Dr M warns of ‘persistent fault lines’ that divide Malaysians

 

Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in his latest book, said sabre-rattling by Malay politicians has drowned out honest discussions on the May 13 incident and its impact on Malaysia today.

PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad has highlighted “persistent fault lines” in Malaysia, referring to the divide between the Malay and Chinese communities.

The country was also seeing growing racial divisions, he warned in his latest book.

Mahathir said that as urban areas grew and prospered, Malays found themselves retreating farther away from the centre, breeding resentment.

He also said there was contempt among the urban and relatively wealthier Chinese who looked down on the “backward, lazy, useless” Malays.

“This is a recipe for disaster. I am speaking generally of the poor and increasingly marginalised Malay population,” he said in his book Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues for a New Malaysia, which was officially launched today.

Acknowledging that there were poor non-Malays and wealthy urban Malays, he said the few urban Malay centres were often made up of people depending on government jobs, such as in Putrajaya.

“We can see this in Putrajaya, which is a city built largely by the government for government employees, who are mostly Malay.

“Most of the shops are operated by Malays and they seem to be doing quite well.

“Here, the pendulum swings in the opposite direction — the city is too Malay and does not reflect the multiracial population of the country.”

Mahathir also listed the “fault lines” that existed in the country.

“We are so often preoccupied with racial differences, including differences in language, culture and religion.

“Now, we are also increasingly separated by geography and income.”

He said that while it was natural for urban people to be more prosperous than rural people, due to the advanced level of economic activity and opportunities, this would lead to a divide between the rich and the poor.

“Even within ethnically homogenous communities, there is antagonism between rich and poor that often spills into open violence.

“But if this divide is amplified by racial differences, the hostility is much stronger and runs much deeper. However, we aren’t really allowed to talk about this in Malaysia.”

Mahathir said people cannot talk about the racial riots of May 13, 1969 without causing an uproar.

The May 13 race riots took place after the 1969 general election, in which the ruling Alliance coalition suffered heavy losses and almost lost power in Selangor. The riots, the deadliest in the country, led to the loss of hundreds of lives and the proclamation of a state of emergency that lasted two years.

Mahathir said if Malay politicians talked about the riots, it was often some kind of “sabre-rattling” and intended to be a racial threat.

“Unfortunately, these incidents drown out real, legitimate and honest discussion about May 13 and its impact on Malaysia today.

“We are told incessantly to forget about this racial violence, which is an irony because we are constantly reminded of it while being afforded absolutely no chance to deal with it and to move forward,” he said. - FMT