I do not consider myself a chauvinist but although I do love my race but it is base on knowing the facts and the memories I have of them. I am a Rascist Malay but it doesn't mean I forgot the rights of the other races but my love for my race is base on creating a level playing field and I lament the fact that now the Malays have change. They were no more the Gentlemen of the East as describe by R. O. Winstedt. Here is an article with a comment by me which is very long. Please do take note everybody was born of different race thus to love one's race make you a rascist but denying others of their rights makes you a chauvinist and I am not that. Happy Reading!
24/05: Malays in the eyes of Lee Kuan Yew
Category: General
Posted by: Raja Petra
Kuda Ranggi
Singapore's mentor minister, Lee Kuan Yew, had once painted a clear picture of the Malays, both in the republic and in Malaysia. He also exposed the different perspective of the Malays, by his son and current prime minister Brig-Gen (R) Lee Hsien Loong. The senior Lee said this in a 2003 'tea session' with the Singapore Malay/Muslim community leaders. Kuan Yew's perspective is very relevant today in light of the much-publicised Iskandar Development Region (IDR) in Johor which seeks Singaporean active participation and investments."From my childhood I had Malay friends. I played with kampong boys, both Malays and Chinese. At the age of 6, I went to Telok Kurau English School. There were many Malay pupils who had crossed over from Telok Kurau Malay School which was in the adjacent compound, sharing the same football field. So I grew up completely at ease with Malays: quite a few of my Malay fellow students went on with me to Raffles Institution".According to Kuan Yew, his son Hsien Loong grew up in a period when political differences between the races were deliberately sharpened during Singapore's years in Malaysia, 1963-65."He is therefore very conscious of the dangers of antagonistic race relations and understands that the sensitivities of race and religion have to be tactfully managed."Kuan Yew also spoke of Malayan Malay elites he met for the first time when he went to Raffles College."They had come mostly on Federal government or state government scholarships. (The scholarships were awarded by the British colonial administration- Syed Imran). They were more race conscious and mixed more among themselves than with Chinese, Indian and other students. It did not strike me strongly until after we joined Malaysia that they are different: a deep seated feeling that the country, Malaya, Tanah Melayu, was for the Malays," Kuan Yew added.After the war, Kuan Yew went to England and became a lawyer. For his first case, he was assigned to defend four Malays who had been charged for the murder in the 1951 Bertha Hertogh (Natrah) riots of an Royal Air Force serviceman and his wife who were travelling in a bus along Geylang Serai. He got them acquitted.In 1955, Kuan Yew decided to stand as a candidate for the Tanjong Pagar constituency where the Malay-majority postmen's quarters were. There was also a large contigent of Malay workers at the then Singapore Harbour Board quarters. He was confident that the Malays would support him, and they did.However, Kuan Yew claimed that when trouble started with Malayan Malays agitating in Singapore after merger in 1963, "I discovered more differences between Malayan Malays and the Singapore Malays. The Singapore Malays accepted me as a fellow citizen, sharing the country with them, the Malayan Malays did not."He said when Singapore became independent in 1965, he made a firm commitment not to let the Malay community down. That commitment, according to Kuan Yew, was shared by all his colleagues of the republic's original team (Cabinet)."It has been our policy ever since. When we had to rebuild the city, we made sure that as the suraus were demolished, new mosques were built in the new towns, better and bigger. We made sure that our Malays are free to practice their customs and religion. We made sure that there was as much intermingling as possible with the other races in housing, schools, markets shopping centres and community centres. We have made progress."He admitted that there were difficulties when old Malay settlements had to be demolished and people re-housed. But after the initial years, Malays were reassured that life in the new housing estates was better than in the old settlements.Social attitudes and values of the people, including the Malays, have changed, both in Singapore and in Malaysia, but in different ways, said Kuan Yew."This is because the two countries have different education systems and different social structures that have made for different social relations between the races."With such differences, 'multiple differences' cannot be avoided if and when Singaporeans decided to invest and to settle down in IDR.
My Comment
what was said by manaboleh(a commentator) is true. No matter what LKY say he is, as far as I am concern, a chauvinist chinese. He hoodwink a lot of Malays leader and he even have the audacity to declare the Bahasa Kebangsaan Singapore is Malay. Before SBC the acronym use were RTS, a malay acronym, the motto in their National Creat is still malay tho' Majulah Singapura'. Yet the official Language is English and Mandarin and not Bahasa Kebangsaan(National Language), at least during his time he can still read Jawi, yes LKY at one time could read Jawi and speak Malay well but now Chinese are encourage to learn English and Mandarin. The marginalisation of the malays are real pls read the book written by the grandaughter of the President Yusof Ishak who wrote her thesis in Australia, pls get the book. The Malays in Singapore are even not allowed to hold weapon in the army and this was even explain by the Minister at their parliament.As far as I know there is no higher rank malay who is a General in the army maybe a colonel even than in the areas not regarded as sensetive ie that weaponary are not under his control. No Police of the rank of Assistant Commisioner and above are hold by Malays, they can rant meritocracy but here in Malaysia at least there is a Commisioner of Police who are Chinese although the chinese make up a small percentage of the security forces.Here is an article with comment made by Lee Kuan Yew, A question of loyalty:
the Malays in Singapore
NEARLY 13 years ago, then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew triggered a debate about Malay loyalty with televised comments he made before a university audience (December 1986). Lee stated that the government had taken two opinion polls prior to and following the visit of Israeli President Chiam Herzog (November 1986) to the republic.
The poll found that the number of Malay respondents who were not against the visit fell sharply from one poll to the next, while the proportion of non-Malays who did not oppose the visit rose marginally.
Lee interpreted this to mean that "in certain circumstances, the Malay Singaporeans react with the emphasis on Malay/Muslim rather than Singaporean.
An article in the Far Eastern Economic Review Asia 1998 Yearbook (pg 222f) says, "To Lee this came down to a question of loyalty : "Are we sure that in a moment of crisis, when the heat is on, we are all together heart to heart? I hope so. But we ought to have a fallback position and quickly fill up all the missing hearts if some go missing."
The same article says, "In February 1987, Lee's son commented further on the status of the Malays in an open forum on why Malays do not hold sensitive positions in the armed forces. Explaining that there are no Malay fighter pilots, for example, because their religion might conflict with their duty to Singapore, he provoked a backlash of criticism from the Muslim community in addition to Singapore's Muslim neighbours."
The article goes on to say, "these statements represented some of the most frank public commentaries ever made by Singapore's political leaders on the role of the Malays, which continues to stir emotions among the Malay community."
As recently as September 18, Mr Lee, speaking at a Singapore 21 forum said, the reality is that while Singapore has made progress in integrating the different races, certain emotional bonds are instinctive and cannot be removed overnight. (Straits Times September 19, 1999)
Asked by a polytechnic student if Singapore could overcome this and become a nation, Mr Lee said: "Yes, I think so, over a long period of time and selectively. We must not make an error.
"If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine gun unit, that's a very tricky business.
"We've got to know his background. I'm saying these things because they are real, and if I didn't think that, and I think even if today the Prime Minister doesn't think carefully about this, we could have a tragedy."
"So, these are problems which, as poly students, you're colour-blind to, but when you face life in reality, it's a different proposition."
Reports in the Singapore media this year refuting Indonesian Presidents Habibie's remarks in February that Singapore was racist because Malays could not become military officers only stated that there are Malay officers in the armed forces.
The reports made no reference to the documented remarks (above) of the two Lees regarding Malay loyalty.
The reports also did not state:
1. if Malays hold sensitive positions in the armed forces;
2. if any Malay officers in the Singapore air force are fighter pilots; and
3. if the Lees have changed their expressed position regarding loyalty of the Malays.
While meritocracy is still maintained in the island and the Singapore armed forces appoints and promotes Malays, there is no evidence that Malay Singaporeans hold sensitive positions in the Singapore armed forces.
this is from wikipedia [edit] Status of Malays in Singapore
Malays in Singapore are generally of mixed descent, but are recognised as indigenous people of Singapore by the Singapore Constitution, Part XIII, General Provisions, Minorities and special position of Malays, section 152:
The Government shall exercise its functions in such manner as to recognise the special position of the Malays, who are the indigenous people of Singapore, and accordingly it shall be the responsibility of the Government to protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote their political, educational, religious, economic, social and cultural interests and the Malay language.
Even Ahmad Ibrahim a solicitor General of singapore and a renown Malay intelectual has to leave and migrate to Malaysia
By the way the only time the singapore Chinese speak Malay is when they sing the National Athem which is up to now in Malay another comment you can find
Marginalized across the Causeway
What it is to the Malays in Singapore.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I refer to Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's recent statement regarding Singapore Malays.
It is reassuring to note the supposedly tremendous strides, backed by statistics, made by the Malays in the tiny Island state. The figures shown were from 1990, about the time Goh became Prime Minister. It seems Singapore Malays have much to thank him for.
In this case, however, facts and figures need to be analyzed, explained and put into broader perspective, to give them a human face, if you like. Without them, statistics tend to be equivocal. Further, other relevant matters were missing. Perhaps, in the circumstances, Goh did not have the time or conveniently refuse to elaborate.
For instance, it was stated that last year 23 percent of Singapore Malay workers held administrative, managerial, professional, technical and related jobs, while the figure for Malaysian Malays was 16 percent in 1998.
I am not sure if Goh was referring to the private sector in both countries. In the public sector, the percentage in Malaysia is definitely more than 16 percent, perhaps even more than 60 percent. I should know, I was a government officer for 20 years.
If I am right, perhaps Goh or anyone else could tell us the percentage of Singapore Malays at the higher level, in the public sector, including those in the armed forces, the police and diplomatic service. I wonder how many Malays there are in the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Oh yes, he has conspicuously or purposely left out the statistics or percentage of Malays in the security forces and the police, (excluding airport and harbor board police). Not many perhaps. Maybe they are not qualified, in spite of, "one out of four Singapore Malay workers possessed upper secondary or higher qualifications last year".
I am not clear when he said, "The percentage entering university has increased by almost 1.5 times from 2.9 percent to 4.2 percent. The total number of Malay university graduates has increased by more than 3.5 times".
Does the percentage relate to total university intake or total Malay population of about 400,000? If the former, it is not a big deal. Out of 100 students taken into university, only about four are Malays. If the latter, namely 16 students, it is still not worth mentioning. It merely tallies with the total Singapore Malay population of about 15 percent.
Even if the facts and figures were given in proper perspective, just what is the definition of a "Malay" in Singapore?
I have met Singaporeans who are similar to but not quite Malay, with Christian names and who could not speak a word of Malay. Instead they spoke pidgin English, which made me think at first they were from the Philippines. Just what is this idea of the Malay hybrid culture in Singapore? This is worse than being marginalized.
We in Malaysia associate Malays with Islam and the Malay language, the lingua franca of the Malay Archipelago. I can accept a Malay who is Christian. There are many of them in Indonesia. They speak Bahasa Indonesia, which is Malay based. But a Malay Christian who cannot speak Malay but only pidgin English is quite another matter. They simply unnerve me.
By commission or omission, the Singapore authority appears to be encouraging the creation of this cross-Frankenstein race. Are we then to understand the statistics quoted by Goh to include this type of adherents, who are considered Malays for statistical purposes and perhaps quite accommodating to the powers that be?
I believe this is the unkindest cut of all. It destroys the essence of the Malay identity, balance and harmony. Most likely, this is the spectre that is haunting the Malays in Malaysia.
Imagine, in Singapore where the Utusan Melayu was founded, the Asas 50 inaugurated and the land of the Babas and Nyonyas, Malay is no longer spoken even by the Malays. What a mockery. And for heavens sake, please speak and write proper English, not some pidgin roadside sing-song.
During the British colonial era, religion or specifically Islam was left to the Islamic authority. Marriages between Muslims and subsequent registration were carried out by the then religious department.
In Islam, the akad, that is, the offer and acceptance, duly witnessed and conducted by a religious official is vital. Without it there is no marriage. The registration is secondary.
Currently, in Singapore, what matters is the civil registration which accords recognition to the marriage. The akad need not necessarily follow the registration. Hence, there are many Muslims who are not married in the eyes of Islam living together and having children. Marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims too are quite liberal. If that is not marginalization of the Malays, I don't know what is.
Indeed, some time ago the Malays in Singapore and, perhaps indirectly, the Malays in Malaysia were the butt of silly jokes on the Internet. By the time the Singapore authorities stopped them, the harm was done. It merely goes to reflect the deep, dark, in-built, psyche of Singaporeans against the Malays in general.
Thus, when Prime Minister Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad clobbered CLOB with a maestro's touch, a Singaporean questioned whether this was an IQ problem on the part of Malaysia. It was an IQ problem, the Singaporean IQ, obviously.
There is a lesson in all this for the Malays in Malaysia, if not those in Singapore. Weakness, either in numbers, economy, politics or plain disunity will be thoroughly and meticulously exploited by our enemies, and our friends. That is the order of life, the rule anywhere, at any given time in history.
The Malays are not an exception, with or without the National Development Policy. Affirmative action can only assist us along the way, not all the way. We have to play our part in the bargain, to resolve that we succeed in every endeavor undertaken. Justification is strictly by results, not merely to satisfy others, but foremost to satisfy ourselves.
Indeed in this respect we should be thankful to God for reminding us Malays once again what might or could have been if ever we become disunited and weak in spirit and resolution. God forbid.
Article contributed by: Hashim Ambia, Ampang
this is written by a enlighten Singaporean Malay
Myth: Malays Receive Free Education
One of the sore points many Singaporeans on the Internet have regarding our Malays is the notion that we are receiving "free education" from the state even through polytechnic and university.
Free education for indigenous people is a legacy brought about by the British to protect the original inhabitants of a country. It is still widely practised in other Commonwealth nations such as Australia and New Zealand where the aborigines are fully subsidised in tertiary institutions.
However the legacy for tertiary fees has been dismounted by the Government since 1991. While students coming from households earning less than $1500 a month will be put through a subsidy programme via Mendaki ( a Malay version of the Chinese CDAC and Indian SINDA), the majority of Malay students in polytechnics and universities today are there on tuition fees fully paid for by their parents. Be rest assured that your Malay countrymen are working and saving just as hard as you are to support their children's tertiary educations.
Myth: Malays Will Betray the Country for the Neighbours in War
I am not sure how this misconception came about but having served my NS stint in the Army with good buddies of all races, it is a myth that puzzles me as much as it bereaves me.
Some time in April this year, a member of the ewadah forum posted an informal poll meant to be answered by Muslim Singaporeans who served in the Army. The question was "If Singapore goes to war with Malaysia, will you shoot a fellow Malay-Muslim from the enemy side?"
Several people responded to the poll. ALL responded in the affirmative. To me, the results are hardly surprising. In Islam, fighting for one's country is one of the most exalted forms of Jihad.
History has also shown that Malays are loyal to their country and its people first. Race will only come in second. When Tunku Abdul Rahman invited Malays from Singapore over to Malaysia to enjoy the vast Bumiputra privileges during the separation, our Malays in Singapore largely remained loyal to the nation and refused to budge.
Loyalty of the Malay race to this country and its people should never come into question, ever.
Myth: Malays are a Druggie Race
Another popular misconception is that Malays are a druggie race and largely are a liability to the society.
Granted, this would have been accurate in the 80s. I make no apologies for the ignorance of these people during that era. They were an eyesore and a source of huge embarrassment for the Malay society.
But the community has made great improvements with the help of the country's leaders and evangelical activists within its own ranks. According to statistics from the CNB, Malays are no longer the No. 1 problem race when it comes to narcotics. It has been that way for the past few years.
Myth: Malays are Lazy
Historically and culturally, Malays have always had a good life. Unlike their counter parts from China and India who had to toil the soil and endure extreme climatic forces just to ensure their survival, Malays never had to endure these hardships much. Everything that you throw into the fertile soils of the Malay Peninsular, will sprout into a healthy plant within a few months. Unlike the Chinese in China, growing food was never much of a problem nor was it a matter of toiling. Leisure and quality time with the family became a very much entrenched way of life within the Malay community.
Unfortunately these civilizations came on a collision course when the Chinese started migrating into the Malay lands. When the Chinese came, they brought along their hard-working and industrious ways that has been so much a part of their life for thousands of years.
Naturally the Malays soon found themselves behind, unable to break out from the norms that their forefathers have lived over the centuries. To make things worse, the British continued to shower the indigenous Malays with various concessions, further lullabying them into an existence of complacency.
This is popularly regarded as the reason for the notion of "The Lazy Malay".
But let it be known that ever since Singapore separated from Malaysia, our Malays here have been growing up in a separate ecosystem than their Bumiputra counterparts. Having lived and breathed just like the other citizens of the land and void of special privileges, the younger generations of Malays here have developed their own variant of a Malay DNA.
Malays here have given rise to its fair share of President Scholars, PSC Scholars and other prestigious graduates. In fact, Malays in Singapore have held the record for being the most academically improved when compared to other races at various educational levels including the polytechnics and universities. Our youngsters are hungry for success and chasing the Singapore Dream, just like the other youths of Singapore.
On the economic front, we have also produced our fair share of millionaires. Salleh Marican , the owner of listed company Second Chance Holdings and Datuk Zain the owner of Prestige Marine Services are just two figures in the Malays society who have made headlines recently and done the country proud. Several other millionaires could be mentioned but it would take too much space in a short article such as this.
Laziness is an attribute that exists in every race and creed. It is unfair to label Malays as still being lazy just because you keep seeing the same group of Malays hanging out at the void deck. I am sure someone somewhere can point you the way to a group of youth from other races who are wasting time in a similar manner.
this is the name of the book you need to find Lily Zubaidah Rahim, The Singapore Dilemma. This is written by a chinese Singaporean read it please Is there racial discrimination in Singapore? A personal opinion
Reading the doctoral thesis of Lily Zubaidah Rahim, The Singapore Dilemma, has made me think about the issue of racial discrimination.. The conspicuous absence of this book from the shelves of Singapore bookstores is yet another sad example of the practice of self-censorship among people running bookstores in Singapore. Our NUS Central Library is even cuter, the book is available only in the Singapore-Malaysia Collection and the 'Closed Stacks'! Imagine, a book that was published in 1998 ending up in the Closed Stacks; what was that common NUS joke again about girls in their first year being like RBR books, girls in their second year being in the Main Shelves, and finally in the Closed Stacks when they are in their third year J? But again, we are talking about NUS, where its bookstore played a mini hide and seek with James Gomez's book on self-censorship, best described here.
There were many important points raised in this book, that perhaps made the distributors uneasy. For example, the public housing scheme that the PAP is so proud of, has the effect of splintering the Malay community into housing estates throughout Singapore. Ethnic residential quotas in HDB blocks were also introduced in 1989, in the pretext of preventing the emergence of ethnic enclaves that might harm racial harmony.
All these measures undertaken ensure that the Malays in Singapore, no matter how dissatisfied, can never gather enough electoral support to push for their agenda. This is the classic 'divide and conquer' strategy. With such a strategy, Malay interests would now be primarily articulated and represented within parameters determined by the PAP government and its Malay MPs (pp. 72-76). It also ensures that the government can afford to continue its minimalist approach to the Malay community without suffering any electoral backlash.
In choosing that title for her thesis, I suspected that Lily is trying to relate her study to the book by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir, The Malay Dilemma. I believe the important conclusion from the latter book is that the Malays are constrained by their culture, to be less inclined towards competition and more inclined towards a sedate lifestyle. Thus, Mahathir believes he has to practice favourable treatment towards them to protect the native Malays, which he call the 'bumiputras' from being driven out by the other races. Lily regarded this analysis as the 'cultural deficit' model, and she clearly feels that it needed to be reappraised for Singapore (p. 248).
The discussions on racism in Singapore ( A Singapore Chinese view)
Discussing the issue of racism in Singapore is particularly sensitive, with signals coming for the PAP that it is one of those 'out of bound' markers of Singapore discourse, a fact that Lily herself acknowledged (p. 8). If you ask a Chinese about the subject, he or she will probably reply that there is no racism in Singapore. It was particularly enlightening for me to hear from Dr Lee Tsao Yuan, sharing in Parliament during her time as an NMP, on the issue of the Singapore Heartbeat. Dr Lee said that she could have stayed in Canada permanently but she chooses to come back to Singapore since it is only in Singapore that she feels treated as an equal.
In all these rhetoric, it is ironic when I have yet to see any Malay proclaiming the same. I was thinking, "what does a Chinese knows about racial discrimination in Singapore?" When Fandi Ahmad announced that he may be emigrating to South Africa with his wife, because he is worried that his son may not be able to cope in Singapore, many Singaporeans, all Chinese I remember, were quick to criticize his decision for being an ingrate. A discussion in the newsgroup, soc.culture.singapore, in 1998, had an Indian sharing about how his Chinese wife and him has decided to emigrate to Australia because his wife, for the first time, realized the racial discrimination in Singapore.
It is insightful that, before they got married, he had warned the wife that there will be such discrimination but his wife did not believed it to be true. After she was the victim of it, facing snide remarks from her fellow Chinese ladies, about having 'contaminated herself', when she fetch her mixed son from school, she decided to leave Singapore. When other netters responded that Australia is also well known for discrimination, the Indian replied quite sternly that, although there are, it is nothing compared to Singapore.
Thus, I have learned to read Singaporeans' proclamations of Singapore, either being a country free of racism unlike other countries, or being a country where you have 'the freedom to walk tall with head held high regardless of the colour of my skin' with a pinch of salt. Whenever I hear or read of such proclamations, I would first check the person's identity. Up till this present moment, my results shows that every such person would be a Chinese Singaporean. It just shows how ignorant we Chinese are about racial discrimination in Singapore.
I would state my own observation that, while it may be true that there are racial discrimination in the US, at least they are aware of it and are still trying to decide the best way to resolve it. Here in Singapore, we are discouraged from even mentioning this issue under the constant threat of having racial riots breaking out the moment we attempt to.
Interestingly, the PAP government, in the period between 1959 to 1964, fought hard to be part of the Malaysian federation with the well-known slogan 'Malaysian Malaysia'. This slogan, I believe, is trying to defuse racial tensions by stating that only Malaysians matter; whether they are Chinese or Malays should not be an issue of contentment. After we were expelled from the Malaysian Federation despite all these efforts, there was never an equivalent promotion of a 'Singaporean Singapore' after that, which to me, is a significant difference that might shed light into the marginality of the Malays in Singapore. In contrast, Singapore has all these social institutions like the SAP schools, the setting up of self-help groups among races such as CDAC and the Medakai, and the focus on Confucianism that seems to reinforce the differences between the races.
My conclusion
Yes, I agree unequivocally that there is racism in Singapore. I first realized this explicitly in 1998 when I participated in my church walkathon. I remember the week before that event, my pastor announced to us that he has warned the MRT staff that there will be a huge crowd of people arriving at Marina Bay MRT station in the morning of the event. I was among the crowd of people who had to move at a snail's pace from the train exit to the booths in order to leave the station. As I was edging towards the ticket booths, I notice many MRT staff, a few with loud-hailers, giving directions on which way we should proceed.
It then suddenly hit me, what a contrast their attitude was towards us, compared to the Indian workers at Bugis MRT station on Sundays! The MRT staff were smiling at us, making conversations and so on and so forth. If you visit Bugis station on Sundays, you will see that many Indians spend their day off in the popular haunt, Serangoon Road. There would be some mobile railings segregating them from the rest of us, and the way the MRT staff shout at them or the expression in their faces, I was surprised to see that they were smiling at us now.
Actually, it is quite obvious why there is a different treatment towards us. The MRT staff identify with us, almost all of us being Chinese. Even among some of my university friends, I heard many racists complains about the smell coming out of the Indians. I guess that walkathon was to me what Damascus was to Paul, my scales were finally removed from my eyes. I begin to take note on other puzzles, such as the numerous Malay staff manning the counter in the NUS Central Library. Lily's thesis is thus an important contribution in my understanding to this subject, and I hope to also make a contribution in this area.
I hope this is enough so please my dear readers if you think LKY he is good to me, he is as bad as the UMNO leaders! whom you hate!
For the full text and comments by other readers you can go here http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/index.php?itemid=4888
24/05: Malays in the eyes of Lee Kuan Yew
Category: General
Posted by: Raja Petra
Kuda Ranggi
Singapore's mentor minister, Lee Kuan Yew, had once painted a clear picture of the Malays, both in the republic and in Malaysia. He also exposed the different perspective of the Malays, by his son and current prime minister Brig-Gen (R) Lee Hsien Loong. The senior Lee said this in a 2003 'tea session' with the Singapore Malay/Muslim community leaders. Kuan Yew's perspective is very relevant today in light of the much-publicised Iskandar Development Region (IDR) in Johor which seeks Singaporean active participation and investments."From my childhood I had Malay friends. I played with kampong boys, both Malays and Chinese. At the age of 6, I went to Telok Kurau English School. There were many Malay pupils who had crossed over from Telok Kurau Malay School which was in the adjacent compound, sharing the same football field. So I grew up completely at ease with Malays: quite a few of my Malay fellow students went on with me to Raffles Institution".According to Kuan Yew, his son Hsien Loong grew up in a period when political differences between the races were deliberately sharpened during Singapore's years in Malaysia, 1963-65."He is therefore very conscious of the dangers of antagonistic race relations and understands that the sensitivities of race and religion have to be tactfully managed."Kuan Yew also spoke of Malayan Malay elites he met for the first time when he went to Raffles College."They had come mostly on Federal government or state government scholarships. (The scholarships were awarded by the British colonial administration- Syed Imran). They were more race conscious and mixed more among themselves than with Chinese, Indian and other students. It did not strike me strongly until after we joined Malaysia that they are different: a deep seated feeling that the country, Malaya, Tanah Melayu, was for the Malays," Kuan Yew added.After the war, Kuan Yew went to England and became a lawyer. For his first case, he was assigned to defend four Malays who had been charged for the murder in the 1951 Bertha Hertogh (Natrah) riots of an Royal Air Force serviceman and his wife who were travelling in a bus along Geylang Serai. He got them acquitted.In 1955, Kuan Yew decided to stand as a candidate for the Tanjong Pagar constituency where the Malay-majority postmen's quarters were. There was also a large contigent of Malay workers at the then Singapore Harbour Board quarters. He was confident that the Malays would support him, and they did.However, Kuan Yew claimed that when trouble started with Malayan Malays agitating in Singapore after merger in 1963, "I discovered more differences between Malayan Malays and the Singapore Malays. The Singapore Malays accepted me as a fellow citizen, sharing the country with them, the Malayan Malays did not."He said when Singapore became independent in 1965, he made a firm commitment not to let the Malay community down. That commitment, according to Kuan Yew, was shared by all his colleagues of the republic's original team (Cabinet)."It has been our policy ever since. When we had to rebuild the city, we made sure that as the suraus were demolished, new mosques were built in the new towns, better and bigger. We made sure that our Malays are free to practice their customs and religion. We made sure that there was as much intermingling as possible with the other races in housing, schools, markets shopping centres and community centres. We have made progress."He admitted that there were difficulties when old Malay settlements had to be demolished and people re-housed. But after the initial years, Malays were reassured that life in the new housing estates was better than in the old settlements.Social attitudes and values of the people, including the Malays, have changed, both in Singapore and in Malaysia, but in different ways, said Kuan Yew."This is because the two countries have different education systems and different social structures that have made for different social relations between the races."With such differences, 'multiple differences' cannot be avoided if and when Singaporeans decided to invest and to settle down in IDR.
My Comment
what was said by manaboleh(a commentator) is true. No matter what LKY say he is, as far as I am concern, a chauvinist chinese. He hoodwink a lot of Malays leader and he even have the audacity to declare the Bahasa Kebangsaan Singapore is Malay. Before SBC the acronym use were RTS, a malay acronym, the motto in their National Creat is still malay tho' Majulah Singapura'. Yet the official Language is English and Mandarin and not Bahasa Kebangsaan(National Language), at least during his time he can still read Jawi, yes LKY at one time could read Jawi and speak Malay well but now Chinese are encourage to learn English and Mandarin. The marginalisation of the malays are real pls read the book written by the grandaughter of the President Yusof Ishak who wrote her thesis in Australia, pls get the book. The Malays in Singapore are even not allowed to hold weapon in the army and this was even explain by the Minister at their parliament.As far as I know there is no higher rank malay who is a General in the army maybe a colonel even than in the areas not regarded as sensetive ie that weaponary are not under his control. No Police of the rank of Assistant Commisioner and above are hold by Malays, they can rant meritocracy but here in Malaysia at least there is a Commisioner of Police who are Chinese although the chinese make up a small percentage of the security forces.Here is an article with comment made by Lee Kuan Yew, A question of loyalty:
the Malays in Singapore
NEARLY 13 years ago, then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew triggered a debate about Malay loyalty with televised comments he made before a university audience (December 1986). Lee stated that the government had taken two opinion polls prior to and following the visit of Israeli President Chiam Herzog (November 1986) to the republic.
The poll found that the number of Malay respondents who were not against the visit fell sharply from one poll to the next, while the proportion of non-Malays who did not oppose the visit rose marginally.
Lee interpreted this to mean that "in certain circumstances, the Malay Singaporeans react with the emphasis on Malay/Muslim rather than Singaporean.
An article in the Far Eastern Economic Review Asia 1998 Yearbook (pg 222f) says, "To Lee this came down to a question of loyalty : "Are we sure that in a moment of crisis, when the heat is on, we are all together heart to heart? I hope so. But we ought to have a fallback position and quickly fill up all the missing hearts if some go missing."
The same article says, "In February 1987, Lee's son commented further on the status of the Malays in an open forum on why Malays do not hold sensitive positions in the armed forces. Explaining that there are no Malay fighter pilots, for example, because their religion might conflict with their duty to Singapore, he provoked a backlash of criticism from the Muslim community in addition to Singapore's Muslim neighbours."
The article goes on to say, "these statements represented some of the most frank public commentaries ever made by Singapore's political leaders on the role of the Malays, which continues to stir emotions among the Malay community."
As recently as September 18, Mr Lee, speaking at a Singapore 21 forum said, the reality is that while Singapore has made progress in integrating the different races, certain emotional bonds are instinctive and cannot be removed overnight. (Straits Times September 19, 1999)
Asked by a polytechnic student if Singapore could overcome this and become a nation, Mr Lee said: "Yes, I think so, over a long period of time and selectively. We must not make an error.
"If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine gun unit, that's a very tricky business.
"We've got to know his background. I'm saying these things because they are real, and if I didn't think that, and I think even if today the Prime Minister doesn't think carefully about this, we could have a tragedy."
"So, these are problems which, as poly students, you're colour-blind to, but when you face life in reality, it's a different proposition."
Reports in the Singapore media this year refuting Indonesian Presidents Habibie's remarks in February that Singapore was racist because Malays could not become military officers only stated that there are Malay officers in the armed forces.
The reports made no reference to the documented remarks (above) of the two Lees regarding Malay loyalty.
The reports also did not state:
1. if Malays hold sensitive positions in the armed forces;
2. if any Malay officers in the Singapore air force are fighter pilots; and
3. if the Lees have changed their expressed position regarding loyalty of the Malays.
While meritocracy is still maintained in the island and the Singapore armed forces appoints and promotes Malays, there is no evidence that Malay Singaporeans hold sensitive positions in the Singapore armed forces.
this is from wikipedia [edit] Status of Malays in Singapore
Malays in Singapore are generally of mixed descent, but are recognised as indigenous people of Singapore by the Singapore Constitution, Part XIII, General Provisions, Minorities and special position of Malays, section 152:
The Government shall exercise its functions in such manner as to recognise the special position of the Malays, who are the indigenous people of Singapore, and accordingly it shall be the responsibility of the Government to protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote their political, educational, religious, economic, social and cultural interests and the Malay language.
Even Ahmad Ibrahim a solicitor General of singapore and a renown Malay intelectual has to leave and migrate to Malaysia
By the way the only time the singapore Chinese speak Malay is when they sing the National Athem which is up to now in Malay another comment you can find
Marginalized across the Causeway
What it is to the Malays in Singapore.
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I refer to Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's recent statement regarding Singapore Malays.
It is reassuring to note the supposedly tremendous strides, backed by statistics, made by the Malays in the tiny Island state. The figures shown were from 1990, about the time Goh became Prime Minister. It seems Singapore Malays have much to thank him for.
In this case, however, facts and figures need to be analyzed, explained and put into broader perspective, to give them a human face, if you like. Without them, statistics tend to be equivocal. Further, other relevant matters were missing. Perhaps, in the circumstances, Goh did not have the time or conveniently refuse to elaborate.
For instance, it was stated that last year 23 percent of Singapore Malay workers held administrative, managerial, professional, technical and related jobs, while the figure for Malaysian Malays was 16 percent in 1998.
I am not sure if Goh was referring to the private sector in both countries. In the public sector, the percentage in Malaysia is definitely more than 16 percent, perhaps even more than 60 percent. I should know, I was a government officer for 20 years.
If I am right, perhaps Goh or anyone else could tell us the percentage of Singapore Malays at the higher level, in the public sector, including those in the armed forces, the police and diplomatic service. I wonder how many Malays there are in the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Oh yes, he has conspicuously or purposely left out the statistics or percentage of Malays in the security forces and the police, (excluding airport and harbor board police). Not many perhaps. Maybe they are not qualified, in spite of, "one out of four Singapore Malay workers possessed upper secondary or higher qualifications last year".
I am not clear when he said, "The percentage entering university has increased by almost 1.5 times from 2.9 percent to 4.2 percent. The total number of Malay university graduates has increased by more than 3.5 times".
Does the percentage relate to total university intake or total Malay population of about 400,000? If the former, it is not a big deal. Out of 100 students taken into university, only about four are Malays. If the latter, namely 16 students, it is still not worth mentioning. It merely tallies with the total Singapore Malay population of about 15 percent.
Even if the facts and figures were given in proper perspective, just what is the definition of a "Malay" in Singapore?
I have met Singaporeans who are similar to but not quite Malay, with Christian names and who could not speak a word of Malay. Instead they spoke pidgin English, which made me think at first they were from the Philippines. Just what is this idea of the Malay hybrid culture in Singapore? This is worse than being marginalized.
We in Malaysia associate Malays with Islam and the Malay language, the lingua franca of the Malay Archipelago. I can accept a Malay who is Christian. There are many of them in Indonesia. They speak Bahasa Indonesia, which is Malay based. But a Malay Christian who cannot speak Malay but only pidgin English is quite another matter. They simply unnerve me.
By commission or omission, the Singapore authority appears to be encouraging the creation of this cross-Frankenstein race. Are we then to understand the statistics quoted by Goh to include this type of adherents, who are considered Malays for statistical purposes and perhaps quite accommodating to the powers that be?
I believe this is the unkindest cut of all. It destroys the essence of the Malay identity, balance and harmony. Most likely, this is the spectre that is haunting the Malays in Malaysia.
Imagine, in Singapore where the Utusan Melayu was founded, the Asas 50 inaugurated and the land of the Babas and Nyonyas, Malay is no longer spoken even by the Malays. What a mockery. And for heavens sake, please speak and write proper English, not some pidgin roadside sing-song.
During the British colonial era, religion or specifically Islam was left to the Islamic authority. Marriages between Muslims and subsequent registration were carried out by the then religious department.
In Islam, the akad, that is, the offer and acceptance, duly witnessed and conducted by a religious official is vital. Without it there is no marriage. The registration is secondary.
Currently, in Singapore, what matters is the civil registration which accords recognition to the marriage. The akad need not necessarily follow the registration. Hence, there are many Muslims who are not married in the eyes of Islam living together and having children. Marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims too are quite liberal. If that is not marginalization of the Malays, I don't know what is.
Indeed, some time ago the Malays in Singapore and, perhaps indirectly, the Malays in Malaysia were the butt of silly jokes on the Internet. By the time the Singapore authorities stopped them, the harm was done. It merely goes to reflect the deep, dark, in-built, psyche of Singaporeans against the Malays in general.
Thus, when Prime Minister Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad clobbered CLOB with a maestro's touch, a Singaporean questioned whether this was an IQ problem on the part of Malaysia. It was an IQ problem, the Singaporean IQ, obviously.
There is a lesson in all this for the Malays in Malaysia, if not those in Singapore. Weakness, either in numbers, economy, politics or plain disunity will be thoroughly and meticulously exploited by our enemies, and our friends. That is the order of life, the rule anywhere, at any given time in history.
The Malays are not an exception, with or without the National Development Policy. Affirmative action can only assist us along the way, not all the way. We have to play our part in the bargain, to resolve that we succeed in every endeavor undertaken. Justification is strictly by results, not merely to satisfy others, but foremost to satisfy ourselves.
Indeed in this respect we should be thankful to God for reminding us Malays once again what might or could have been if ever we become disunited and weak in spirit and resolution. God forbid.
Article contributed by: Hashim Ambia, Ampang
this is written by a enlighten Singaporean Malay
Myth: Malays Receive Free Education
One of the sore points many Singaporeans on the Internet have regarding our Malays is the notion that we are receiving "free education" from the state even through polytechnic and university.
Free education for indigenous people is a legacy brought about by the British to protect the original inhabitants of a country. It is still widely practised in other Commonwealth nations such as Australia and New Zealand where the aborigines are fully subsidised in tertiary institutions.
However the legacy for tertiary fees has been dismounted by the Government since 1991. While students coming from households earning less than $1500 a month will be put through a subsidy programme via Mendaki ( a Malay version of the Chinese CDAC and Indian SINDA), the majority of Malay students in polytechnics and universities today are there on tuition fees fully paid for by their parents. Be rest assured that your Malay countrymen are working and saving just as hard as you are to support their children's tertiary educations.
Myth: Malays Will Betray the Country for the Neighbours in War
I am not sure how this misconception came about but having served my NS stint in the Army with good buddies of all races, it is a myth that puzzles me as much as it bereaves me.
Some time in April this year, a member of the ewadah forum posted an informal poll meant to be answered by Muslim Singaporeans who served in the Army. The question was "If Singapore goes to war with Malaysia, will you shoot a fellow Malay-Muslim from the enemy side?"
Several people responded to the poll. ALL responded in the affirmative. To me, the results are hardly surprising. In Islam, fighting for one's country is one of the most exalted forms of Jihad.
History has also shown that Malays are loyal to their country and its people first. Race will only come in second. When Tunku Abdul Rahman invited Malays from Singapore over to Malaysia to enjoy the vast Bumiputra privileges during the separation, our Malays in Singapore largely remained loyal to the nation and refused to budge.
Loyalty of the Malay race to this country and its people should never come into question, ever.
Myth: Malays are a Druggie Race
Another popular misconception is that Malays are a druggie race and largely are a liability to the society.
Granted, this would have been accurate in the 80s. I make no apologies for the ignorance of these people during that era. They were an eyesore and a source of huge embarrassment for the Malay society.
But the community has made great improvements with the help of the country's leaders and evangelical activists within its own ranks. According to statistics from the CNB, Malays are no longer the No. 1 problem race when it comes to narcotics. It has been that way for the past few years.
Myth: Malays are Lazy
Historically and culturally, Malays have always had a good life. Unlike their counter parts from China and India who had to toil the soil and endure extreme climatic forces just to ensure their survival, Malays never had to endure these hardships much. Everything that you throw into the fertile soils of the Malay Peninsular, will sprout into a healthy plant within a few months. Unlike the Chinese in China, growing food was never much of a problem nor was it a matter of toiling. Leisure and quality time with the family became a very much entrenched way of life within the Malay community.
Unfortunately these civilizations came on a collision course when the Chinese started migrating into the Malay lands. When the Chinese came, they brought along their hard-working and industrious ways that has been so much a part of their life for thousands of years.
Naturally the Malays soon found themselves behind, unable to break out from the norms that their forefathers have lived over the centuries. To make things worse, the British continued to shower the indigenous Malays with various concessions, further lullabying them into an existence of complacency.
This is popularly regarded as the reason for the notion of "The Lazy Malay".
But let it be known that ever since Singapore separated from Malaysia, our Malays here have been growing up in a separate ecosystem than their Bumiputra counterparts. Having lived and breathed just like the other citizens of the land and void of special privileges, the younger generations of Malays here have developed their own variant of a Malay DNA.
Malays here have given rise to its fair share of President Scholars, PSC Scholars and other prestigious graduates. In fact, Malays in Singapore have held the record for being the most academically improved when compared to other races at various educational levels including the polytechnics and universities. Our youngsters are hungry for success and chasing the Singapore Dream, just like the other youths of Singapore.
On the economic front, we have also produced our fair share of millionaires. Salleh Marican , the owner of listed company Second Chance Holdings and Datuk Zain the owner of Prestige Marine Services are just two figures in the Malays society who have made headlines recently and done the country proud. Several other millionaires could be mentioned but it would take too much space in a short article such as this.
Laziness is an attribute that exists in every race and creed. It is unfair to label Malays as still being lazy just because you keep seeing the same group of Malays hanging out at the void deck. I am sure someone somewhere can point you the way to a group of youth from other races who are wasting time in a similar manner.
this is the name of the book you need to find Lily Zubaidah Rahim, The Singapore Dilemma. This is written by a chinese Singaporean read it please Is there racial discrimination in Singapore? A personal opinion
Reading the doctoral thesis of Lily Zubaidah Rahim, The Singapore Dilemma, has made me think about the issue of racial discrimination.. The conspicuous absence of this book from the shelves of Singapore bookstores is yet another sad example of the practice of self-censorship among people running bookstores in Singapore. Our NUS Central Library is even cuter, the book is available only in the Singapore-Malaysia Collection and the 'Closed Stacks'! Imagine, a book that was published in 1998 ending up in the Closed Stacks; what was that common NUS joke again about girls in their first year being like RBR books, girls in their second year being in the Main Shelves, and finally in the Closed Stacks when they are in their third year J? But again, we are talking about NUS, where its bookstore played a mini hide and seek with James Gomez's book on self-censorship, best described here.
There were many important points raised in this book, that perhaps made the distributors uneasy. For example, the public housing scheme that the PAP is so proud of, has the effect of splintering the Malay community into housing estates throughout Singapore. Ethnic residential quotas in HDB blocks were also introduced in 1989, in the pretext of preventing the emergence of ethnic enclaves that might harm racial harmony.
All these measures undertaken ensure that the Malays in Singapore, no matter how dissatisfied, can never gather enough electoral support to push for their agenda. This is the classic 'divide and conquer' strategy. With such a strategy, Malay interests would now be primarily articulated and represented within parameters determined by the PAP government and its Malay MPs (pp. 72-76). It also ensures that the government can afford to continue its minimalist approach to the Malay community without suffering any electoral backlash.
In choosing that title for her thesis, I suspected that Lily is trying to relate her study to the book by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir, The Malay Dilemma. I believe the important conclusion from the latter book is that the Malays are constrained by their culture, to be less inclined towards competition and more inclined towards a sedate lifestyle. Thus, Mahathir believes he has to practice favourable treatment towards them to protect the native Malays, which he call the 'bumiputras' from being driven out by the other races. Lily regarded this analysis as the 'cultural deficit' model, and she clearly feels that it needed to be reappraised for Singapore (p. 248).
The discussions on racism in Singapore ( A Singapore Chinese view)
Discussing the issue of racism in Singapore is particularly sensitive, with signals coming for the PAP that it is one of those 'out of bound' markers of Singapore discourse, a fact that Lily herself acknowledged (p. 8). If you ask a Chinese about the subject, he or she will probably reply that there is no racism in Singapore. It was particularly enlightening for me to hear from Dr Lee Tsao Yuan, sharing in Parliament during her time as an NMP, on the issue of the Singapore Heartbeat. Dr Lee said that she could have stayed in Canada permanently but she chooses to come back to Singapore since it is only in Singapore that she feels treated as an equal.
In all these rhetoric, it is ironic when I have yet to see any Malay proclaiming the same. I was thinking, "what does a Chinese knows about racial discrimination in Singapore?" When Fandi Ahmad announced that he may be emigrating to South Africa with his wife, because he is worried that his son may not be able to cope in Singapore, many Singaporeans, all Chinese I remember, were quick to criticize his decision for being an ingrate. A discussion in the newsgroup, soc.culture.singapore, in 1998, had an Indian sharing about how his Chinese wife and him has decided to emigrate to Australia because his wife, for the first time, realized the racial discrimination in Singapore.
It is insightful that, before they got married, he had warned the wife that there will be such discrimination but his wife did not believed it to be true. After she was the victim of it, facing snide remarks from her fellow Chinese ladies, about having 'contaminated herself', when she fetch her mixed son from school, she decided to leave Singapore. When other netters responded that Australia is also well known for discrimination, the Indian replied quite sternly that, although there are, it is nothing compared to Singapore.
Thus, I have learned to read Singaporeans' proclamations of Singapore, either being a country free of racism unlike other countries, or being a country where you have 'the freedom to walk tall with head held high regardless of the colour of my skin' with a pinch of salt. Whenever I hear or read of such proclamations, I would first check the person's identity. Up till this present moment, my results shows that every such person would be a Chinese Singaporean. It just shows how ignorant we Chinese are about racial discrimination in Singapore.
I would state my own observation that, while it may be true that there are racial discrimination in the US, at least they are aware of it and are still trying to decide the best way to resolve it. Here in Singapore, we are discouraged from even mentioning this issue under the constant threat of having racial riots breaking out the moment we attempt to.
Interestingly, the PAP government, in the period between 1959 to 1964, fought hard to be part of the Malaysian federation with the well-known slogan 'Malaysian Malaysia'. This slogan, I believe, is trying to defuse racial tensions by stating that only Malaysians matter; whether they are Chinese or Malays should not be an issue of contentment. After we were expelled from the Malaysian Federation despite all these efforts, there was never an equivalent promotion of a 'Singaporean Singapore' after that, which to me, is a significant difference that might shed light into the marginality of the Malays in Singapore. In contrast, Singapore has all these social institutions like the SAP schools, the setting up of self-help groups among races such as CDAC and the Medakai, and the focus on Confucianism that seems to reinforce the differences between the races.
My conclusion
Yes, I agree unequivocally that there is racism in Singapore. I first realized this explicitly in 1998 when I participated in my church walkathon. I remember the week before that event, my pastor announced to us that he has warned the MRT staff that there will be a huge crowd of people arriving at Marina Bay MRT station in the morning of the event. I was among the crowd of people who had to move at a snail's pace from the train exit to the booths in order to leave the station. As I was edging towards the ticket booths, I notice many MRT staff, a few with loud-hailers, giving directions on which way we should proceed.
It then suddenly hit me, what a contrast their attitude was towards us, compared to the Indian workers at Bugis MRT station on Sundays! The MRT staff were smiling at us, making conversations and so on and so forth. If you visit Bugis station on Sundays, you will see that many Indians spend their day off in the popular haunt, Serangoon Road. There would be some mobile railings segregating them from the rest of us, and the way the MRT staff shout at them or the expression in their faces, I was surprised to see that they were smiling at us now.
Actually, it is quite obvious why there is a different treatment towards us. The MRT staff identify with us, almost all of us being Chinese. Even among some of my university friends, I heard many racists complains about the smell coming out of the Indians. I guess that walkathon was to me what Damascus was to Paul, my scales were finally removed from my eyes. I begin to take note on other puzzles, such as the numerous Malay staff manning the counter in the NUS Central Library. Lily's thesis is thus an important contribution in my understanding to this subject, and I hope to also make a contribution in this area.
I hope this is enough so please my dear readers if you think LKY he is good to me, he is as bad as the UMNO leaders! whom you hate!
For the full text and comments by other readers you can go here http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/index.php?itemid=4888
posted by wan zaharizan b wan zan at 2:38 AM
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