MALAY DILEMMA; WE CAN’T FIGHT JUST BECAUSE WE ARE POOR

The world since then has changed, Malaya too, has changed. The great leader of the Malays, our 4^th prime minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has written in his controversial book in the early 70’s, Malay Dilemma, that the root cause of the 1969 race clashes were mainly due to economic separation between races in Malaya. I was not yet born during those days, I was born when Malaya was prospering, political awareness was low, and no one really cares about the meaning of the Malay Supremacy. I believe that the ‘Malay Supremacy’ hegemony was not yet brought into public during those volatile days, the only thing that make Malaya volatile is the phrases voiced by a Singaporean named Lee Kuan Yew, ‘Malaysia for Malaysian’ which means that equal rights should be given to all citizen regardless of race in the newly born Malaysia. This triggers no racial clashes, but it caused unhappiness among Malay political leaders especially those in UMNO. Hell broke loose in Singapore on July 1964, during the commotion for Prophet Muhammad s.a.w birthday, racial clashes happened. In 1965, Singapore was departed from Malaysia, a Malay land then, now detached permanently from the Malays. I believe this is a major mistake that the old Malays a.k.a our ancestor has done, they have failed to safeguard their land, a piece of land that was filled with mosque, which now have very little room for a race called Malay.

The 1964 race riot in Singapore, and the fact that Singapore is no more rule by Malays do not change the Malay, it shocked them, but it is not enough to wake the Malays up in peninsular. During the 1969 election, the atmosphere was filled with racism aired by those political parties which involved in the election, and the consequences to this hatred installed in each Malaysian is truly a disaster. This time peninsular was on fire. Sino-Malay riot occurred in Selangor and it was spreading to the whole of peninsular. Our great leader has written in his infamous book, ‘Malay Dilemma’ that the root of this cause is due to the backwardness of the Malays in economics and education. Then, the government started to implement new policy for the Malays in order to improve their education and grasp in the economics of their own soil, their one and only land, Malaysia. Since then, the country was well stabilized, and the government won the election to these days. After almost 40 years we live in this kind of agreement; bias in hiring the employees in the government sector as well as in education level, bias in giving out loans etc, for the sake of Malays to improve in their own soil, we are actually facing a Malay dilemma again. The great leader is no more there to protect and demand for us, and now we realize that we are actually brittle. We may look solid but we are easily broken.

Voices that against our rights are always heard, even those which are gazetted in the constitution too, are being questioned. We are facing the same threat, the same thing that Lee Kuan Yew has brought into our ancestors’ mind 50 years ago. The Malays never learned through their past experiences. We were being passive when we were once lead by an ultra, and now when he is no more in power, we are actually in the brink to be sink. Some Malays just don’t bother if they are losing their privileges, some resist while others just don’t really care what is happening around them. This same way of thinking as the Malays in the old sultanate, is said to be a major cause why the whole Malaya in the end falls under colonial power. Well, the Malays actually are just being too passive and they are not unite. Now, we realize that we can’t rely entirely on our leaders which are also human beings, just like us, and leaders deem to create mistakes that can lead to a race destruction. Not all leaders can lead well and good in making decisions. We notice that the existence of the policy for the Malays has failed, after 40 years being implemented, it has not moved the Malays to become entrepreneurs. We only occupy 18.9% of the country economy’s cake even after all of these biases. It’s either wrong policy, or wrong implementation. Once again, I believe it is due to the passiveness of the Malay, the complacency of the Malays when they feel that they are pampered by the authority, an authority which they know will always backed them.

Now, all slaps hit to Malays, we are chaotically running here and there trying to defend our privileges from being questioned and later being revoke. More and more NGO’s emerged to safeguard our very own rights, as political party can’t be rely on to undertake the task. Sadly, the Malays has never changed. Our mind are prone to be brainwashed, and I believe that it is one of the Malay cultures, to hate other Malay, rather than to be united. They spend more time to gossip and bring down a man’s pride and integrity, rather than to work and earn a good pay which later on our wealth can be used to protect our race. Thus, with this attitude, we are easily being manipulated by the others, for their own good, while bit by bit, without realizing it, we are separated and whatever used to be ours, are gone with time. This is true when we talk about NGO’s that are trying to safeguard our rights, even this non-partisan group which work for the whole Malay group are being attacked by not only kuffars, but shockingly by our very own people, the Malays! The Malays once again has never changed, we are repeating the same mistakes done by our ancestors in those days from the colonization of Malaya to the lost of Singapore. There is a need for this issue to be brought into mainstream, the history should be learned, and not ever be repeated.

Even though there are plenty of NGO’s desperately trying their best to protect our rights, the support from the masses and support in terms of money are still inadequate. I congratulate them, for their bravery, and their willingness to sacrifice while facing millions of obstacle, not only from the kuffars, but also from some groups of Malays like I mentioned before. Why is it so hard to keep the Malays in power, and why do we actually need all those privileges? Why do other races in Malaysia look down on us, and why do they not speak in national language like others will do when they arrive in a foreign land? Although now Malaysia is not a foreign land for the other races as Malaysia is their birthplace, but why don’t they speak in the national language which is the language of the majority, the Malays? My young brain would say it is because we are lack in power, which if it is to be translated in this modern world, it would bring the meaning of wealth. The Malays are mostly poor, we are in power, we are the authority in this land, but without money, we can be easily bought by those who got the money. Money is power, without money, our authority will be nothing more than just a name. Due to money, we crawl in our own soil, we beg in our soil, and due to money, which we are lack of it; we are desperately trying to protect our rights which although gazette in the constitution, still being questioned by the kuffars. It’s all simply because we are not in power. A power has yet to be obtained by the Malays ever since we were colonized by the west.

We have run amok in 1969, and the outcome is the new policies which more incline towards the Malays, and still we are unable to control the country’s economy. Then we know that this is not an ideal solution for our problem. We can run amok for a number of time, force the government to amend the policies again and again, but it will definitely not a solution for our grievance. What actually have not tackle the very root of our problems, in economics and education. There are policies in place to upgrade the Malays, but yet we still far from reaching the target. What we need is actually a change in our norms, thus, a change in our culture. The way we go on live on a day to day basis. There is a need to reform. It is time for us to change the norms that we follow in life. We need to start to collect wealth, we can’t sit back relax waiting time the angels to come and grab our soul. Going for wealth doesn’t mean that we are accepting the world and rejecting the hereafter. The Malay NGO’s should be the key role in creating a wealthier and educated Malay race. They should start up tuition classes for children which are from poor Malay families, set up courses for Malays to become entrepreneurs, provide funds for Malays to set up businesses or to send their children to universities etc. It may sound a bit hard, but together we’ll make it a reality. Until the Malays are rich, until the Malays are very well educated, only then we will be a stronger race and can’t be bought with money. We should free ourselves from this neo-colonization, where now it is common for Malay in power to be bought, even those influential ones. Brought them in as board of directors, and they’ll dance to their master tune. This is understandable in this new era, where money is the outermost important aspect, even the whites will also knee if they are in the need. So, that’s why we need to steer ourselves and our race out from this dilemma.

This is just a piece of my thought, the reason I feel why my race in backwardness, and why after so many years, we still can’t solve the problem and create a better Malaysia. I am no racist youth, I’m writing for the sake of my race, the fact that my race in turbulence and challenging times, not due to the hatred to other races. I dream a better Malaysia, but until the races are truly united, it is our task to keep on going to safeguard what is ours. Hope Allah blesses the journey of the Malays.