Heart-felt words
A few nights ago I was surfing the Wikipedia. I can't recall what was the first article I read but soon I was reading about our neighbour Malaysia. It was so interesting that I spent almost 4 hours reading about its monarchs, ethnic groups, politics and education system. All these readings really set me into thinking.
There are several interesting facts that I discovered. Malaysia is the only country outside greater China (ie Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) to provide Chinese-language education from primary up to tiertiary level. Sultan Iskandar of Johor 's assault on a caddy caused the removal of legal immunity for all the royal rulers in 1993. Singapore's 3rd President Devan Nair actually helped to set up the Democratic Action Party in Malaysia after Singapore' s separation in 1965.
There was no way to separate Singapore's history from Malaysia's one until 1965. However over the past 40 odd years, both countries had evolved quite differently. Some things that we take for granted in Singapore are not so readily accepted over the Causeway now. While our societies had many similarities 4 decades ago, the differences are clearly more obvious now.
One of the favourite activities of many Malaysian politicians is Singapore-bashing. It is clearly an over-used ploy to divert attention from their own internal problems. Singaporeans are portrayed to be arrogant; Malay Singaporeans are victimized by the government; Singapore is trying to take advantage of Malaysia during any negotiations; in other words Singapore is always the 'bad' guy. While I admit that there's some truth in the arrogance part, I think that there's jealousness whenever the politicians attack Singapore. Most of them see Singapore as their 'adik' and can't accept the fact that it is doing better than Malaysia.
Are the Malays here marginalized? Seriously I don't know but I don't think so. While many figures don't cast a favourable light on the Malay coummunity, I think that the community has tackled many of the problems it faces successfully. There are many professionals in the community now and no deserving Malay student (or student of any other race) is deprived of a chance to continue his/her education in Singapore.
I'm not sure if it's entirely the same case in Malaysia. Although meritocracy is supposedly practiced in public universities' entrance, Bumiputras are still enjoying preferential treatment. Independent Chinese High Schools certificates are not accepted for admission to public universities but many in Australia, UK, US and Singapore recognize them. In the end Malaysia suffers from brain drain when many of these students choose to stay overseas after completing their studies. This makes no sense at all.
It's a well-known fact that the Bumiputras in Malaysia enjoy certain rights guaranteed under the constitution. At the time of independence as part of the social contract, the Chinese and Indians agree to the Malays' special rights in exchange for citizenships. There are affirmative actions to help the Malays to improve their economic position while economic situations of other ethnic groups are largely ignored. The 7 million Chinese have always dominated the business landscape of the country and are in a better bargaining position with its larger population. However the Indians who are mainly descendants of estate workers form only 8% of the total population. Their voices are often not heard because of their small numbers and the community's economic situation is the most dire and neglected.
Despite these, I believe that most of them see themselves as Malaysians first before identifying themselves as members of their ethnic groups. Ask any of them and it's almost guaranteed that they love their country because Malaysia is their only homeland. However living in their own country as second class citizens will become increasingly unacceptable for the younger generations. They will question whether they still have a stake in a country which openly discriminate them. For me this thought is equally unacceptable.
What's the future for Malaysia? Communal politics will go on and politicians will continue to play the racial cards. Non-Bumiputra Malaysians can only complain. Few with the means will choose to leave but most have no choice but to accept the realities. Meanwhile I don't think the Bumiputras will ever be able to stand on their own if they continue to rely on the affirmative action. They must ditch their crutches in order to walk by themselves. Malaysian leaders must continue to manage the delicate relationships between the different communities carefully because just like Singapore Malaysia cannot afford any racial conflicts.
There are several interesting facts that I discovered. Malaysia is the only country outside greater China (ie Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) to provide Chinese-language education from primary up to tiertiary level. Sultan Iskandar of Johor 's assault on a caddy caused the removal of legal immunity for all the royal rulers in 1993. Singapore's 3rd President Devan Nair actually helped to set up the Democratic Action Party in Malaysia after Singapore' s separation in 1965.
There was no way to separate Singapore's history from Malaysia's one until 1965. However over the past 40 odd years, both countries had evolved quite differently. Some things that we take for granted in Singapore are not so readily accepted over the Causeway now. While our societies had many similarities 4 decades ago, the differences are clearly more obvious now.
One of the favourite activities of many Malaysian politicians is Singapore-bashing. It is clearly an over-used ploy to divert attention from their own internal problems. Singaporeans are portrayed to be arrogant; Malay Singaporeans are victimized by the government; Singapore is trying to take advantage of Malaysia during any negotiations; in other words Singapore is always the 'bad' guy. While I admit that there's some truth in the arrogance part, I think that there's jealousness whenever the politicians attack Singapore. Most of them see Singapore as their 'adik' and can't accept the fact that it is doing better than Malaysia.
Are the Malays here marginalized? Seriously I don't know but I don't think so. While many figures don't cast a favourable light on the Malay coummunity, I think that the community has tackled many of the problems it faces successfully. There are many professionals in the community now and no deserving Malay student (or student of any other race) is deprived of a chance to continue his/her education in Singapore.
I'm not sure if it's entirely the same case in Malaysia. Although meritocracy is supposedly practiced in public universities' entrance, Bumiputras are still enjoying preferential treatment. Independent Chinese High Schools certificates are not accepted for admission to public universities but many in Australia, UK, US and Singapore recognize them. In the end Malaysia suffers from brain drain when many of these students choose to stay overseas after completing their studies. This makes no sense at all.
It's a well-known fact that the Bumiputras in Malaysia enjoy certain rights guaranteed under the constitution. At the time of independence as part of the social contract, the Chinese and Indians agree to the Malays' special rights in exchange for citizenships. There are affirmative actions to help the Malays to improve their economic position while economic situations of other ethnic groups are largely ignored. The 7 million Chinese have always dominated the business landscape of the country and are in a better bargaining position with its larger population. However the Indians who are mainly descendants of estate workers form only 8% of the total population. Their voices are often not heard because of their small numbers and the community's economic situation is the most dire and neglected.
Despite these, I believe that most of them see themselves as Malaysians first before identifying themselves as members of their ethnic groups. Ask any of them and it's almost guaranteed that they love their country because Malaysia is their only homeland. However living in their own country as second class citizens will become increasingly unacceptable for the younger generations. They will question whether they still have a stake in a country which openly discriminate them. For me this thought is equally unacceptable.
What's the future for Malaysia? Communal politics will go on and politicians will continue to play the racial cards. Non-Bumiputra Malaysians can only complain. Few with the means will choose to leave but most have no choice but to accept the realities. Meanwhile I don't think the Bumiputras will ever be able to stand on their own if they continue to rely on the affirmative action. They must ditch their crutches in order to walk by themselves. Malaysian leaders must continue to manage the delicate relationships between the different communities carefully because just like Singapore Malaysia cannot afford any racial conflicts.
posted by shyh jie at 7:59 PM
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