OUTSPOKEN: Who and where are the real Malays, not the pseudo-Malays like Indian Muslims, Indonesians, Filipinos, Pakistanis and other foreign Muslims, who conveniently claim to be Malay to gain access to bumiputera privileges.
When Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman was charged with sedition for calling Chinese Malaysians “intruders”, his wife, Nor Saleha Mohd Salleh, was furious. She said that the charge “insulted all Malays” especially as her husband represented a “symbol of the Malay struggle”.
First of all, who are the “intruders” her husband described?
At the “Malay” section of any large wet market, at a kedai or restaurant, or night market, you will probably converse in Malay, with the stallholder or shopkeeper. He is probably an Indonesian, or a national from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan or central Africa, who has leased the premises from the Malay licence holder.
If you visit your relatives in a small town or kampong, and stop at a fruit stall, it will most probably be manned by a foreigner. The chances are that he has squatted on land which has been left idle by the Malay owners, who reside in the city. The fruit-seller probably harvests the fruit from the dusun (orchard), without the owner’s permission.
Oil palm plantations are mostly owned by GLCs, which are run by Malays. Indian workers, who were once part of the estate scene, have been turfed out and expected to survive, without any compensation or help. Indians have been replaced by cheaper workers, usually Indonesians.
When repair work is needed on our homes, or business premises, we discover that Malays have disappeared from the scene. The road sweeper, the gardener, the construction worker, the petrol pump attendant, shop assistants, factory hands, kitchen help and waitresses have been replaced by foreigners. In the polo clubs and race courses, Indian and Malay syces were once the main workforce. They have been replaced by Indonesians and Myanmarese.
So where have the Malays gone? Malays are conspicuous in élite “Malay” areas of cities, but parts which are considered Malay, like Kampung Baru, have become an Indonesian enclave.
Foreigners may possess Malay features and act and talk Malay but they are not Malay. There are allegations that some of them received working rights in exchange for voting rights. Aren’t these foreigners, the pseudo-Malays, the true intruders? Not the Chinese, who Isma claims are intruders.
The Malays complain about being left behind economically but they are happy to be bystanders in business. Hardwork, persistence and learning from one’s mistakes will make one a better person, but very few Malays adopt these traits.
In an effort to increase Malay participation in commerce, the government designated certain areas as Malay business enterprise zones. These areas have low rents, good locations and access to many amenities. Despite these advantages, the shops appear run-down, have a desolate look, and fail to attract custom.
Clearly, Abdullah Zaik does not know the meaning of “struggle”, whilst his wife is confused about what insults the Malays.
A struggle: when a non-Malay family pool their resources, live frugally with the breadwinner holding down three jobs, so their child, who has been refused entry to a public university despite better grades than his Malay counterpart, can be educated in a private college or overseas institution.
A struggle: when the non-Malay entrepreneur knows that despite his competence and experience, he must think smart and plan three steps ahead to keep his business afloat. He knows he has little chance of winning government tenders, without compromising his work ethics and principles.
A struggle: the non-Malays who fought for their right to religious freedom, only strengthen their religious convictions and resolve. The non-Malays have been robbed of their Bible, their place of worship, their right to certain words and sometimes, the right to cremate their dead. Don’t forget that some of these non-Malays are Bumiputeras.
From around the 5th century, the Malay peninsula was an important confluence for Indian and Chinese merchants. If not for these non-Malays, Malaya would be just another tropical bywater.
Mass immigration 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 “intruders”.
During WWII, the Chinese helped to liberate Malaya from the Japanese and later, helped achieve Merdeka. Many Chinese lost their lives in these struggles.
Nor Saleha is wrong. The sedition charge does not insult the Malays, but has insulted all Malaysians. Abdullah Zaik should not have been charged with sedition. He should have been allowed the freedom to express his opinions. This freedom is given by the Constitution which allows freedom of speech. In any case, Isma has nothing to worry about. This charge is just a sandiwara so that the Umno Baru government appears to “look” fair when it comes down hard on opposition members and NGOs for similar reasons.
It is an insult that Isma considers the Chinese to be “intruders”. Isma has failed to appreciate the history of early Malaya and the contributions of the non-Malays. It is an insult that Isma cannot differentiate between genuine struggle and the struggle of the spoilt and overindulged Malays. Like the child who shouts “Kakak! Kakak! Kakak!”, then orders the Indonesian maid to pass him the TV remote control which has fallen on the floor.
Mariam Mokhtar is "a Malaysian who dares to speak the truth."
Post time 8-7-2014 12:28 PM
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