Who made the Malays WEAK, OVER-DIGNIFIED & HELPLESS: The British, Anwar or Dr M?

When the British were ruling the Malayan Union in the last century, a glaring observation by them was over the peculiar tendency by members of the Malay community to seek for and need to have and be accorded a high level of respect and decorum.

The British in subsequent historical records often highlighted that they found this position taken by even ordinary, average members of the Malay community, and even by Malays of the lower classes puzzling, and often questioned why the Malay needed to be given such a great deal of respect and attention.

In obscure but pertinent references and correspondences between the British in the Federated Malay state’s and with their counterparts back in London, inferences and comments were often highlighted of the “over-dignified status and bearing of the Malay.”

The British found it not only puzzling but oftentimes amusing that the Malays will want to hold themselves up in such high esteem when they were literally polishing the boots of the colonialists.

But that appears to be the psyche, nature and mindset of the Malay until now. The Malay race has no interest in persons who are critical and those who point out their shortcomings and deficiencies, preferring instead to live in an ivory tower belief that they are a race to which “ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy) is a reality in this country.

It is this trigger of disaster that spells a grave danger to race relations in a nation such as Malaysia, where Malaysians who are now better informed and better educated, find great discomfort, unease and unpleasantness in the push by certain Malays to champion the supremacy of their race and to eclipse the other races in the process.

The real worry over race relations

If racial polarization and racism has reached worrying levels in the country, it is really vital and necessary for the Malay community to spearhead moves to foster healthy ties between the races, owing essentially to the fact that they make up the largest grouping by race in Malaysia. The numbers therefore are with them.

The need for Malays to take the initiative and show the way forward that all races and foreigners in this country can live together as a cohesive whole should go a long way in overcoming problems associated with race relations.

Why the Malay community?

If viewed from the perspective of history, culture and tradition, the Malay community has long established a tendency to be insular and parochial. While being close-knit as a community and tacitly accepting of the other races in this country, the larger segment of Malays nevertheless tend to create a “them-and-us” situation when it comes to dealing with the other races.

This is precisely the reason why if the Malays were to be open-minded and engage the other races in this country on accurate information and knowledge, and without prejudice or any other form of bias judging, it will pave the way for Malaysians to live in greater peace and racial harmony.

However, the real Malay dilemma is that, while it is imperative that they make the first move, this measure so far is not forthcoming from them. Instead, what is happening is that the Malay community seems to have withdrawn and further insulated themselves and built walls rather than bridges to reach out to the other races.

While Malay unity may be there, Malaysian unity is not.

This measure adopted by the Malays is both discouraging and frustrating and seen as a setback for race relations to be harmonious and cordial. While the Chinese and Indians appear on the surface to be willing to rub shoulders with the Malays and build solidarity among the races in Malaysia the Malays are seen as unwilling participants in general.

Overcoming the problem

If race relations in the country are to improve, it is vital and necessary for politicians not to play with the racial card and instead put in place the practice of meritocracy, fair play and egalitarian values.

The way forward as often subscribed to by Mahathir Mohammad and championed by him needs to be skewered in the right way and fine tuned to ensure that democracy is played out in full.

If Mahathir failed miserably to ensure that race relations improved it was because of tinkering done to create social engineering. Unfortunately whatever plotting and scheming he has embarked and undertaken has blown up and Malaysians now realize they need to let the forces of democracy go to work by itself in full.

The fear, distrust and suspicion displayed by the Malays towards building healthy race relations are really terribly misplaced and unnecessary. There appears to be this belief in them that they have much to lose by creating a partnership of equals with the other races in this country.

This reluctance by the Malay community to integrate and create racial solidarity is set to become the undoing of the race and the nation as the era of globalization goes into full swing. It’s a borderless world now and no particular race or community can afford to cling to the individual racial settings of the past.

The framework upon which globalization is being built is the building of open, secular societies that practice the core democratic values of meritocracy, fair play and justice. Globalization is a practical manner and way of leveling the playing field.

Though Western and developed nations had much to lose, they were willing to sacrifice their earlier gains which saw them develop and advance, in order to share the spoils and resources of the earth with the entire world’s population.

Malays have nothing to lose but everything to gain

In asking the Malay community to shed their fears and inhibitions, they have really nothing to lose. Neither are they being asked to make any sacrifice but to build and bolster sagging race relations in Malaysia for the betterment of all.

In reality, a united and harmonious Malaysia or a Satu Malaysia that goes beyond mere slogan chanting can only be achieved by greater effort and a real show of sincerity by the Malays, as the largest bumiputra community, in accepting the other races and the influx of foreigners on an equal footing.

The line that demarcates and alienates the races from each other has to start to blur and eventually be completely erased for the goal of achieving a Satu Malaysia where all Malaysians have a place under the sun.

This achievement of social unity, despite the multi-religious, multi-lingual fabric of the nation, while not being easily achievable has to begin with the Malays and the other races dismantling activities and organizations that promotes the interest of only a particular race.

Even if it need be, there might now be a dire need not just to question the social contract that is in existence but to perhaps unveil it for debate and discussion among the stakeholders of this country to ensure that it is current and relevant with the times and the present era.

The granting of special rights and privileges to the Malays, and later the other bumiputras, by the British has obviously become obsolete and archaic in our present world.

It might perhaps have been accorded by the British back then for certain reasons deemed relevant and necessary to protect “a weak, over-dignified and helpless Malay community” unable to face up to the prevailing realities of their condition and situation.

But affirmative action, for better or for worse, has been undertaken by Malay leaders to strengthen and equip them to face up to the challenges of the real world.

If the Malay and bumiputra community still need spoon-feeding at the expense of the other races having to sacrifice on their behalf, the cause to improve race relations will never get off the ground.

Any further affirmative action to assist the Malay and bumiputra communities need to be undertaken under the strict norms and guidelines of democratic principles from now on and the other races should not be held hostage as in the past.

In the past, the ill-conceived and oppressive New Economic Policy failed to achieve its ambitious goals and targets, other than to create the minority bumiputra elite, while Malays at large still continue to languish and have perhaps become even more handicapped in a globalized world.

Bring about the reality of Satu Malaysia

If the spirit of Muhibbah has failed to foster unity among the races in the past, the thrust of the Satu Malaysiacampaign is also going to meet the same ill-fated end unless reforms are made in ensuring parity of participation by all races in the workings and functions of the country.

This is clearly not the time to differentiate and discriminate. The onslaught of globalization requires Malaysians to be united and not be at loggerheads with each other. The only way Malaysians will be able to benefit, prosper and compete in a globalized world is to set aside their differences and learn to highlight and focus on their commonalities to live happy and united.

Malaysia Chronicle