The topics often varied from school to movies to ghost stories to pornography to family gossip. On this particular day though, the conversation somehow shifted to the subject of "Malay rights". Again, I can't remember what brought that up or what conclusion we all came to, but I do remember someone saying something like, "Of course the Chinese and Indians aren't happy about our rights and I don't blame them. But I'll fight to keep our rights."
Let me first say that none of my cousins are racist bastards. They're smart, streetwise, hardworking, good people with not a xenophobic bone in their body. Furthermore, this conversation took place many years ago, and minds can (hopefully) change as people become wiser. We're not as close as we used to be, but I'd stand by them today.
I brought this up after reading the comments section of Haris Ibrahim's blog (more on that later) to make a point about just how damaging the New Economic Policy has been to the Malay psyche.
There are at least two resultant effects. One is where the Malay self-esteem is so low that they honestly believe they'll die without the bumiputera edge. They'll defend that edge not so much because it's a "right" (though having it called that is rather convenient), but because they see it as a matter of survival.
That's the tragedy of the NEP: it deformed otherwise good, honest men into insecure, desperate boys who'd do whatever it takes to hang onto that edge.
It'd be sad if it weren't so pathetically self-pitying. The fact that many Malays are still poor doesn't help. It's so obvious the NEP hasn't worked, but they're clinging onto it anyway because they're afraid that things will really turn to shit if they let go.
Of course, the other effect is, as some of us might have experienced, the creation of genuinely racist bastards.
You think what my cousin said was awful? Tell that to Haris Ibrahim, a half-Malay, half-Ceylonese lawyer who quite reasonably points out the sheer injustice of the NEP and how it conflicts with the Islamic teachings of equality.
The replies he got include the following observation:
Haris probably doesn’t have enough malay in him to think straight to stake his claim for the last remaining rights, lands, history and soul of the malay race. I believe his sri lankan heritage got the better of him and weakend the little malay he had in him. Most malay mixed marriages often do, producing confused bloodlines that considers themselves non-malay rather than the other. Pity, but you are what you are.I suppose that me being half-Chinese makes me unqualified to talk about this as well. Which means I've just wasted five minutes of everyone's time. Which would make this the greatest practical joke ever. I still win.
(Side note: I can't believe that I'm the one who was worried about sounding insensitive when I started writing this post. Argh.)
But this is what's holding Malaysia back. Not the stereotypical lazy Malay who hasn't been given a reason to work hard his whole life. Not my cousin, who was fooled into thinking that his Allah-given skills aren't good enough to compete with the Indians and the Chinese. That's a big problem too, but one that's relatively fixable.
More catastrophic is the emergence of an arrogant people with a false sense of entitlement and superiority, the few people who really have benefited from the NEP. The concept of bumiputera rights is almost akin to royalty to them, except that it isn't even that. Hell, it's only pretend royalty but it's the best thing they've got.
The NEP helps affirm their position as the supreme rulers of the nation and differentiates them from the Other (as if skin pigmentation or the absence of a Search album isn't a big enough clue). It enforces the notion that the Malays are the true inheritors of the country (which anyone remotely familiar with history will tell you is completely false), and all the other races are here at their sufferance.
We've seen the effects. Racially-based quotas. Different legal systems for Muslims and non-Muslims (is there an alternative to that term for people who hate using it?), where anyone who doesn't have a "bin" or "binti" in his or her name tends to get royally shafted. The "if you don't like it go back to India/China" answer to any complaint of unfairness, always a popular one.
This isn't an easy fix. In fact, here's a cheerful thought: I'd say there's no way to fix this. Not today, not in our lifetime, not with the kind of people we have right now in Malaysian politics, be they the Establishment or the Opposition. Our last window of opportunity was probably in 1948, right after UMNO beat the Union (ask Zai to tell you the story of the United Malaysian Race That Never Happened sometime). It's been downhill ever since, and looks to continue in that direction for a long, long time.
I don't know about you, but I could definitely use a drink.
26 comments:
Just writing to correct a few things for Jeff.
The NEP is definitely a convenient source of what most believe to be Malay insecurity/superiority, especially on the topic of their de jure, or hak hakiki Bumiputra Rights. However, the fact is that it isn't.
Remember, May 13 happened BEFORE the NEP. MARA and Bank Bumiputra were created BEFORE the NEP. Ali Baba companies existed years before the NEP.
Malays have always believed, even in the 50s, even before the 20th century, that the Rights of the land are their inalienable property.
I know, the classic argument is that the Malays are not even the true 'princes of the soil'. That honour would belong to the Negritos, Proto-Malays and the Senois.
In the same way, the Caucasian Americans are just the same, yet they believe America belongs to them, while the other races are immigrants. This is perhaps because the Caucasian Americans, like the Malays, established the first migrant civilisations. By doing this they have also established themselves as the majority ethnic group in the land, displacing the aborigines who are too small of a minority to do anything about it. Is this right or wrong? Doesn't matter, it's what happened.
So the various migrant races, the Javanese, Sumatrans, Achehnese, Bugis that have migrated here have in fact ditched their old ethnic roots and called themselves Malays, after their new homeland, just as the British who moved to America changed to Americans. This new identity is thus what they have been, and are still, trying to protect.
In doing so, they have come to see the later immigrants as what the Malays themselves used to be, immigrants. So how do we assimiliate? That is the question.
A very hard question to answer. It took America a long time. Just a few decades ago, prejudice was still institutionalised there (just as it is in Malaysia right now). Blacks couldnt sit with whites in buses, couldn't go to the same schools. Not just blacks, those with Italian/Mexican/Jewish/Asian heritage were all discrminated against too. It was a BIG deal when JFK became president because he was both Irish and a Roman Catholic. And in many parts of America, it still isn't perfect. It took America more than a century (from when other immigrants began coming in) to get to where it is now. Malaysia has only just started. It might take us that long too.
But how do we start? We can start by consciously not identifying ourselves by our ethnic background. If the Chinese/Indian/Other Malaysians want the Malays to be less domineering, they should speak Malay more, dump some of their customs (as the Malays did with their old immigrant heritage), and make sure their children grow up learning that Javanese/Bugis/Chinese/Indian immigrants are no more, but in their places exist only Malaysians.
The Malays succeeded in doing this, although this didn't happen very long ago either. In fact, less than a hundred years ago, there were many Malay communities who identified themselves as Orang Jawa, or Orang Bugis, or Minangkabau, and so on. However, they were all united by the Malayan Union, and now all identify themselves as Malays. A lot of them now won't even have anything to do with Indons, looking down on them, even though they are Indon descendants.
The Chinese need to do the same. Forget Guangzhou, Canton, Funan, Hainan and all that (take a leaf from the Babas and Nyonyas who have integrated excellently). The Indians need to forget India and Sri Lanka too. This is the only way a united identity can be built.
Another way is to find a common cause to fight against. This always unites people. Communism worked for America. The Communist Emergency worked for Malaya. The Nazis worked for the Europeans (the fact that the EU exists today is precisely because of their fear that WWII would happen again). Fear and a cause to fight is something that unites people. Alan Moore knew this when he wrote 'The Watchmen', and sadly, it's a true fact.
So what do we fight against? That is the question.
See? Zai is good for something other than horrible rap lyrics.
Zai:
Your comments are civilly presented.
1) "The NEP is definitely a convenient source of what most believe to be Malay insecurity/superiority"
Even if that part of the Malay psyche existed before the NEP, I don't think there's any denying that Jeff is correct: the NEP *is* helping to promote insecurity or superiority. It's absolutely flawed and failed, but no one has proposed a simple replacement: help the poor and disadvantaged, regardless of race.
2) "not identifying ourselves by our ethnic background... speak Malay more, dump some of their customs (as the Malays did with their old immigrant heritage).. but in their places exist only Malaysians."
- I agree that no one should be identified as race. Especially forms and ICs. Why must state race in all the borangs? We are supposed to be all Malaysians!
- everyone already speaks and use Malay in all official correspondence. But, some Malays refuse speak English, the international language of business. How? I don't think language that much a factor, there are stronger underlying issues.
- if Malays dumped their custom, what custom are they adopting now?
- I totally disagree with abolishing culture. Are you serious? It's what makes us Malaysian. You don't want to eat roti canai, taufu fa or pau any more? Malaysia was very harmonious 20 years ago, ask any of the kampung folk. The *politicians* played the race card, making Malays fearful that if they don't vote UMNO, they will "lose" out to other races. What the hell is there to lose? Just learn from one another and maju together! Why must retard one race and all die together?
- What the hell makes you think the Chinese think of Guangzhou or Canton? I'm Chinese and I don't care which region my ancestors came from. Many of my Chinese friends also don't. Whenever we go overseas, we join the Malaysian Student Association and tell people proudly we are Malaysians. We don't tell them we are from Canton. Your comment is ignorant and insulting.
- The situation now is this: the politicians are destroying Hindu temples, forcing companies to have Bumi stake, elevating race above skill and merit. How do you expect other races to feel "Malaysian"? In fact, they are clingly more tightly to their own race, because it is getting so hostile with all the keris waving and "kami akan membunuh orang Cina". Fuck that! I pay so much in taxes and you want to kill me?
Consider this: if everyone, every race gets more income, do you even remember that the nation gets taxes? If above RM250K, the tax is 29%! A third of that person's income goes to the country (and 70% goes to Malays)! So why the hell is the government stopping capable Malaysians from being doctors and engineers?
Kudos boys. Great article.
jeff, from one 1/2 chinese to another..i'll toast to dat ;)
Whoa there, ok, so I'm gingerly stepping in this suddenly "all-boys club" (where all the women be? REPRESENT!).
Might be adding fat to the fire here, but maybe, just maybe Russell Peters said it best: "The whole world's mixing. Nothing you can do about it. Eventually, we're all going to become some high bred [hybrid?] mix of Chinese and Indians. It's inevitable. They're the two largest populations in the world. So you can run from us now..... But sooner or later, we're gonna hump you."
agree? disagree? ok, at least break in to a smile please! =D
On a more serious note, in response to Zai's question: Howzabout poverty? I know, another bag of worms that word is, but there are poor Malays, poor Indians, poor Chinese, poor all other "races", poor good-looking people, poor ugly people, poor old people, poor children etc.
As a Malaysian of pretty much 100% Chinese stock (I've checked, and double checked. When I was small, used to fantasize about maybe having a far off Arabian greatgrandpapa, or a European explorer of an ancestor somewhere, but no. 2nd generation immigrant on one side, and x-number of generations worth of Baba Nyonya blood on the other) -- as I realized during those privileged years of study abroad, I only have Malaysia to turn back to.
So that's the question I still ask myself over and over again. Either I run away and seek the right to citizenship in another country that's more to my liking (haven't found one yet) or I fight for the kind of Malaysia that I can be proud of, the country to which I was born with a right to. Tough. Nobody ever said it was going to be easy, I suppose.
why don't we start having a Malaysia that we would all be proud be a part of?
well, in my case: I am Malay, identified as a malay, bloodline from Indon (which most malays are fr anyway..yea, zai, i'm Minang by blood) and had been in boarding school since form 1 and was in a public uni. currently under a gov scholarship. so yes, i am very thankful to the taxpayers and the government for suppporting my education. because seriously, my parents don't have the financial security to afford me doing a science postgrad course in Ozzie.
Which brings us back to the NEP. A majority of malays are still insecured economically. As Malays tend to end up working for the gov anyway, there's a small chance of these ppl actually accumulating vast fortunes and only a small minority succeeds in having their own businesses (think Syed Al-Bukhary). those who survive had to face the "perasaan hasad dengki" of ppl in their own race whose new past time is finding ways in bringing them down. and don't get me started on the divisions in the race itself due to the new political parties that emerged from UMNO.
So yes, there are issues with Malay ppl. And being the way that we are right now is NOT HEPLPING. Tun M once suggested taking away this insecurity, to unpopular response. but by still having it---we are not moving forward at ALL. but by taking it away---what of those ppl who REALLY need help?
I agree that in scholarship/uni placing sense: there should be an equal play game (like the meritocracry system)..but it should also be taken into consideration on whether their family would be able to afford the education. the way i see it, those who can afford to pay their tertiary edu go to private uni anyway....so there shouldn't be a big hoo-haa abt it. and the scholar scheme that i am with now has recently been opened to non-malays too (read: used to be a bumi only scholarship, a new scheme has opened the way for non-bumis to get the sholarship as well)
I also agree that we should start to identify ourselves as malaysians. why is there be a race/religion thing on our Mykad?? we are all malaysians. we all love our teh tarik and nasi lemak. we all love our open houses. we all sing Negara-Ku (albeit choosing at which tempo we want to sing it in).
so yes, how do we start building a Malaysia that we all want to be in, to be proud of, and to ideally belong to?
Lots of comments today :D
Anyway, just to clarify to Azlee.
The NEP is making a bad situation worse, but my point is that it wasn't the source. Also, it's not the NEP per se, because it was actually designed to eradicate poverty regardless of race (that is exactly what it says on the government paper). Unfortunately, some of its provisions allow abuse by those in power, hence the unequal distribution of wealth. Don't forget, it's not just poor Indians who don't get a big share of it, poor Malays don't either. So I do agree we need to re-think it and come up with something better and more inclusive.
I also agree with everyone, in that there's really no use to have our race/religion on the IC. Religion is a matter of the heart or the iman, as it were, and not a matter of bureaucracy.
Regarding the customs bit, I said to dump some customs, not all. Either dump some, or learn new ones. A lot of the Malay settlers were not Muslims when they moved over, and a lot of them practised their own traditions (Lyanna's ancestors practised Adat Pepatih for example, and spoke Minang. Probably some remnants in some parts of Negri still do, but it's a dying culture. How many young people from Negri Sembilan can speak Minang? How many middle-aged people can, for that matter?)
This is what I mean by assimiliation. The various Malay tribes assimiliated to become a Malayan Malay. So did the Chinese in Malacca, who adopted/mixed new customs to fit in. That's all I'm saying.
Now, on my comment about Chinese not being very patriotic, I just wanna ask Azlee: are you Chinese ed? Are you and your friends Chinese ed? I have met quite a few Chinese ed people who aren't too keen on the whole idea of Malaysia, and in fact barely speak Malay or English at all. They only mix with other Chinese, esp Chinese eds, and generally have huge distrust towards Malays. I'm not saying they are ALL like that, God knows I know some who aren't, but I have come across many who have no patriotic feelings whatsoever for their country. Granted, they don't really think of Canton, but they would gladly migrate to Singapore or Melbourne or anywhere else any time.
Now, I also know plenty of Chinese who fit in fine. Perhaps the problem is the whole idea of having vernacular schools. If you know your history, Chinese schools began with teachers from China and a syllabus that taught Chinese nationalism. Even when Independence was achieved and MCA was formed, a lot of their members were active in the Kuomintang movement. Nearly all the MCA leaders, bar Cheng Lock and Siew Sin, were Kuomintang army officers. They may have been loyal Malayans, but they also held allegiance towards the Kuomintang government in Taipei. The HS Lee biography is in the midst of being researched and written, and would probably prove interesting reading. Get it when it comes out.
I really do think vernacular schools may be a problem with regards to national unity. At the very least, I don't think it helps. But any thoughts on getting rid of them went out the window in 1959 when the then MCA president Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu fell-out with the Tunku over that and other matters. As we all know, Chong Eu left to join the Opposition, before later returning to the government after winning Penang.
Yes, there are many hostile and keris-wielding Malays out there. But there are just as many Chinese who don't wish to assimiliate at all.
Zai,
I'm glad we're moving along still on civil terms.
You bring some good ideas, but some points needs refining.
1) We're both agreeing on the fact that NEP is not the main cause of Malay inferiority/superiority, and that it has failed. It needs to be replaced by one that helps the poor, regardless of race.
2) We agree that people should not be identified by their ethnic race, but all should be known as Malaysians.
3) I think most Malaysians already "assimilated" into Malaysian culture. What part of Chinese or Indian culture do you find disagreeable exactly? This also assumes that Malay culture is the de facto culture, which if you don't mind, is a little off-putting. As Lyana said, I treat all races the same when I go out, go to my Malay friend's open houses, they come to mine. Or are you suggesting some sort of homogenous Aryan race?
4) Yes, I do agree that vernacular schools might be a problem due to segregation. This could have been easily solved if the national schools offered good mother tongue classes, and a higher standard. However, you do realize more and more Malay and Indian students are enrolling in Chinese schools because they know it offers a better educational environment? I think the bigger problem is not the vernacular schools - it's the whole damn education system in Malaysia! Like I said, they should overhaul it, bring it up to standard, have more language classes (that's open to all races). It's not chauvinistic at all - I hope no one is short-sighted enough to not see that China and India will be economic powerhouses in the near future. It would be good for ALL races to learn Chinese, Indian, English and Malay as our competitive edge.
5) That's the problem with the Malay inferiority complex. The whole Kuomintang thing was over decades ago, dude. I challenge you to throw a stone in a modern shopping complex and I bet you RM10 0 it will NOT hit anyone who even thinks about Kuomintang. Seriously, it's fucking insulting and scary at the same time that Malays are still suspicious of Chinese. I'm 100% capitalist, baby. W.T.F. Let's be productive together.
6) I don't know where you get your numbers from, but the reason why non-Malays want to emigrate is because there are a LOT more keris-wiedling Malays than hostile Chinese. It's at least 76% vs. 29%.
7) Most Malays don't seem to have a problem with non-Malays leaving. It's like, "Yeah, thanks for your sacrifice for our Merdeka, thanks for your money and help in development, now get the hell out." Non-Malays don't feel welcome at all. And Malays don't care, always saying that it's the non-Malays fault while not looking at themselves too. Takes 2 hands to clap, buddy.
Addendum to racial composition: See, not all Chinese are good at math. You know what I mean. It's not like I look at the composition every day. There are more crazy-ass violent Mat Rempits than crazy-ass Chinese Ah Bengs. All the Ah Bengs are selling handphones anyway. Who the fuck going to defend our Chinese asses?
One more thing (since Bumi's already have so much help, we non-Bumi's have to work much harder - including making more blog posts).
The whole Maybank thing restricting legal firms to have 50% Bumi share?
What... the... Frack.. is that?
You mean there are no Bumi lawyers good enough to work for Maybank, that they must piggyback on non-Bumi law firms? You mean that Bumi lawyers are so fracking insecure about their legal abilities, they think non-Bumi's are purposely stealing their jobs? How about studying harder or offering better service?
And.. how the hell does that make non-Bumi's feel welcome in this country?
Azlee,
First of all, I want to say that I am glad that you believe yourself to be Malaysian and see a future for yourself in our country. I'm also sure that all your concerns are so that Malaysia as a whole will move forward together, leaving no community behind. These are my concerns too.
You are right, it takes two hands to clap. I never said the Malays were blameless, but I do believe that the Chinese have to play a more proactive role in achieving national unity. When I mean Chinese, I don't mean upper middle class, national/private school educated Chinese whose parents have done considerably well even under the 'unequal' NEP. I am talking about the (majority of) Chinese eds, Tamil eds, those who only speak Chinese and only mix with other Chinese. I have met twenty-something Chinese professionals living in KL who can barely utter a sentence or two in English/Malay! I can speak better Mandarin/Hokkien than they can speak English/Malay.
And while I'm at it, I do believe the Malays must not be so narrow-minded either. But at the end of the day, Bahasa Melayu is the constitutionally-designated national language and thus I would think it's more important for Chinese to speak Malay than for Malays to speak Chinese, although I agree that is a very good advantage to have.
To illustrate what I mean, the expatriate officers in the Malayan Civil Service (pre and post Merdeka) all learnt to speak Malay. These white men learnt and spoke Malay to fit in, because frankly, Malay is the language of the land.
Having said that, I know many Chinese who can speak better Malay than me, and these people get along superbly well with Malays. That is why I stress the importance of language as a unifying factor.
(On the education system)
Your suggestion about overhauling the national schools to provide (even make mandatory) Mandarin lessons is in fact a very good idea. Why not? India uses English in commerce, so Tamil/Hindi might not be as important as Mandarin. It would even help with national integration if Malays could speak some Chinese.
(On Mat Rempits and Ah Bengs)
As for the numbers on racial percentages etc, I admit I have none and I'm making some generalisations, but then I think so are you. I can't tell you for sure if there are more violent Mat Rempits than violent Ah Bengs. But I do know that the Chinese triads operating (and even controlling) certain economic sectors are way more powerful than urban motorbike junkies. So it's quite even in this respect, every community has their black sheep.
(More on the NEP)
A lot of people complain about the affirmative action policies in the NEP. Yet a lot of them really don't deserve to complain. Like I said, if you are from an upper middle class background, then your family would have done pretty well in the system. If your parents can afford to send you to study in Australia/UK/US, what on earth can you complain about? Now, the poor Chinese who miss out on scholarships/business loans etc, these are the ones who have legitimate grouse. But are you complaining for them, or are you complaining because you think the system did not benefit you (when it clearly did).
The truth is, despite the failings of the NEP, a lot of people got rich: Malays and Chinese alike. The Chinese have increased their corporate equity, as have the Malays. You telling me no Chinese tycoons were created during the 80s/90s? Eric Chia, Goh Tong, YTL, they all received huge government contracts too. So the problem, as I said, is the provisions that allow for abuse, i.e. cronyism and patrimonialism. The poor from each community suffered, while the Malay/Chinese/Indian elites all benefited tremendously. In actual fact, the NEP was fair in this regard. It was fair to all the elites.
NB: I double posted my last comment, so I deleted the duplicate.
Just to throw one out there. Pls keep in mind i intent to offend no one.
I just think that in addition to all these points thrown out already, i think having a legal system that mixes secular and religious issues is a factor that is preventing national unity and promoting animosity towards certain parties. This shouldn't be the case. Let the secular world do its thing and let the religious world do its thing. There is no cause to force a belief system onto another person. With reference to the revaathi case, i watched the al-jazeera vid on youtube and what that mufti or whatever he was said was pure bullcrap. He went on about if people were allowed to choose their religion (i.e. apostise from islam) he said "we are finished." hmm so does that mean if people were not forced into a religion that religion would die off?
Its things like this that really create tension and bad will towards other races and belief systems. I'm not saying this only happens in Islam but this is just one of the predominant examples in our country.
Justin,
You are not wrong there. The whole thing with the Syariah/Civil jurisdiction issue is really messed up atm. This is the result of Dr Mahathir's decision to elevate the status of the Syariah Courts to be on par with its Civil equivalent. I can't stress how grave a mistake this was...
From my own experience, the Syariah Court is not half as competent as the Civil; its laws are not as clearly defined; its administration poor; and the truth is, a court meant to settle Islamic customs such as divorces, custody and inheritance should not have anywhere near the jurisdiction it currently enjoys.
The Syariah Court issue is one big problem by itself, however I personally don't feel that it greatly hampers the process of national unity. Not as much as other things, such as discrimination and language etc.
While some issues such as the recent cases which involve converts/apostates/non-Muslim spouses may be alarming, these incidents are more a human rights issue rather than one of integration/assimiliation.
Time for sharing a quick feel good moment. Or a hope in the future moment, however y'all want to see it.
Just last month, went with my mum to pick up my little-little brother from school. This punk-ass of a twelve year old boy who only speaks English at home, despite having a heavy-on-the-patois nyonya woman of a mama (nature vs nurture?) has the privilege of being educated at a small (max class size 28, one class per standard) Chinese vernacular school smack in the middle of a kampung not 10 minutes away from where we live.
Behold my delight upon seeing him not only emerging from school with two girls (whee, he not yet at that age where he thinks all girls have cooties!), one Malay (identifying feature being the baju kurung she was wearing) and the other Indian (hair split into two tresses of thick plaits!); but also realizing that all three of them were, as they came closer within ear shot, jabbering away in... MANDARIN.
I know, shouldn't have been that much of a surprise, given that they attend a Chinese (d-oh) language school, but oh, it was lovely just getting that little jolt out of the box, ya'know?! And sure kids will grow up to become adults, some jaded, others just plain nasty, but what the hey, moments like that are what make me go all gooey on in the inside and give a little hop skip and a yay within me.
Now if only my (our?) generation c/would exhibit a little bit more of that semangat muhibbah-ness and care a little bit more about a more "just" distribution of wealth....
Just want to correct below statement from Zai.
"In the same way, the Caucasian Americans are just the same, yet they believe America belongs to them, while the other races are immigrants. This is perhaps because the Caucasian Americans, like the Malays, established the first migrant civilisations."
The Caucasian Americans never believe America belongs to them. In fact, they even admitted their European ancestors invaded and blatantly robbed the land from the Native Americans who rooted here centuries ago.
As for now, the US belongs to all American citizens, regardless of race, religion, or social status. If you're descendent of whom were here 200 years ago or someone just obtained citizenship yesterday, you receive the equal privileges and opportunities.
Zai: Thanks for your response, especially the discussion on overhauling the education system for all.
We have covered most ground, except for two that I would like to revisit.
1) Races being "proactive"
Due to the sheer political power the Malay wield, I think Malays are in a better position to be the "bigger man" in creating more harmony. The ball is in their (government's) court to make legislative and policy changes to the social, economic and education system to motivate the non-Bumis to be proactive.
2) Complaining about NEP
a) I'm not filthy rich. Yes my parents survived in the NEP, only by working very, very hard. Not much time for leisure. My parents were sometimes very stressed. I'm complaining as a MALAYSIAN. The NEP is creating a great misuse of resources. I see Malays, Chinese and Indians who are really struggling.
b) It's harder for my generation right now to survive. Bloody hell, I have to pay 5-15% more for housing. I see some ads as "Bumi only". I don't have kids yet, but I'm going to have get RM500K (or more) to send one kid overseas, or at least RM200K to a private college here. In total I estimate I will have get earn RM1-5 million over my lifetime compared to a Bumi for the same level of lifestyle. I am *disadvantaged*. Government contracts are closed to me. Are you going to work for me to get the money?
c) After-effects of the NEP created things like vehicle APs. I'm pissed when cars I dream about are made more expensive because of it.
Why are you disputing my right to complain about the NEP when you and I know that it is wrong?
Time for my humble two-cents again re MW's correction of Zai's statement re the good ole' USA, a land close to my mind and heart. A land that ironically, after living in for half a decade (how time flies) has been instrumental in bringing me closer to Malaysia.
Dear MW, I would like to respectfully but passionately disagree with your statement that: "The Caucasian Americans never believe America belongs to them. In fact, they even admitted their European ancestors invaded and blatantly robbed the land from the Native Americans who rooted here centuries ago.
As for now, the US belongs to all American citizens, regardless of race, religion, or social status. If you're descendent of whom were here 200 years ago or someone just obtained citizenship yesterday, you receive the equal privileges and opportunities." (emphasis my own)
We could very well be talking about two completely different US's for all I know, but I sincerely doubt the veracity of that last part of your statement that I've taken the liberty of bolding if we're talking about the United States of America.
The plight of the Native Americans is heartbreaking, the insidiously subtle discrimination that STILL occurs in the professional, public and personal realm that's based on factors such as the colour of your skin, to the way you talk, your sexual preferences, the way your name sounds to your religious adherence (or lack thereof), I actually find even more disturbing than the blatant racism you usually find here in Malaysia.
So NO, one does NOT receive equal privileges or opportunities regardless of when you obtained citizenship in the US. Not since the last time I checked.
And in that sense, it doesn't make the US all that much more different from Malaysia or any other country which incorporates immigrants into the fabric of its society and history.
With that, I end my 2cents worth.
No wait! Actually, another point to make, is that even the term "Caucasian Americans" is misleading, if not entirely faulty, nomenclature. There hasn't been a single person that I've met has quite been able to explain with full authority what a Caucasian American is, or who can tick that box (e.g. if you're of South American origin, speak Spanish, but had ancestors from Europe - say Spain or Portugal, you'd have check off "Hispanic" AND "Caucasian", eh?!).
Even those who largely identify today as descendants of "White" Americans will find that their ancestors faced (and suffered/benefited from) different forms of discrimination based on when and how and where they entered the US - which in turn has influenced the privileges (or lack thereof) that the current generation enjoys.
The English versus the Irish versus the Polish versus the post-Holocaust Jewish immigrant experience vastly differ from each other. Just ask any historian, or better yet, the young Americans of today who've listened to their grandparents stories.
Well, that truly all for now. Cheers.
I was going to post a reply to MW, but Marie took the words out of my mouth. That is exactly what I mean. Discrimination in the USA may not now be institutionalised, but it's definitely being practised. In fact, like I mentioned earlier, it was very well institutionalised until only a couple decades ago. Remember, coloured people were blatantly treated like animals.
America has improved since then, but it's not perfect yet. This is how I place Malaysia and the current situation we're in. I think we're at that stage that the US went through in the 50s, 60s. Discrimination is still institutionalised, and I hope a huge civil rights movement from our generation (or the next?) will put an end to it. Perhaps we will see the time when it is no longer in black and white. That would be an improvement I suppose.
With regards to Marie's comments about my usage of 'Caucasian Americans', she's right, it's vague and I used it as a last resort because I totally had no idea how to describe what I meant to be (generally) white, anglo-saxon and protestant descendants.
Hey, now that we think about it, we're quite comparable to that 'great nation' USA. So you know what, it's not that bad, this country of ours. Sure there are problems, but none unfixable. No one in 1950s America woulda thought a black man would have a good chance of running for President in 50 years time, but Mr Obama is proving them wrong.
Here's a toast to our future!
Azlee:
Ok, let's close the issue on the NEP - we both agree that it's flawed, benefits only a few and the majority of the poor gets left out.
On the issue of who should play the bigger role in achieving racial equity or harmony, I would just like to point out that women today are able to vote because women stood up, marched and demanded it. Blacks and other coloured people in America are now (on paper) treated fairly because they stood up, marched and demanded it. India achieved independence because the Indians stood up, marched and demanded it.
My point is, no one (or very few) in power will relinquish any of their rights and privileges unless the minority who wants it decide to take proactive measures. I'm not asking all the Chinese to start a riot or anything, since in Malaysia that is not our way.
But while the (Malay-dominated) government has a very important role to play, the Chinese themselves should try hard (and harder) to get themselves accepted. Martin Luther didn't stand up and say 'let's all run and go back to Africa', he said let's make those white people accept us!
Of course, the Chinese's predicament isn't half as bad as the blacks, because the Chinese own a better share of the economy, are generally well off etc. So perhaps the struggle won't be that hard.
Like we talked about earlier, vernacular schools (except for a few instances i.e. Marie's example) promote segregation. Let's start by getting rid of that - the Chinese must agree to this. Then the Malays must in turn agree to make Mandarin a compulsory subject in school. Give-and-take.
Perhaps if we have the political will to do this, greater unity may be achieved?
ps: Zai, dem white anglo-saxon protestant folks? they be called WASPs.
:o)
hee. no kidding.
Hey movers and shakers
Just a point. Everyone keeps comparing us to the USA but do we really want to go down that road of having to fight for out rights? I mean shouldnt we learn from the mistakes of others? If anything I see the situation in our country only getting worse if nothing changes. At this rate I will be very VERY surprised if a violent event (ala may 13) doesnt repeat itself. This is extremely worrying. Yeah sure the people need to change but if the government keeps on condoning this kind of segregation and bias, what kind of example does that show to the people? Especially in scenario's like this Maybank bullshit... its really infuriating and damn right insulting. The sad bit is I dont see anything changing under the current government and the even sadder thing is i dont see it changing if the opposition comes to power. So basically when we vote, its for the lesser of 2 evils....
Justin, you and I and anyone else with half a brain can BE the change, no?
Can't we read up, make connections with like-minded people, get to know and understand the POVs of those who think differently from us (understanding doesn't necessarily mean having to be in agreement with), get involved --- give that a shot, whaddaya think?
If we don't, then who are we leaving all the decision making to? Less capable people who just happen to be giving it a shot, that's who.
Again, I'm not kidding.
I do think we can do better. And in our own little (or big) ways, let's buckle up and prepare to walk the talk. The more the merrier, no?
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