Dr M wrong on contributions of Indian, Chinese communities

 

When Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s longest serving prime minister, was interviewed by the Chennai-based Indian satellite television channel Thanthi TV, he said that Malaysians of Indian and Chinese ethnicity were not loyal to the country.

He said they did not speak the local language but enrolled their children in their own schools, and spoke their own language, such as Tamil, at home.

According to Mahathir, people of Indian, Arab and European origin had managed to become “completely Malay”, because they practised Malay customs and tradition, and spoke Malay all the time.

During the interview, Mahathir was also asked if Malaysian Indians and Chinese should completely shun their religion and practices to behave like Malays in order to assimilate.

“Yes, many of them have done that, many people of Indian origin, Arab origin, even European origin, who are now completely Malay that speak Malay all the time… They practise Malay customs and traditions,” he was reported as saying.

There are many flaws in Mahathir’s argument. Has he rejected the many thousands of Malaysian Indians and Chinese who made the ultimate sacrifice to free the nation from Japanese occupation in Malaya and, later on, from communist tyranny during the Emergency? Many brave Indians and Chinese also defended the country during Konfrontasi.

Their sacrifices enabled us to live in peace and enjoy freedom, which would not have been possible without their efforts and bravery.

Some foreigners may possess Malay features, and act and talk Malay, but they are not “Malay”, as described by Mahathir. Visit the “Malay” section at any large wet market, or a kedai or restaurant, and you will find people conversing in Malay, but the stallholder or shopkeeper is probably an Indonesian, or someone from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan or central Africa who has leased the premises from the Malay licence holder.

From around the 5th century, the Malay peninsula was an important confluence for Indian and Chinese merchants. If not for these non-Malays, Malaya could just have been another watershed.

Mass migration from the 19th century onwards opened up Malaya. The early settlers struggled with disease, conflicts, hardship and separation from family. There would have been no rubber or tin trade without these “pendatang”.

Mahathir was wrong to question the loyalty of the Indians and the Chinese.

Modern-day Malaysia was partly built from the blood, sweat and toil of these early Indian and Chinese settlers, with their children and grandchildren continuing to contribute towards nation-building.

These non-Malays helped to build Malaysia, unlike some of our leaders who stole from the nation and divided its people. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.