CANNOT SINGAPORE MALAYS COPE WITH MERITOCRACY? Ex minister compares again Malays in Singapore & Malaysia

My recent blogpost on Singaporean Malays vis-a-vis Malaysian Malays has not gone down well with some Singaporean Malays.

To recollect: I had said that I, as a Malaysian Malay, would not mind being like a Singaporean Malay (who are regarded by some prominent Malays here as “second class”) if this means I can get good leaders who are honest, an administration that is efficient and I have the benefit of good housing and public transport.

One of my readers was not happy with my remarks. Her spirited response to my post included the following: Singaporean Malays are marginalised in both the public and private sectors due to a continued stream of negative stereotyping of Malays.

In Singapore, she said, there are no Malays in prominent academic positions in the universities; no Malays holding senior Ministerial posts; and, furthermore, Chinese immigrants from Malaysia, Indonesia and China are afforded much greater opportunities than Singaporean Malays, giving lie to the so-called “meritocratic Singapore”.

She concluded by saying that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was not far off the mark when describing Singaporean Malays as marginalised and second-class.

Dr M

I have said before that I did not perform any rigorous study when I made my observations. I do not even know many Malays in Singapore. My main point was about the futility of being “first-class” if you do not get “special treatment” which in my book includes honest leaders, good governance and good policies.

On the other hand, the constitutional “special position” of Malays and other native communities in Malaysia has often been used to benefit the elite and the ruling political party – and not the target communities.

If I have made any Malays in Singapore angry, then I am sorry. They should take up their grievances with their leaders and try to rectify the situation. Discrimination is not to be tolerated wherever it might be. There is no justification for it at all.

It may take time to dispel racial prejudices but any responsible government must at least try to fight the evil it brings. Above all, governments must not institutionalise discrimination. They must accord their citizens the same rights and respect they deserve.

No government should shirk its responsibilities to bring equality, meritocracy and fairness to all its citizens regardless of the country’s history. – zaid.my