Are the Malays scared of the Chinese?

Day after day, Malays are bombarded with messages that they are the ‘supreme race’ (Ketuanan Melayu), that they are the rightful owners of this land and that under Pakatan, Malaysia will be ‘sold’ to the Chinese – not just any old Chinese, but the Singaporean Chinese, as if that was the benchmark for the worst form of Chinese!

These insecure Malays, whose ages range from their teens to their seventies, and who come from both the rural and urban communities, firmly believe that “the Chinese will overrun this country”. Somehow, the Indians are not perceived as a threat.

When will the Malays understand that the stories about the Chinese taking over are just lies that they are fed, by Umno? The truth is that Umno and other extremist groups are afraid of losing their hold on the Malays and by extension, their grip on power.

The confident independent Malays easily disregard this facetious statement. But what about less assured ones who wholeheartedly believe that they will lose out to the Chinese?

When pressed for details about the manner in which Pakatan or the Chinese elements in Malaysian society will sell the country and precipitate its downfall, these Malays are unable to come up with an explanation.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is responsible for a good many of these lies. He may not be in power, but he has a powerful mouthpiece in Perkasa, the extremist Malay NGO.

Racist rants are also spread by Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak whose 1Malaysia message depends on the crowd he is addressing. His cabinet may extol the virtues of 1Malaysia when in a multicultural setting, but in the presence of a largely Malay audience, the message is loud and clear, Ketuanan Melayu reigns supreme.

When Mahathir tells the Malays they need crutches, what he actually means is that the Malays need to be suppressed.

Mahathir pretends that Umno is the Malay saviour and claims that Pakatan is anti-Malay.

Programmes like the BTN reinforce the message that the Malays are superior and that they deserve protection. Ironically, the BTN, which is meant to indoctrinate the Malays with a false sense of Ketuanan Melayu, only serve to reinforce their insecurity.

The irony is that the Malays who believe in Ketuanan Melayu fail to appreciate why they require affirmative action policies at all. If they are superior then why is there a need to compete on unequal terms? Why the handicap?

These Malays must be made to realise that Mahathir’s reasoning is flawed.

Policies that favour the Malays are based on greed and an inferiority complex.

Only weak-willed Malays allow themselves to be manipulated into thinking that Umno/BN should always form the government of Malaysia.

Only insecure Malays allow themselves to be used as political pawns to ensure Umno/BN stay in power.

Mahathir has relieved the Malays of the need to think and to work hard.

The Malay is not trapped by his success; he is trapped by his own lethargy and his need to conserve energy. This self-imposed mental imprisonment of the Malay mind and his lack of physical exertion will prove his downfall.

Mahathir has no love for the Malays. How could he? He is telling them indirectly that they are useless and cannot stand on their own two feet. The Malays cannot even think logically, cannot make a decision and do not even realise they are denied the freedom of choice.

When the Malay is too lazy to think for himself, he denies himself the benefits of education and economic empowerment. No aspiration means the Malay wallows in self-pity.

Mahathir has the last laugh because of the ease with which he strips the Malay of his dignity, motivation and he is able to strip the country of its money. - Malaysia Chronicle