When Madani Malays take on rightist brethren if Malaysia can prosper under an all-Malay rule

 

“IF we were to rely only on the Malays, this country will remain backward by 40 years.”

Such was the one-liner statement pro-Madani keyboard warrior Raja Mohd Shahrim penned on his Facebook page which left many of his rightist brethren triggered while admonished him as an apple polisher to the ruling unity government.

Recalling the Look East Policy in the 1980s which mobilised Malaysia from an agricultural country to an industrial-based country., the political influencer deduced that it would be impossible for the country to savour development without the involvement of all races and ethnicities.

Espousing a multi-racial spirit in the wake of the kuil haram polemic in which non-Malays have been demonised as having robbed Malay-owned land to erect illegal houses of worship, Raja Mohd Shahrim urged rightist groups to use legal channels to resolve any arising conflict instead of trending such sentiments on social media.

“Do you really want to see our country in chaos?” he berated.

The “together we share the wealth of the land” mentality was echoed by a number of seemingly Madani Malays with one urging his brethren to “accept the reality that Tanah Melayu has become Malaysia”.

“PAS is hopeless. We really need the Chinese in the government. So we rule together. If someone does something wrong, he should be punished. If someone become successful, we praise him,” opined one Ahmad Hamzah.

Another commenter concurred that Malaysia can only progress if the different races “put their heart and soul into working together” lest the country will “go backwards if one indulges in the game of politics and religion”.

One even teased that Malay-owned businesses still need to rely on the Chinese when they win a project tender yet have the indecency to claim that their businesses “are under threat”.

“Even if embark on a big business, you still expect the government’s tongkat (financial support),” he jibed.

This is when one rightist Malay chided Raja Mohd Shahrim for “having a slave mentality”.

“The servant of a political party has turned a blind eye and belittled the capabilities of his own race,” rebutted one Zammer Zaini. “Believe me, even if this person exists as a Chinese, he will still behave likewise.”

Another who is a self-proclaimed civil servant reckoned that Malays “are great without other races”, hence Raja Mohd Shahrim has erred in his assessment “because he’s entrapped in ideological thinking of external elements”.

A seemingly opposition-slant commenter hit out at Raja Mohd Shahrim for “his dumbness given he’s a PH (Pakatan Harapan) backer”.

Apparently, can it be assumed that rightist Malays are not ‘jealous’ of economic contribution or wealth of non-Malays but are merely – out of fear – defending/protecting their rights as the majority race in Malaysia?

“Nobody in this country disputes the diversity of races and religions … The indigenous people are only protecting their rights,” observed a University Technology Malaysia (UTM) alumnus.

“Other developed countries, too, have problems with the immigrant community who try to be domineering.”

This eventually led rightists to find all sorts of resorts or excuses to undermine the contribution of non-Malays to the Malaysian economy – including staking claim that Bumiputera holds the largest purchasing power in the country.

Or the very fact that national oil corporation PETRONAS is the epitome of Malay business grandeur even without the participation of non-Malays. 

 - Focus Malaysia