(translation from Malay by Centre for Policy Initiatives)
For most folks, Sunday is a day of rest because it’s a holiday. Unfortunately Mingguan Malaysia [Utusan weekend edition] yesterday May 31, 2009 agitated me and disrupted my day off. Its articles were extremely disappointing, reminding me how far divorced this Malay newspaper is from the reality of life in Malaysia as well as how wide the schism is between the paper and current Malay thinking. It is probably due to this reason that its readership is on the decline. Its theme and plot is race, race and race.
In truth, I was reluctant to read on until I was confronted by the headline ‘Malay betrayed?’ in an editorial penned by the paper’s main ideologue Awang Selamat. Nonetheless, I forced myself to read further. Awang Selamat laments that his heart is daily and increasingly lacerated by the crescendo of demands from the non-Malays. The demands, he claims, reek of racism and started after the last general election. Wah! In other words, Malaysians must take into consideration the feelings of Awang Selamat before making any demands because should Awang Selamat’s feelings be hurt, then Umno is pained and when Umno is pained, then the Malays are pained. Such is the logic of Awang Selamat.
He did not elaborate a jot on what it was demanded by the non-Malays. In what way were they being ‘too much’? If they’re asking about scholarships, land allocation or employment opportunities, can these questions not be addressed rationally and guided by facts? Why is Awang Selamat’s heart so easily lacerated? Are all the demands of the non-Malays (whose rights are enshrined in the Federal Constitution) so unreasonable and without basis? With Awang Selamat, this appears to be the case because to him, Umno and the Malays were ‘generous’ enough to offer citizenship to the ancestors of the non-Malays 50 years ago. Since this citizenship was accorded upon the charity and generosity of Umno, descendants of those non-Malays must NEVER MAKE ANY DEMANDS because they should always and forever more be grateful to Umno for the party’s graciousness.
It is this mindset that I’ve pointed out before to be outdated and rejected by all Malaysians. When a citizen, be he Malay, Chinese or Indian, asks for something, it is the duty of Government (and the media to evaluate it through responsible coverage) to try and grant that request. If the demand is excessive, explain why but don’t raise historical episodes selectively to cover up our shortcomings. Don’t get angry always, make threats and make political capital out of incomplete shards [in the reading] of history.
We obtained Independence because the British and the Alliance reached an agreement on the terms. When we agree to something, we must honour the agreement. Hence, there’s no necessity to bring up how generous Umno had been in granting citizenship on a silver platter to the Chinese and Indians. The fact of the matter is we agreed to it. No one forced us to grant it. At the material time, it was impossible for the British to decolonize Malaya if the issue of citizenship for Chinese and Indians was not resolved. Since 1952 when Gerald Templer was sent here by Winston Churchill, all the parties involved had striven to carve the path to an independent Malaya on condition that Chinese and Indians were citizens. The British authorities was adamant on this issue. And Umno acceded to the terms. That was the price of Independence which the Alliance understood and accepted with an open heart. Does Utusan have a different understanding of historical facts?
Even if one is to go along with the view that Umno was supposedly ‘generous’ with regard to citizenship given those who gained it 50 years ago; is Awang Selamat expecting that their grandchildren and great-grandchildren today refrain from voicing their rights at all? Must they remain silent just because their ancestors had in the past been recipients of Umno’s charity? This feudalistic mindset has no place in a modern Nation which respects the rights of its people.
Another article by Utusan senior editor Zulkiflee Bakar advises readers not to be blind to history. I reckon then that Malays like myself are considered ignorant of history. Actually history is not difficult to study and I am truly interested in knowing more. However, the most unfortunate people are those whose hearts are closed. When our hearts are closed, no amount of facts or knowledge can fill the void within us. The Utusan daily and its sister publication Mingguan should by rights help the Prime Minister explore a new paradigm to lend true meaning to ‘1 Malaysia’ (note the word in [Najib Razak’s] catchphrase is ‘Malaysia’; not any particular race). This newspaper should by rights help the Prime Minister find ways to develop the economy via approaches and policies that are more pragmatic and just. The media should by rights suggest more practical and progressive means to assist the PM so that he does not become a lobbyist for an ideology past its sell-by date.
But Utusan still wants to beat the tribal drums. To Utusan, the Malays fail because of the Chinese, because of the Indians. Utusan should realise that non-Malays and Malays themselves can nowadays differentiate between the Malay race and Umno. They know that when an Umno policy is criticised, it is not challenging the Malays but Umno. More and more active efforts are being put into creating friction between the Malays and Chinese. But believe me, it will not be possible to fan a racial conflagration today as previously. So don’t take umbrage so easily when an Umno policy is criticised or questioned. The Malay mindset has changed, as has their understanding of the country and their own future. They are aware of the challenges that lie ahead in our fast-changing world. And the changes which they must make to adapt. Only Utusan has not realised this.