Racial tensions in Malaysia: THE TRIGGER CAUSES

When faulted and blamed by a growing many of Malaysians for triggering racial tension and disunity in the country by the use of partisan politics and politics based on race, it is not uncommon for the governing Barisan Nasional (BN) to hide behind clever rhetoric and semantics.

BN is a wholly raced-based political party. This is why and this is clearly the reason why racism in this country has escalated to dangerous and alarming levels. If ever any transformation is needed in this country, it is imperative that it begins with eradicating race-based politics.

As a glaring example, Malaysians of all walks of life point out how come the national football team is void of any Malaysian Chinese players? It is inconceivable and unbelievable that no Malaysian Chinese is capable of being selected to play at national level. Or is this just the result of racism within the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)?

FAM and its leadership have long been condemned for the declining standards of football in the country. Are they also guilty of practicing racism and politics in the process of administrating the game of football in this country?

There is no need to look further. In the process of winning her way to being the top choice of reader’s  as an author by an English daily in a competition open to Malaysian writers, it is disheartening to note that the polling was all along played along racial lines.

The winner even eclipsed an Asian Booker Prize Literary winner though her authorship can be considered nothing more than a mediocre effort. The only reason she was declared the winner was because of strong support from a particular race.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In a competition recently to judge the best singer, it was also polling from a certain race that shored up the chances of winning while those with real talent and ability are left floundering because they have no race-based support.

When will it end? When will racism stop its ugly head from rearing into the lives of Malaysians who are beginning to be tempted to despair by the litany of injustices and unfairness by BN leading the way with the promotion of racism?

Racism not a new phenomenon

When this nation was under colonial rule by the British, it is right to note and to point out that race relations was at a healthy level and there was much camaraderie among the Malays, Chinese, Indians and their British rulers.

If this seems ironic or strange, please rest assured that history records of this nation as enjoying parity and fairness among the races under the British unlike now. In the process and in the fight for Independence or “Merdeka” the three races were united and resolved amicably with the British to gain freedom.

Unlike India’s bloody battle for independence from the British, Malaysia’s Independence were wrought from the British by astute statesmanship by the Tunku and leaders of the three major races who stood united in their bid for Independence.

All was well with race relations until certain undesirable elements began to play their dirty politics to cause the race riots of May 13, 1969 and evict the Tunku from the chair of prime minister. From this point to now race relations have been steadily deteriorating.

Tun Abdul Razak played his part to sow the seeds of racial disunity and when BN was officially formed in 1974, the ugliness of racial politics was set to be cast in iron until now. Now many Malaysians want to end the tragic specter of racism and banish it forever from this country.

The growth of racism under BN

BN’s intention in splitting the political party along the racial divide is a convenient but lazy approach to governing the country. Instead of displaying the true qualities and characteristics of fairness, meritocracy and justice, there emerged the quick fix solution of establishing the New Economic Policy (NEP).

While any affirmative action is laudable and is to be encouraged, the NEP was a washout from the beginning, as it not only created racial tension and disharmony, but skewered justice that has since caused irreparable damage to the consciousness of this nation.

In the process of the implementation of the NEP from 1970 to the year 2000, untold injustice and wrongdoing was caused and many innocent Malaysians suffered wrongly. The thirty year tenure of the NEP is to be blamed of how this country has evolved as a corrupt backwater trying to pass off as a nearly developed nation.

BN continued to nurture racism by replacing the NEP with the New Economic Model (NEM) and now the implementation of the recent economic empowerment policy for bumiputras is set to witness the evil abuse of “affirmative action.”

Not only is the evil abuse of this guise of affirmative action creating widespread racism and injustice it is also responsible for witnessing the emergence of the bumiputra elite and cronies that serve them in this country.

Time to level the playing field

If Malaysia is to gain and climb up higher on the ladder of the United Nation’ World Happiness Index, it needs to quickly and once and for all dispense completely with racism. But for this to happen, people have to realize that they need to pull out their support for BN.

Since Independence, BN has been the sole government of this country. While under the governance of Tunku all was well, since his departure till now, things have gotten from bad to worse especially race relations.

The reason for this is because BN thrives on racism and race-based politics. This is why the bumiputra elite have emerged in this country and why they and their cronies hold sway. The product of BN is the bumiputra elite and crony network.

This bumiputra elite and crony network is responsible for having a stranglehold on much of the wealth that has been created in this country by the economic booms while the majority of Malaysians toil to eke a livelihood daily.

Speculative theory is that about 80 per cent of the wealth of the nation is owned by 20 per cent of the population made up of the corrupt bumiputra elite and their cronies while 20 per cent of the wealth of the nation is held by 80 per cent of the population of 28 million in this country.

This is the stark reality of affirmative action taken after the May 13, 1969 riots. Both the NEP and NEM have failed miserably and disappointed greatly the large number or the majority of bumiputras. Can this fact be ascertained to be believed?

There is no need to prove anything other than for bumiputras and non-bumiputras to look at what they have achieved since 1970 till now and compare it with the achievements and especially the wealth amassed by the bumiputra elite and their crony partners.

All the signs point to Malaysia being a failed state

By failing to play by the rules of the game, Malaysia’s continued evil abuse of affirmative action to further enrich the minority elite in this country is set to witness the country become a failed state. By all indicators, Malaysia is already now being viewed by the international community as being on the verge of a rogue nation.

By continuing with the present policy of empowering bumiputras at the continued expense of non-bumiputras having to sacrifice and suffer, Malaysia is set to get into the bad books of the international community by promoting racism in its economy.

Only this time because of the globalized nature of the world Malaysia is set to suffer greatly. The obstinacy and defiance of the BN government in the use and promotion of racism is set to receive due punishment from the international community.

Highlights of racism in Malaysian politics have already been filtering through social media throughout the world and it is really a matter of time before the focus and thrust of BN and its practice of racism comes under the full glare and scrutiny of the world.

It will only be then that things begin to get right in this country when the attention of the world community is focused on Malaysia and the nefarious activities of the Malaysian BN government. Until then, Malaysians will have to continue to suffer in silence. - Malaysia Chronicle