Multiracial Malaysia? Yes! United Malaysia? No!

Prof Khoo's comment on fragile Malaysian racial unity has triggered a volley of disparate reactions. New Straits Times had published the report earlier while The Straits Times of Singapore later excerpted the comments and published on the republic's newspaper.

Hereby, I want to contribute my views on the issue. For I am also a Malaysian, there is no reason why I can not comment from a Malaysian's perspective.

Most national schools do not offer mother tongue. Moreover, it was circulated among the Chinese communities that eduacation quality there is very sorry. Therefore, when I was a primary school student, my parents, like majority of the Chinese, sent me to a Chinese School, where 99% of the students are Chinese. Hence, although we learnt Bahasa Melayu, there was not much chance for kids like that age to interact with Malays or other races.

On the other hand, Malays or Orang Asli in Chinese schools did not get along with the teachers well, either. In my vague memory, Malay students were always punished for not following instructions even though this was not their fault. Indeed, severe discrimination in Malaysian education system is to be blamed unless the teachers were expecting non-Chinese to understand Mandarin even before they learn the language.

In my neighbourhood, there are not many other races, either. Despite of the fact that Malays account for 60% of the total population, many of them live in rural areas, or low-price housing built for bumiputeras. Thus, planned housing estates or what we call Taman accomodate mostly middle or high income Chinese population. Again, it creates little opportunities for an integration between different races.

Socially and politically, the racial unity is in a very bad state. Apart from politicised inter racial relation, affirmative action policy is also planting a time bomb in our society. In the field of education, we see deterioating quality of education institues and declining ranking of Universities in Malaysia. As for industry, national companies like MAS, Tenaga, Proton, are losing huge sum of money while Plus, Telekom, Patronas survive by frequent rise of tol charge, telephone bill and processed oil price to compensate the possible loss.

There is, however, a big underlying problem behind all the ill-doing of the government - All the faults are attributed to Malays. Many Chinese believe that Malays have hindered Malaysia's economic development while majority of the Malaysian Chinese tax-payers are complaining that Malays are "fed" on the tax, instead of using the money to develop the nation. Chinese students, on the other hand, blame Malay students for allowing the education system in Malaysia to be in the poor state. When it comes to a debate whether positive discrimination shores up "crutch culture", Chinese students will usually agree with the statement without hestitation.

Yet, towards affirmative action, some of the Chineses do support the policy. These people are basically insecure of their interest in Malaysia. Many of them are afraid that if universities do not admit those Malays, especially male students, chances are many of them will be jobless and end up as a criminal, affecting the country's security. What they are most insecured of is the possibility that situation in Malaysia will become that in Indonesia, where Chinese interest is difficult to be protected. Nevertheless, as the Malays population ratio increases, the policy will do little help to keep the country socially stable in that case. One can simply imagine: If 90 % are to be offered discount when buying house, how can the government afford the subsidy while only 10% are contibuting to the "profit" of national reserve?

Thus, I believe that if the situation of racial segregation in Malaysia is not solved, it is matter of time before the time bomb explodes. Meanwhile, 50 years effort of nation building will be ruined, while neighbouring countries like Singapore will also be adversely affected.

Despite of the disappointment and discontent among the chinese community towards the government, the situation is quite unique in Malaysia in the sense that Chinese are having a strong sense of patriotism to the country, and they usually can mingle well with Malay individuals. Remembered was my malay neighbours are also playmates when I was very young, living in the old house. Perhaps politicians should stop potraying themselves as ethnical hero by stirring up inter-racial relation.


The photo was taken before I entered standard one.
Right is me while left two are Malay nieghbours, whom we used to play badminton with. However, we can not even recognise each other now.

How far should an individual be allowed to exercise his freedom of speech?

Freedom of Speech is always wrongly associated with freedom of press. Later is freedom to report the truth, which is sinew of a democractic society, for it helps monitoring the government and to ensure that the country is corruption-free. Freedom of speech, however, is the right to freedom of expression, be it the truth or lie.

The world sees the issue of how far an individual should be allowed to exercise freedom of speech being debated for a few decades. The furore incensed by caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, however, has polarised the controversy basically into the West and the rest.

Democracy has a deep root in Western society for almost 3 centuries, so is the freedom of speech. Free speech allows free flow of idea between individuals. The right is further forgone as the people are matured enough to evaluate the ideas, exercising self-restraint and tolerance.

The East and the Muslim world obviously are not prepared to accept critics. While blesphemy law is almost forgotten in the West, Muslim world still consider it as a crime that should be sentensed to death penalty. Moreover, when the caricatures were first published on Danish Newspapers, most of the secular Danes did not give much attention to the cartoons as Jesus also frequently becomes a topic of satire. In contrast, Danish Imams protest agianst the cartoons, and even made the event worldwide after being turned down by the government on the ground of freedom of speech. This shows how unaccepting the Muslim world is.

In other part of non-Muslim part of Asia, freedom of speech is not exercised well, either. In the Phillipines, foreign journalists are always lampooned and their flags are burnt for "unsatistory" publication of the country, such as suggesting that traffic congestion will tarnish Manila's image.

These explain why there is a need for restriction of free speech. The country can not affort freedom of speech at the expense of stability of society. As the people are not ready for an speech open society, preventing advocates of harm is more effective than encouraging people to be more tolerant.