Each of us belonged to a particular race, and we love our race. A person who loves his or her race cannot be said to be a racist. It is natural for a person to love his or her race. In other words, it is abnormal for a Chinese or Malay not to love his own respective race. We become racist only when the love for our race causes us to be unjust to people of other races. Many call Tun Dr Mahathir a racist because he loves the Malay race more than any other race. Many even called him as ultra-Malay. But it is natural to love our own race as it is normal to love our own children. It is unnatural not to love your own race as it is unnatural not to love your own children. Has Tun Dr Mahathir done any injustice to other races because of his love for the Malays? Tun Dr Mahathir has never done any injustice to the Chinese or the Indians just because he loves Malays. Tun Dr Mahathir loves Malay race and he wants the Malays to be economically at par with other races. In Dr Mahathir’s opinion, the Malays’ prosperity will help stabilise the country as Malays form the majority in Malaysia. Only when the country is stable can other races live in peace and harmony in Malaysia. As the majority race in Malaysia, Malays should not be an underprivileged race because this will be detrimental to the stability of Malaysia. If Malaysia is unstable, other races will not be able to live happily and accumulate wealth in Malaysia. Tun Dr Mahathir loves Malays and Malaysia. Although Tun Dr Mahathir loves Malays, he has not done any injustice to other races. Therefore, Tun Dr Mahathir is not racist. On the other hand, Hitler loves the German race and because of this lunatic obsession, Hitler killed all Jews in German. Since he was unjust to other races, Hitler was a racist and a racist cannot become a good leader.
Racism is bad but to love one’s race is good. All people of the three main races in Malaysia love their own race and work hard to improve the condition of their own race. The three main component parties of BARISAN NASIONAL, namely UMNO, MCA and MIC, belonged to three main races in Malaysia, which are the Malay, Chinese and Indian respectively. Each party look after the interest of their own race and also Malaysia. Although the three main races are independently promoting their own interests, all of them have one common need, that is to be able to live peacefully and in harmony. Only when there is peace and harmony can all of them work and accumulate wealth in Malaysia. Without peace no race will be able to prosper and to work and accumulate wealth in Malaysia. With the formation of Parti Perikatan or later known as ‘Barisan Nasional’, Malaysia seems to find the answer to gain peace and prosperity. However, the May 13, 1969 incident prompted Malaysian leaders to review or revisit the formula of peace and prosperity which they formulated during independence in August 1957. The incident taught the leaders that unequal prosperity between the races created instability to the country .Compared to other races, the majority Malays who is said to be the ‘son of the land’ is relatively poor. Prior to May 13, there was no economic policy to help the Malays to get out of poverty. After May 13, a new economic policy was manifested to help them to become more prosperous or at least comparable to other races, particularly the Chinese. The government aimed to achieve at least 30% of the country’s prosperity to be in the hand of Malays. Prior to May 13, many Malays hated the Chinese, because the Chinese immigrants were richer than them. The Malays primarily lived in the villages and they were generally poor. The Malays did not blame their own weaknesses for the poverty that they were in. Instead they blamed the government and the Chinese. The Malays watched in envy the Chinese who lived in bungalows, drove big cars and having better facilities. Unlike the Malays, many Chinese resided in cities, with good facilities such as good schools, good roads and good hospitals. Prior to May 13, there were very few university educated Malay students and even fewer Malay doctors and engineers. In contrast, there were many Chinese and Indian doctors and engineers. During that time, generally Chinese students received good primary and secondary education and many of them were able to study at universities, either locally or abroad.
Prior to May 13, the government was unaware that the Malays poverty would lead to instability in the country. The May 13th, 1969 was a blessing to Malaysia and to Malays. The incident had opened the eyes of Malaysian leaders to formulate a new economic policy which main aim was to make the Malays more affluent or at least at par with the Chinese. Consequently peace, stability and prosperity in Malaysia were achieved. Due to the new economic policy, many Malays became successful business entrepreneurs. Many bright Malay students were sent to study abroad to become doctors, engineers and other professionals. Now the number of Malay professionals and entrepreneurs in Malaysia has increase dramatically. Many of these products of new economic policy Malay professionals later join politics. They join politics only when they were given higher party posts and opportunities to become party leaders. Since there was less opportunity to do so in UMNO, many ended up joining the opposition parties particularly PAS and PKR. During the implementation of the New Economic Policy, there was an emergence of the work of Dakwah in Malaysia. Because of this, many Malay professionals were inclined towards Islam. They did not have the real Islamic qualities and principles but they had an increased desire towards Islam. They did not have real strong faith in Allah, but they did have the increased desire to follow Islam. Whoever told them that this is an Islamic movement, they would follow the movement. One of the movements that most of these professional joined was PAS.
Their increased inclination towards the adoption of Islamic values and principles in government lured them to join political parties such as PAS which theoretically aimed at establishing an Islamic country. Many of these young Malay professional who has Islamic inclination will join Pas and the less religiously inclined ones will join PKR. Now in Malaysia, among the Malays, particularly the young professionals, there exist two groups, relatively of equal strength. Both are antagonizing each other because of differences in priorities. The first group continue the struggle to upgrade the Ketuanan Melayu as their top priority, whilst the second group struggle to establish Islam as their top priority. On the other hand, our Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib would like to form the third group which struggle to establish one Malaysia as top priority. Unfortunately the Prime Minister’s idea is a very new idea. Many Malays, Chinese and Indians are not yet ready to embrace One Malaysia concept. In my opinion, many Malays, Chinese as well as Indians love their own race more than they love Malaysia. They will certainly struggle to establish the supremacy of their own race above the struggle to establish the supremacy of Malaysia. It is, therefore, hard to establish a new race. ‘Satu Malaysia’, the new race proposed by Prime Minister Najib, is not real. It cannot be established only by songs. Out of respect or fear of the Prime Minister, many people may seem to accept the concept of ‘Satu Malaysia’. In my opinion, I don’t think they sincerely accepted the concept.
In Malaysia, the Malays formed the majority and most dominant race. The Malay unity is of paramount importance in maintaining Malaysia’s stability. Without united Malays, Malaysia cannot become a politically stable country. As a result, Malaysia cannot become a prosperous and peaceful country. Many Malays think and feel the concept of ‘Satu Malaysia’ is undermining the concept of Malay supremacy or ‘Ketuanan Melayu’. The Malays think that Prime Minister Dato’Seri Najib is fighting for the interest of all races, instead of for the Malays. They think that they are not ready to adopt the system of meritocracy where everyone struggle on equal platform and opportunities, and the best will survive. In the past, Malays were pampered by the government and given priorities over other races. Malay students were given priorities to study abroad and the government gave them scholarships. With the concept of ‘Satu Malaysia’, all races have equal opportunities to become successful and the best race will survive. Many Malays are restless vis-a-vis ‘Satu Malaysia’ concept as they are not really ready to compete with the other races. Now with the Malays divided into two groups and a Prime Minister who does not belonged to either, can the Malays be united under the present Prime Minister? Who can unite the Malays? What are common factors that will make the Malays unite?
In my opinion, no one can make the Malays united except Allah. Malays can be made united not by the concept of ‘Satu Malaysia’ or by the concept of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’. Malays can only be united based on the truth, as Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. was reportedly said that, “My ummah cannot be made to unite on falsehood”. All Malays are Muslims and no Malays who are not Muslims. A Malay is a Muslim, and non-Muslims can never become Malay. Malays can only be made to unite on truth and the truth is the orders of Allah. When Malays are ruled by the orders of Allah, the Malays will be united. Only a leader who has the orders of Allah in his life can rule the Malays with the orders of Allah. Malays can introduce the orders of Allah in their life, when their ultimate desire is only to win the pleasure of Allah. Desire to win the pleasure of Allah will make the Malays obey Allah’s orders in the way shown by Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. Once they obey the orders of Allah in the way shown by Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. with the intention to please Allah until Allah is pleased, Allah will place the desire to earn the love of Allah in their heart. Once the Malays have Allah in their heart, Allah will make the Malays united as Allah is the only source of love. Everyone who has the desire to have Allah will definitely get Allah. Allah will not make a person who wants Allah to become frustrated. A person who wants Allah will definitely get Allah. A person who has Allah will have everything that he or she wants in this world and the hereafter. Allah has ordered us to make Allah as our lover and everyone who wants Allah will get Allah. When the desire of the world is in the Malays hearts, they can never be made united. Allah has made the Malays to become educated, professional and rich by virtue of the New Economic Policy. However, without ‘iman’ and good deeds they cannot become united. No one except Allah can make the Malays united, and Allah will make the Malays united if they have the desire to have Allah or the pleasure of Allah. Love of Allah will be the common factor that binds men with another man. Love of worldly materials will tear the Malays and the whole mankind far apart from each other.
Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
October 2011
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre