How Malay must a Malay be to satisfy Ibrahim Ali and Dr M?

Ibrahim Ali’s pipe dream of fighting for the Malay is as fantastic as thinking we can resurrect the Dodo by cross breeding pigeon with ostriches. The assertion that only Malays are superior, and yet lagging behind at the same time, actually insults the very idea of what it means to be Malay.

"'Modern Malays' are an admixture of races," said Professor Zilfalil Alwi, whose paper "Asal Usul Melayu Berdasarkan Fakta Genetik" (Tracing the Origins of the Malays by Analysing Genetic Data) discusses a three-year study involving around 50,000 volunteers. "Nowadays you can't tell the difference whether someone is Chinese or Malay by appearance alone," he added.

Truly Asia

Science has proven, that the Malays are probably really “Truly Asia” in the literal sense. The research discovered that the Malays in these sub-ethnic groups (the Malay Bugis, Malay Jawa, Malay Minang, Malay Kedah and Malay Kelantan) were genetically composed of some Proto-Malay (orang asli Melayu), Semang and Indian DNA, with at least 20 per cent Malay and and 52 per cent Chinese DNA.

Thus, the pivotal question now is how Malay is Malay enough? Because genetically, there is no mention of pure-blood Malays - so what would next best constitute a real Malay? The answer is not as Ibrahim Ali or his patron Mahathir Mohamad would want us to believe, perhaps because the truth would straightaway spell doom for Perkasa, the so-called and self-proclaimed protector of all things Malay in Malaysia.

Ibrahim Ali and Mahathir, the former premier, already shame all Malays by perpetuating the false thinking that there is such a thing as pure-blood Malays, born with the right to lord over all the other ethnic groups residing in Malaysia. The fact is that a pure-blood Malay is a myth and the term Malay in Malaysia is an act of law and not a blood or genetic type.

Defined by the Constitution and rooted in the Social Contract

The meaning of Malay is actually constituted by the Federal Constitution through Article 160 (2) : “Malay” means a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and—(a) was before Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or is on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore; or (b) is the issue of such a person".

Thus, any Muslim who speaks the Malay language is already on the verge of being identified by law as a Malay. The delusion of Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa, when they scream of championing 'Malay' rights and supremacy by attacking and demonizing non-Malays, is thus fundamentally wrong.

By trying their best to kick every other ethnic group out of the country, Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa and UMNO are also demeaning their own ancestry. The fact is most of the leaders in the government are themselves a mix-mash of ethnic groups and nowhere near being pure-blood Malays. Safe to say, the Orang Asli, the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, have greater claim to ethnic purity than the Malays yet they do not use their genetic makeup to lord over the others as viciously as Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa or UMNO do.

The Malays form the government because the other ethnic groups allow them to be so. The Malays also form the government because peppered throughout the Federal Constitution are safe-guards that protect and shield the Malay community. Perkasa and Ibrahim Ali are actually irrelevant to the cause of protecting the Malays. There is no need for them to do this because the Constitution already does it.

Outnumbered by the non-Malays

So, how Malay can a Malay be? A better proposition is to look at the Malays as stewards responsible for the safety and well-being of all other ethnic groups living in Malaysia.

The claim by many Malay leaders that the Malays are also the majority stakeholders in Malaysia is false because they are actually outnumbered by the non-Malays. The fact is, collectively, the non-Malay (including the bumiputera) form the majority of the population and can lay claim to being the real king-makers and not Perkasa as Ibrahim Ali likes to brag.

To be a true Malay would also necessitate being a protector of those who are non-Malay since this is the responsibility granted by the non-Malays to the Malays as implied in the social contract drawn up during the Merdeka days.

The bottom-line is, Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa and some of the notorious UMNO leaders are totally irrelevant when they discuss what it means to be Malay because in truth, there is no such thing as a real pure-blood Malay.

Malaysia Chronicle