The 1st and 2nd Class Pendatangs

 

Malaysia is comprised of four sorts of people.

The Orang Asli and natives of East Malaysia are the original bumiputeras.

There are Malays and also Second Class Pendatangs (SCPs) aka non-Malays.

The First Class Pendatangs (FCPs) are the wannabe Malays from Indonesia or India. They acquired rights and privileges which are not accorded any other group in Malaysia, and these politicians appear to be immune from prosecution.

The FCPs are further subdivided. The arrogant, elite FCPs are those who were born with a silver tongkat (crutches). Every five years, the elite FCPs remind the Malays that they are still poor because the SCPs have taken their jobs, their land, and will soon rob them of their way of life, their religion and will destroy their race.

With breath-taking stupidity, the Malays believe the race-baiting of the elite FCPs.

As we approach 2021, Dr Mahathir Mohamad's pipedream of Wawasan 2020 has vaporised, the felon, Najib Abdul Razak, still roams free, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi harbours dreams of a political comeback, and allegedly corrupt senior FCP politicians have been granted full acquittals or discharge not amounting to acquittals (DNAAs).

This is the first difference between a FCP and a SCP. The FCP can become prime minister, deputy PM, or MB. SCPs have to be content with becoming a chief minister, MP, or a cabinet minister, but only with the FCP's consent.

The second difference is that FCP politicians have no integrity. They openly defy the laws on quarantine and bend other laws to suit their purpose. Parents must have a nightmare bringing up children because these FCPs fail to set a good example.

The third difference between FCP and SCP politicians is that the FCPs are prepared to break the law with impunity. 1MDB and the supply of migrant labour are two examples of allegedly greedy FCPs dividing the spoils of the nation amongst themselves, their family members and cronies.

One Chinese from Ipoh said, "My family have been in Malaysia longer than some of our politicians. I am ninth generation and I consider myself nothing but Malaysian. We have always made our own living and didn't have government help. It's sad how politicians are now practising a kind of apartheid."

There are many other fields in which the SCPs are unfairly treated, such as education, sport, creativity, jobs and the security services.

Even if the SCP were the most patriotic Malaysian, the system will deny him or her this privilege. I have friends whose fathers were in the armed forces, but many were frustrated when junior Malay officers leapfrogged over them for promotion. Many SCPs migrated. We lost many good men and women with valuable contributions to make to Malaysian society.

Last week, a few Malaysian expats made news for excelling in their respective fields. One was a former police officer, Sam Lim, from Muar, who migrated because his career prospects in Malaysia were poor. In Germany, Penang teenager, Celine Chuang, is training with FC Bayern in the U-17 women's team.

Celine Chuang

At one Bersih rally, a few university students told me that at secondary school, they were very good at sports, but their coach said that their inclusion in the school teams would exceed the racial quota for their particular race.

Teenagers who juggle their training with their studies and work hard, both physically and mentally, to be the best in a sporting field are thoroughly demoralised, when in the end, they lose out to politics.

‘Don’t rock the boat’

Any Malay who dares to veer off the Ketuanan Melayu track is termed "liberal", which is considered to be bad. Malay girls cannot enter beauty contests and Malay gymnasts and models often get criticised for wearing clothes that are revealing.

In the creative field, film directors like Namewee are hounded despite their underlying message - that Malaysia could be a better place for all through unity. Namewee's latest film "Babi" is about anti-racism and yet, FCP politicians want to make political hay to gain potential votes by criticising Namewee.

Are SCPs condemned to a life of being overlooked in their home country? Must they migrate to realise their dreams?

Whilst Malay parents keep shouting for "special rights" and affirmative action policies, the parents of SCPs will tell their children, "Keep quiet, don't complain, study hard and earn lots of money. Don't rock the boat."

It is this attitude of surrender that compels many ambitious SCPs to leave.

Should we blame MCA and MIC for playing second fiddle to Umno in the early years of nation-building? Working hand-in-hand with Umno, they plundered the nation and wrecked many generations of Malaysians with their master-and-servant relationship.

I, and many others, are prepared to accept a PM who is SCP, whether he be man or woman, Muslim or not. We should build on our similarities, instead of emulating the FCP politicians who thrive on race and religious baiting. FCP PMs have failed us time and again. Meritocracy should matter, more than who you know.

If the three female DAP politicians want to make a difference, they should source a new Harapan leader, or go for it themselves. I would happily support any of them. We need an opposition leader whose past does not bear the taint of BN. The new leader should have the courage to say what the nation must hear, and not what some Malays want to hear.

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter. - Mkini

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.