future generation know what happens when we are selfish for our own community.
May 13 can serve a positive role, as a reminder to us of what will happen when we use race to differentiate friends.
Anon 2:14 AM
Again I must clarify that the reference to Japan was specifically made as an example of what mankind can achieve in short period of time. It was used as an illustration to show the courage and strength that mankind possess in times of adversity and devastation.
The Malays has the special privileges in place because they claimed that they are marginalized within our society. In order to create a sense of balance, our forefathers agreed to create this special privileges TO HELP THE MALAYS TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE and to stand in society on equal footing (with the rest of the nation).
49 years have passed and they still need the privileges? 49 years safely means 2 generations have passed and what have they achieved? Do you not think that there is something wrong when the privileges is STILL NEEDED?
Are the Malays so pathetic that they still require the privileges? The Americans determined to organize themselves to be the first men on the moon and did so within 10 years. The Japanese, devastated by war and TWO ATOMIC bombs managed to rise up and compete internationally within the same time frame of 50 years.
What have the Malays done within that period? What has the rest of the nation achieved? Have we achieved our aims after 49 years?
NOW THAT IS THE MILLION RINGGIT QUESTION...
Orange Strawberry
Good tree bears good fruits. Bad tree will never bear good fruits.
Our forefathers sowed seeds along the racial lines and now we are reaping the fruits. Many citizens are frustrated and dissatisfied with the current system, where special privileges are awarded to a certain race.
I shall take a managing a company as an illustration.
Good employees are unwilling to serve the country because they feel they will never be recognized for their good work. Instead they have moved on to other companies that would reward them for their intelligence and good work.
When bad employees are rewarded even when they do not deserve the reward, it sends a clear signal to the rest that the company is unfair. Efficiency and productivity will drop as a result and as the years roll by, the company will be left behind because the employees are not encouraged to be competitive and innovative.
A country runs similarly.
N.Emator
We share similar sentiments here. It is about the right time for a new political party to be born. One that serves the concerns of a Malaysian society, not just of one particular race.
Acknowledging this fact is not enough. We need to work hard and find among ourselves, people with a passion for the nation, who would serve the country in a just and fair way. That is the challenge for those born between the 1960s to the 1980s. These are the people who would make ideal politicians due to their age range vs life experience.
JC
This is not something about race. It is about citizenship, that if you are a citizen of Malaysia, there are some things that you do as a MALAYSIAN. So far, we are so attached to our various race & culture, that we have not formed an identity for ourselves as a Malaysians.
How many celebrations/festivals are there that ALL MALAYSIA celebrate? Not many, huh? So perhaps we should start thinking in terms of how we can do something together as MALAYSIANS... not about Chinese celebrate CNY, Malays celebrate Hari Raya and Indians celebrate Diwali....
A good example would be the Mid Summer celebration in Sweden. That one weekend where the WHOLE OF SWEDEN stops functioning, cities are deserted and everyone's in their little summer houses with friends and families, dancing, singing and having fun... celebrating the Mid Summer, of course. It has nothing to do with their race or colour or religion. It's just what they do because they are Swedish.
Now what do we have?
Saiful
Students who scored straight A-s should be admitted into their choice of university and their choice of course. I am sure that the universities are not full to the brim that they cannot admit TOP students.
If they did acknowledge these students, perhaps we won't have the issue of UM's standards dropping nor the fancy UPM student body case?
You reap what you sow.
Anon 3:07 PM
I understand your frustrations, which is clearly shows itself in your writing. However I would like to suggest that perhaps the way you are channelling your energy is wrong(?). Fighting injustice with insults is not the way to win the respect of the people.
You can only do so by offering opinions in a dignified manner. Lead discussions and write about this topic. Be passionate about it and let others share your ideas.
You might then ask me, "What happens if they won't listen?".
My answer is, "then they have to suffer they sow".
You will be welcomed somewhere on earth, just as long as you are a good citizen - meaning you have a skill that is useful in the country, you are able to serve your local community etc etc.
first time reader, and extremely impressed. Otto, that was an excellent entry and it raises the 'points' that people would only talk about in small groups of friends/family away from 'individuals that might get the so-called black maria on you'.
Correct me if I'm wrong though, for I've lived most of my life overseas, but yet quite often I hear about these racial discriminations.
I agree with most of the comments on the long term effects (such as the last barrel of oil), but I would like to query whether there has already been damage.
Looking at the economic statistics, Malaysia is pretty good with high GDP, exports imports bla bla n the likes - but does it not make you wonder wheter having inferior companies winning govt tenders/contracts/projects and so on dampened the effect abit.
If the situation were otherwise, with profit sharing for all Malaysians maybe we could all be much happier.
What dya'll reckon
this post is simply dumb and comes from a single person's point of view. let me ask you one simple question, otto. do you have any malay friends? more than five? or only one, that you rarely talk to? i am a chinese myself and my school is majority bumi-populated. as far as i know, the malays are on the right track. you think it's that easy for them to get JPA now? only one person in my school got JPA, a malay and my school is 5th
best SPM results in malaysia, with 100% passes in the year 2005 you can check Kolej Tun datuk tuanku haji bujang. only one person you see, and that person isn't any kinda shit. he's one great person i dare say.
sometimes, i just get pretty tired of this kind of posts condeming the NEP and the malay antics. why can't you people just live with it? and sometimes you bloggers talk like you know a hell lot of these malay people and think us chinese are more superior than them. well, you have to know also not all chinese are hardworking and kind. i know a lot of crook chinese businessman that bribes to get something done. so you wanna be proud of that? okay so you couldn't get the scholarship, but hey it isn't the end of the world. i dare say that they are more successful person who are uneducated than those who are educated and the uneducated one sometimes earns more than the educated ones.
just take sometime and know more a bit more about them. i've been with them for more than 4 /2 years already, and i can tell you that some of them are quite hardworking and responsible too, sometimes better than me. they scored really good marks in class even when they've never attended tuition classes in their lives.
so please don't think by making this kinda post, you'll make a better place or make people think" hey he's tottaly right. i hate this malaysia policy and i hate this malay people". yes, this kind of racist post will gain you some popularity but it won't take you far in this multiracial country. it shouldn't be something to be proud of when you write this kinda post.
get to know them more. and you'll change your mindset about them.
of course, the malays have some responsibilties too. they should be appreciative and not treat the scholarships as privileges. they should strive harder in this world and not getting themselves too involved in politics, yes that's you khairy.
Edwin
I happen to stay very near kampungs with the traditional Malay houses all my life. When I was young, my father was actively involved in the rukun tetanga. The children played with each other. If you read my posts, you might even read one where I mentioned how some of my Malay neighbours were feeding a dog (that I later adopted).
As a matter of fact, I speak fluent Malay. So fluent that many figure me for a Malay. You see, Edwin... I even look half Malay with my tan skin and non-Chinese features. I do not eat pork at home at all because my family gave up eating pork. We do not own dogs. We have pet cats and we walk around our neighbourhood with the Malays. One of my father's closest friend is an elderly man (the penghulu) I fondly call "Pakcik Hassan".
I did count how many Malay friends I have and funnily, I have more than five GOOD Malay friends. Meaning we hang out often. We go shopping, eat together, play together and even celebrate Puasa and Hari Raya together-gether.
If you read what I wrote, I clearly stated that the special privileges should be given to those who REALLY DESERVED it. Not some you-know-who 31 year old Oxford grad millionaire. I do not oppose to the privileges being extended to young Malays who clearly deserve the opportunity to study and do better to improve their lives.
You mentioned a friend and that is clear enough. The country has spent BILLIONS from the Petronas royalty and instead of sponsoring students with caliber, the money has been used to put up nonsensical political banners, lapel pins and curtains for some governors! There should be more responsiblity for how our national money is spent.
I suggest that you read my posts again and again until you understand what I was trying to say. And if you still do not get it, here is a summary:
1. Special privileges should be maintained and given to the rightful people.
2. After a period of time, this privileges should be revoked. The time should be agreed and realistic enough for the Malay to fully utilise this privileges. Fact is the set of privileges is unnatural and causes more harm than good (when abused by certain parties for their personal gain). At the end of the day, meritocracy will benefit the nation most as it encourages everyone to be their best.
3. When this period has expired, the government should help the poor immaterial of race. ALL MARGINALISED PEOPLE should be helped, period. The rest of us who work will pay taxes to support the poor and the needy.
4. The young should actively involved themselves in the Malaysian politics. We should encourage our young to exercise their voting rights. We should learn to voice our opinions in logical and rational manner. Not with false bravado, eg: threatening Condoleezza Rice during her Asean visit.
5. We should educate school children about love and generosity. We should teach them values of justice and equality, diligence and courage.We should teach our children to be colour blind and race blind. Not to TOLERATE each other but to LOVE and RESPECT one another.
6. As citizens, we need to be more proactive. We need to cooperate with the government to help the nation grow more. Instead of complaining about price hikes etc, we need to realise that these are necessary so the government can utilise the money in other areas.
The list is really long but I hope you gather a new understanding of what I wrote. Failing which, please read again.
In resposne to one of the comments up there somewhere: Racism exists in all countries, yes. As an exmaple, Australia has had its fair share of racial events, and people still say that they wouldn't stay here because "everything goes to the gweilo's" or whatever. However, Australian LAW promotes equal oppurtunity, even if not all of the humans living here do. The difference is that in Malaysia, by LAW we, the dan lain-lain are already discriminated against.
amend constitution widout fear of getting murdered?
i think not for a long time yet... good debate tho, this certainly encompasses more aspects of society than one person can handle. Good point anonymous
There is discontented ignorance and there is self-satisfies ignorance.
The former complains persistantly, the latter refuses to see reality.
I find this post as objective a post as it can be. You address sensitive issues with objectivity, suggesting plausible courses of action.
If only our youth were as open to civil debates on issues of kind, our nation might grow with mature intellect. Sad to say, I personally find that many, but not all, fall into either type of ignorance.
Please realise that scholarships and university placements are not awarded based solely on results. Race, place of residence and school attended are among some of the deciding factors. Sad to say however, personal achievement and merit does not seem to rank very highly.
In fact, merit seems to sink to the bottom rank. How can this be one asks?
With the huge numbers of straight A's the nation is churning out and the limited number of scholarships available, how are they awarded? Some say a random process, others say interviews. I ask:
1. How do you evaluate a persons capability in a 20 minute group interview?
2. How do you determine which straight A student is the more deserving without furhter tests and interviews?
3. To name a few, the ASEAN Scholarship, the individual scholarships from the US universities, the Japanese government scholarships, the Singapore scholarsips for their local students, all conduct further exams to determine who to call for the however many rounds of interviews they require. How is it that our 1 examination which gives an overall grade for each subject is sufficient for us to grade every student when others need more to assess applicants?
On the issue of University entrance, I ask:
1. Why are there 2 very different examination systems for entrance?
2. How can the 2 systems be judged on the same basis when the syllabus, exam scope and duration of study is so different?
3. Why do we accept some examinations that are not internationally recognised and yet reject others which are accepted worldwide?
Should one try to rationalise that maybe other nations do not understand our education system, please note, the matriculation system is not recognised out of Malaysia. STPM is recognised as a form of pre-university worldwide.
4. Although the overall percentage of local university students by ethnic race may seem innocent, what about the individual proportions within each course? Medicine has seen a rising number of places but a falling number of non-bumi's. The situation is the same in other highly rated courses.
I agree with special rights only to the extent of May 31. Without the implementing something back then, Malaysia back then would be Indonesia now.
However, if we continue as we are, we bear the risk of another May 31, only worse. Racial awareness is on the rise. Current policies and current "leaders" are not helping the situation.
Times change and the population changes too. Why then do policies stay stagnant?
Why does it seem that politicians are riding on this wave of racial awareness and playing it to suit their own agendas?
What happened to Malaysia, one country, one nation?
Why is it always 3 races and not 1 nation?
Policies are only as good as the people implementing them.
Anon 7:13 AM
Racism occur because of cultural differences. It is BOUND to occur anywhere on earth, by one dominating culture towards a minority.
We can go on and on TALKING about the injustice but that will take us no where. The question remains - what are we going to do about it?
How can we come up with a proposal that is a WIN-WIN situation for everyone? WIN-WIN basically means that it is fair for everywhere... and quite frankly I think the only fairness is through the RIGHTFUL distribution of help and support for the POOR and DISADVANTAGED... and as you knw, poverty does not see colour.
brenno
Change begins from within. You cannot impose change but you can steer yourself towards it. You will win over people by talking openly (and honourably) and respecting opposing opinions.
The constitution would not be amended any time soon and that is not something that I am after. I am after a change of society's opinion.
Anon 9:00 PM
Education frees your mind. That's what I believe. The more you talk about, educate and exchange views, the better understanding you have for the current situation. At the end of the day, justice and equality will triumph. Reward should be given to people who deserve reward because of the good work. Poor people should be given help and support. That is fair and that is something no one can deny.
It is all about words and how you word yourself.
Anon 9:24 PM
Wow, education, huh? I have loads of opinions when it comes to education but I think this comment section is already quite saturated with comments *hahaha*
When it comes to education, I think the first change we need to organize is a change of the mind-set. Instead of creating minions of robots who are good in spewing facts and numbers, we need to educate our young to possess an innovative mind. Minds that are rational and logical, that are creative and inquisitive.
Currently our batch of school children and even the uni grads might be good with basic information but they lack in the application. That is the difference between the "knowledgable" and the "wise"... and it is not good enough to have knowledge. You must know how to use your knowledge for betterment!
So therefore, our education minister and his committee of people should sit down and redesign the syllabus to encourage this one objective = innovation. Along with that, they need to retrain the teachers so that they'll be able to teach effectively and encourage creativity among the teachers.
Then and only then, can we admit uni students based more than just the paper qualification - which essentially is more important in the working world.
Anon 9:40 PM
I think the current wave of disenchantment among the people is caused by a change of mindset. Like I've mentioned in my post, most of our young people have traveled to other countries, mix with more cultures and generally are exposed to people from other countries. This changes how we view our own country and helps our citizens to form better civic conscious.
I think it is time for the politicians to heed the nation's need for a new direction and change. Change that will happen slowly but surely, so as to maintain the harmony and comfort enjoyed by the people.
And if there are no politicians who are able to rise to the occasion, we will need to build our young to be ambitious - a batch of late teens to early 20s who are knowledgable, well travelled, wise and fair, with a heart for the nation. So the search is on.
-
htttp://scribe10.blogspot.com/2006/03/as-ive-matured-ive-learned.html
http://twiart.blogspot.com/2006/06/my-dear-malaysia-212.html
http://arahkita.blogspot.com/2006/07/pak-lah-letak-jawatan.html
-
It's been interesting to read such free-flowing comments on an all "Malaysian" free for all. While we are on the subject, how many of you have read the book entitled "Contesting Malayness"? Written by a Professor of National University of Singapore. Cost S$32 (about). It reflects the Anthropologists views that there is no such race as the "Malays" to begin with. If we follow the original migration of the Southern Chinese of 6,000yrs ago, they moved into Taiwan, (now the Alisan), then into the Phillipines (now the Aeta) and moved into Borneo (4,500yrs ago) (Dayak). They also split into Sulawesi and progressed into Jawa, and Sumatera. The final migration was to the Malayan Peninsular 3,000yrs ago. A sub-group from Borneo also moved to Champa in Cambodia at 4,500yrs ago.
Interestingly, the Champa deviant group moved back to present day Kelantan. There are also traces of the Dong Song and HoaBinh migration from Vietnam and Cambodia. To confuse the issue, there was also the Southern Thai migration, from what we know as Pattani today. (see also "Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsular")
Of course, we also have the Minangkabau's which come from the descendants of Alexander the Great and a West Indian Princess. (Sejarah Melayu page 1-3)
So the million Dollar Question... Is there really a race called the "Malays"? All anthropologists DO NOT SEEM TO THINK SO.
Neither do the "Malays" who live on the West Coast of Johor. They'd rather be called Javanese. What about the west coast Kedah inhabitants who prefer to be known as "Achenese"? or the Ibans who simply want to be known as IBANS. Try calling a Kelabit a "Malay" and see what response you get... you’ll be so glad that their Head-Hunting days are over.
The definition of “Malay” is therefore simply a collection of people's who speak a similar type language. With what is meant by a similar type language does not mean that the words are similar. Linguists call this the "Lego-type" language, where words are added on to the root word to make meaning and give tenses and such. Somehow, the Indonesians disagree with this classification. They refuse to be called Malay…. Anyhow you may define it. Watch “Malays in Africa”; a Museum Negara produced DVD. Also, the “Champa Malays” by the same.
With this classification, they MUST also include the Phillipinos, the Papua New Guineans, the Australian Aboroginies, as well as the Polynesian Aboroginies. These are of the Australo Melanesians who migrated out of Africa 60,000yrs ago.
Getting interesting? Read on...
"Malay" should also include the Taiwanese singer "Ah Mei" who is Alisan as her tribe are the anscestors of the "Malays". And finally, you will need to define the Southern Chinese (Funan Province) as Malay also, since they are from the same stock 6,000yrs ago.
Try calling the Bugis a "Malay". Interestingly, the Bugis, who predominantly live on Sulawesi are not even Indonesians. Neither do they fall into the same group as the migrating Southern Chinese of 6,000yrs ago nor the Australo Melanesian group from Africa.
Ready for this?
The Bugis are the cross-breed between the Chinese and the Arabs. (FYI, a runaway Ming Dynasty official whom Cheng Ho was sent to hunt down) Interestingly, the Bugis were career Pirates in the Johor-Riau Island areas. Now the nephew of Daeng Kemboja was appointed the First Sultan of Selangor. That makes the entire Selangor Sultanate part Arab, part Chinese! Try talking to the Bugis Museum curator near Kukup in Johor. Kukup is located near the most south-western tip of Johor. (Due south of Pontian Kechil)
Let's not even get into the Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekiu, and Hang Lekir, who shared the same family last name as the other super famous "Hang" family member... Hang Li Poh. And who was she? the princess of a Ming Dynasty Emperor who was sent to marry the Sultan of Malacca. Won't that make the entire Malacca Sultanate downline "Baba" ? Since the older son of the collapsed Malaccan Sultanate got killed in Johor, (the current Sultanate is the downline of the then, Bendahara) the only other son became the Sultan of Perak. Do we see any Chinese-ness in Raja Azlan? Is he the descendant of Hang Li Poh?
Next question. If the Baba’s are part Malay, why have they been marginalized by NOT BEING BUMIPUTERA? Which part of “Malay” are they not? Whatever the answer, why then are the Portugese of Malacca BUMIPUTERA? Did they not come 100yrs AFTER the arrival of the first Baba’s? Parameswara founded Malacca in 1411. The Portugese came in 1511, and the Dutch in the 1600’s. Strangely, the Baba’s were in fact once classified a Bumiputera, but a decided that they were strangely “declassified” in the 1960’s. WHY?
The Sultan of Kelantan had similar roots to the Pattani Kingdom making him of Thai origin. And what is this "coffee table book" by the Sultan of Perlis claiming to be the direct descendant of the prophet Muhammed? Somehow we see Prof Khoo Khay Khim’s signature name on the book. I’ll pay good money to own a copy of it myself. Anyone has a spare?
So, how many of you have met with orang Asli’s? the more northern you go, the more African they look. Why are they called Negrito’s? It is a Spanish word, from which directly transalates “mini Negros”. The more southern you go, the more “Indonesian” they look. And the ones who live at Cameron Highlands kinda look 50-50. You can see the Batek at Taman Negara, who really look like Eddie Murphy to a certain degree. Or the Negritos who live at the Thai border near Temenggor Lake (north Perak). The Mah Meri in Carrie Island look almost like the Jakuns in Endau Rompin. Half African, half Indonesian.
By definition, (this is super eye-opening) there was a Hindu Malay Empire in Kedah. Yes, I said right… The Malays were Hindu. It was, by the old name Langkasuka. Today known as Lembah Bujang. This Hindu Malay Empire was 2,000yrs old. Pre-dating Borrobudor AND Angkor Watt. Who came about around 500-600yrs later. Lembah Bujang was THE mighty trading empire, and its biggest influence was by the Indians who were here to help start it. By definition, this should make the Indians BUMIPUTERAS too since they were here 2,000yrs ago! Why are they marginalized?
So, in a nutshell, the “Malays” (anthropologists will disagree with this “race” definition) are TRULY ASIA !!! (main continent and West Asia included)
We should stop calling this country “Tanah Melayu” instead call it, “Tanah Truly Asia”
For once the Tourism Ministry got it right J
Well, don't expect those narrow minded people to change themself, it's impossible, so don't blame the government for not improving the nation, because they are just a group of extremists who want the others group to leave the country and make Malaysia into a country with only a race. So, for those who are suffering the inequality, leave this country at all costs, Malaysia is now moving backward into the old Indonesia, this is no longer a place for human to live in, but a heaven for narrow-minded pigs to live in.