Ministry open to recognising Baba Nyonya, Chetti communities as unity icons

National unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang says nominations are welcome as long as they reflect harmony in Malaysia’s multiracial society.

The Baba Nyonya are Peranakan Chinese descendants blending Chinese and Malay culture, while the Chettis are descendants of Melaka-based South Indian traders who fused Indian and Malay traditions. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 The national unity ministry will look into proposals to recognise the Baba Nyonya and Chetti communities as national icons, says its minister, Aaron Ago Dagang.

Aaron said the ministry is open to accepting nominations of individuals or communities that can symbolise the country’s multiracial harmony, Bernama reported.

“The ministry has a number of unity icons. Pandelela Rinong from Sarawak is recognised as the top unity icon, and under Yayasan Sukarelawan Siswa, we have not only icons but also agents of unity.

“The ministry has also received many proposals from the public to recognise national leadership figures as unity icons,” he was quoted as saying at a mock cheque handover ceremony at the Kampung Dato’ Ahmad Said Tambahan 2 National Information Dissemination Centre in Perak today.

The proposal to recognise the Baba Nyonya and Chetti Melaka communities as national unity icons was raised by Tangga Batu MP Bakri Jamaluddin during the Dewan Rakyat debate on the motion of thanks for the king’s address.

A pilot programme to allow the Baba Nyonya in Melaka to amend their ethnicity in their birth certificates began last October, with the provision to be extended to Peranakan Chinese in the rest of the country from this month.

The national registration department said 50 Malaysians have so far applied to change the status of their ethnicity. - FMT