Accept The Fact That Malaysians Are Not United

Malaysians have to accept this reality and learn how to live and co-exist in a divided Malaysia. Most importantly, Malaysians have to stop pretending that we are all Malaysians. We are not all Malaysians. We are Malays, Chinese, Indians and East Malaysians. And we are as peaceful as the Serbs, Bosnians, Slovenese and Croats in the old Yugoslavia.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

When you label schools as Chinese schools, Tamil schools, national schools, etc., you are recognising that we have many races in Malaysia and that the different races are separate. Hence we need to separate them starting from school age.

In fact, we used to have Malay schools as well (what Malays used to call ‘sekolah atap’ or thatch-roofed schools) during the time when the medium of teaching was English. But since the medium of teaching was switched to the national language, the sekolah atap have all disappeared.

It was then that the Chinese schools and Tamil schools should have been abolished as well, alongside the sekolah Melayu. But for political reasons they could not.

The MCA and MIC leaders told the Umno leaders that if the Chinese and Tamil schools are abolished then the Chinese and Indians would abandon the ruling coalition and would swing over to the opposition. To continue winning the Chinese and Indian votes, Umno has to leave the Chinese and Tamil schools alone and allow them to exist. In fact, the government has to also provide financing for these schools.

Today, however, 95% of the Chinese and 80% of the Indians voted against Umno. And they did so in the last three general elections in 2008, 2013 and 2018. So the reason for why Umno allowed the Chinese and Indian schools to exist was futile. The Chinese and Indians still voted against Umno anyway.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad already pointed this out in 2013 when he scolded Najib Tun Razak for wasting time with the Chinese and giving them too much face. The Chinese are never going to be grateful and will never support Umno whatever you do for them, argued Mahathir. Najib should focus on the Malays who form Umno’s support base, argued Mahathir.

It is too late now. Umno is no longer in power so the Chinese and Tamil schools are safe. In fact, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng is increasing the budget for Chinese and Tamil schools. And this is going to be a bone of contention to the Malays.

With the jawi/khat and many other racial and religious issues dividing Malaysians, the racial/religious problems in Malaysia are going to get worse. Contrary to what the politicians are saying, we do not live in a One-Malaysia. There are four Malaysias: Malay, Chinese, Indian and East Malaysian.

Malaysians have to accept this reality and learn how to live and co-exist in a divided Malaysia. Most importantly, Malaysians have to stop pretending that we are all Malaysians. We are not all Malaysians. We are Malays, Chinese, Indians and East Malaysians. And we are as peaceful as the Serbs, Bosnians, Slovenese and Croats in the old Yugoslavia.