Are we marginalised?
The Minister Mentor of
Lately the Indians claim they are also being marginalized, which again the government, including the sole Indian cabinet minister, has denied. In fact he had taken great pains to explain the numerous achievements of his Indian community. However this allegation of marginalization is the root cause of the recent Hindraf rally that had resulted in several Indians being arrested and charged with attempted murder, only to be swiftly released on the intervention of the executive, an example of the independence of the judiciary. The leaders of Hindraf who so passionately fought for the rights of their community were accused of being terrorists and detained under the ISA for two years, a move that is unpredented.The very people who wanted to be heard were excluded from the dialogue between the Indian NGOs and the Prime Minister.
The real issue here is marginalization which keeps coming up every now and then.What is marginalization? Is it true that certain communities in the country are being marginalized?
The Oxford Dictionary defines marginalization as 1.relating to or a situation at or in a margin. 2. of minor importance. Therefore when we say a community is marginalized it means it is pushed to the periphery and given minor importance.
In accordance with this definition we can safely say marginalization is a universal practice of the majority against the minority. In a truly democratic state the minorities are protected by law against blatant abuses and discrimination against them. The ruling majority is entrusted to ensure that the minorities are really protected. The political system, the judiciary, police and armed forces are in place to ensure that the rights of the minorities are protected in accordance with the laws of the country. This is practiced more satisfactorily in most developed democratic nations of the West as compared to developing and under-developed nations.
Do we as the minority non-Malay and non-Muslim communities enjoy this protection from the government agencies?
Year in and year out delegates at the Umno General Assembly make seditious speeches and instigating remarks against the minorities. The enforcement authorities seem to close one eye against these seditious acts. All they did was to stop the proceedings being telecast live to the nation, not stop them from making such seditious statements.
Let’s analyze what is taking place in our own multiracial and multi-religious country which our leaders acclaim to be a model for other multi-ethnic nations to emulate.
At birth and school
The first act after a child is born is the registration of its birth which requires one to state the ethnicity and religion of the child. So even at birth Malaysians are categorized as Malays, Chinese, Indians or others. Why can’t we do away with just stating we are Malaysian instead of mentioning our ethnic origin? When the child goes to school, again he is repeatedly asked to state his race and religion in all registration forms.
Even stream-lining of classes is based on race. It is not uncommon to group all Malays into one class and non-Malays into others. The reason given for this is to facilitate religious instruction for Muslims and moral for non-Muslims. Religious instruction for children should be encouraged but it should be for all, regardless of religion. Moral classes, emphasizing universal values, should also be common for all, Muslims and non-Muslims, alike.
Why are Malaysians at such a tender and innocent age exposed to separate moral and value systems? Prayer sessions in schools, before important functions and examinations are held only for Muslims. The non-Muslims are left to idle away during these sessions. Isn’t this segregation of our children in schools for religious purposes amounts to discrimination?
Selection of students for posts as prefects, heads of clubs and sports are again based on race. Non-Malay students unless possess extra-ordinary skills, which not many do, are not selected to represent the school or state in these activities.
Teachers, who are predominantly Malays, these days don’t even know much about the background of their pupils of other races. Then there is different dress code for Muslims and non-Muslims which further segregate the kids even at primary level.
At university level
Entry into public universities which is based on two totally different examinations, Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia(STPM) and Matriculation, is profoundly unfair. There is widespread perception that the selection process for university entrance favors the matriculation over the STPM students. Less than 10% of the matriculation seats are offered to non-Malays.
As STPM carries less weight for entry into public universities, many of the non-Malay students, even those from poor background, are forced to shun away from this once popular local examination in favor of A-levels, which is apart from being a foreign examination is also very costly, tuition fees alone coming up to more than RM13,000.By this unfair practice, slowly but surely the non-Malays are systematically eliminated from being considered for courses in public universities.
Why can’t all races sit for the same common exam?
Every year we see numerous non-Malay students with maximum results in STPM exam being blatantly denied places in public universities for critical courses like Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Law and Engineering. Many of these students are from extremely poor financial background. Scholarships are not awarded to them based on merit as claimed. What do we expect them to do? Can we blame them if they resort to criminal activities to earn a living?
The vast majority on non-Malay students, including the brilliant ones from poor families, are forced to further their education in private institutions, with questionable credentials, at exorbitant costs, often amounting to hundreds of thousands of ringgit. Many poor parents have to mortgage their houses and properties to finance them. Highly precious EPF savings are utilized leaving the parents at the mercy of their children at the twilight of their lives.
Job opportunities
After completion of their studies job opportunities are also hardly available to non-Malay Malaysians. The posts in civil service, police, armed forces and even government linked companies(GLC) are “reserved” for bumiputras leaving the private sector highly competitive for the non-bumiputras.Forty percent of the population are given less the 10% of jobs in the government sector. If this isn’t discrimination what is it?
For those few, who are lucky to be employed in these services, promotions by real merit are difficult to come by. Heads of departments, state directors of the various departments, director generals, state secretaries and chief secretaries of ministries are all for bumiputras.
Religious segregation
During the sixties and seventies, school and office canteens sell food for all races. Today these canteens cater for Muslims only. Chinese and Indians are not allowed to sell their food even if halal.
In the years following independence Malaysians of all races mixed freely, playing, eating and even praying together. They celebrated all the festivals together in the true spirit of muhibbah.Today each community celebrates its own festival among its own members. In fact these days our Muslim friends are reluctant to dine in the homes of non Muslims.
Although
Local authorities are reluctant to approve the building of churches and temples let alone providing funds for such projects. There is blatant disrespect for non-Muslim faiths. Civil laws are being replaced by Syariah laws that are slowly becoming the supreme law of the land. There seems to be 2 sets of laws in the country, Syariah for Muslims and civil for non-Muslims.
Inter-faith problems are sensationalized and dialogues to solve them are denied. The non-Muslims are denied recourse to their problems that involve Muslims.
Conclusion
Don’t all these considerations amount to marginalization of the non-bumiputra minorities? If not then what are they?
Lee Kuan Yew said the Chinese are marginalized in
We claim that
We have all the great religions in our country, Islam, Christianity, Hinduisms and Buddhism. All of them are unanimous in their teachings - to share what you have, however scanty it may be, with those who are less fortunate regardless of race or creed.
Until and unless we get rid of our selfishness in accordance of our religious teachings, we will never be a model nation for the world.
Dr.Chris Anthony
11 comments:
well said dr chris especially on the education part ...
cheers ...
///Lee Kuan Yew said the Chinese are marginalized in Malaysia and in return the Malaysian government claims that the Malays in Singapore are marginalized. ///
Whatever marginalization means, one would accept that the government in Malaysia have laws and regulations which discriminate against non-Malays. So, if marginalization means actions institutionalized to make the minority suffer, it would be true in Malaysia, but not true in Singapore.
Malaysian government always equates NEP, or its institutionalized discriminatory practices to affirmation actions of the developed countries. Foreign countries that practice affirmation actions remove discriminatory practices against the minority. In Malaysia, the government introduces discriminatory practices against the minority groups, and extending its discriminatory coverage over the years. NEP started in 1971, but discount to bumiputras for housing units were introduced much later, in the 1990s after the government has perfected utilizing the ‘boiling frog syndrome’ on the non-Malays. Quota system for admission to universities is now replaced by the BN-type meritocracy. It claims that the standard of matriculation results which are based on a 12-month course, and on examinations conducted internally by the colleges concerned, is equivalent with STPM, a public examination based on 18-month course. To ensure a proportionately larger number of Malays are admitted into the universities, it restricted non-Malays to 10% of matriculation places, with 90% reserved for Malays. Hence 90 % or more of non-Malays students had to get through STPM. As expected A’s are easier to come by for Malays doing an internal examination as they are equally intelligent and industrious as non-Malays, there would be relatively lesser A’s among the STPM candidates taking a public examinations. Further, when there are insufficient places to absorb all the A's of different standards, subjective means such as non-academic qualities including interviews are utilized to exclude what was previously denied through quota system.
Only the deaf and blind would believe that marginalization of non-Malays had died in Malaysia.
The things that these UMNO do to other "anak2 Malaysia" is so sinful that this can't be Islam. Islam teaches to be tolerant, respectful, benevolent, courteous,filial, piety and humble. Just look at our Ministers, especially those from UMNO. Does any of the above, can be used to describe any one of them? If NOT, how can they be muslims? If they still insist that they are muslims, what form of muslims can they be. Many muslims may ask that too.
Vote the government out!
thank god when it comes to my school canteen, there were vendors of all races.
Viva St. Michael's Institution!
It is sad those non-UMNOputra leaders in the government who ought be defending the non-bumiputera rights have been too busy enriching themselves and their cronies instead. Which is why they will deny non-Malays are been marginalised. But your article has so well documented those issues close to the heart of most non-Malays, I challenge any one who denies the marginalisation of minorities in Malaysia to retort them.
Well, you may not believe it. Marginalization is not only being practised by one race or religion to another. It is also being practised by one to the same race but of course, he who does that is in the power. In our area, the non-Bumi BN YB looks after his constituency well; gives grants, provides facilities and so on. And it is always reported in the local papers how he cares for the people. It is true, he takes care of his constituency. But what you do not know is that he only looks after the part of the constituency dominated by the other race. Not the area dominated by his own race. Why? You would ask. Well, the answer is very clear and simple. The Bumi being the majority gave him the votes he needs to be in the power.
it is nice to read dr chris your calm and humble explanation is god I would say. But how long we can be calm and tolerate. There is a limit for everything. I thing we already reach a point of no return. It is time to fight and struggle for justice and equality.
I saw this interesting comment in Malaysia-Today, just would like to share with yours..
http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54&Itemid=36
written by KopiO, December 18, 2007 | 18:47:57
Here's an idea on how to protest agains the spin-doctoring in Malaysian mainstream print media, which my friend and I came across it in a blog.
http://fast0811.blogspot.com/
Here's the translation and gist of the article:
FLASH MOB AGAINST SPIN-DOCTORING
Time: Main Concourse, Suria KLCC
Date: 1 Jan 2008 (Public Holiday)
Time: 3pm
To do:
1. Go to Suria KLCC Main Concourse on 1 Jan 2008 at 3pm.
2. Bring a copy of local newspaper; it can be The Star, NST, Metro, Malay Mail, Utusan Melayu, Berita Harian, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Nanyang Siang Pow, or any Tamil dailies.
3. At 3.30pm sharp, crumple the newspapers and throw them inside the rubbish bins.
4. Disperse IMMEDIATELY
NOTE:
DO NOT LITTER. If the rubbish bins are full, stack your newspapers on top of the pile. If you can’t do that, find other rubbish bins at 1st Floor or other floors. The ultimate goal is to dumb the newspapers collectively as the sign of protest!!
-------
Imagine this: FRUs guarding the rubbish bins, uniformed and plain clothes policemen arresting people for dumbing newspapers into the rubbish bins!
Dr Chris;
Very soon Malaysian will not be able to read about truth in the news, government regulate main stream media through licensing requirement for truthful reporting,when the keris fully draw,blogger are prohibited for printing truth, they will be persecuted under national security threat if they do so.
Once you are in the Civil service its not just promotions where non-malays are marginalised, but even when it comes to postings and tranfers!...Just look at the higher percentage of Indians especially posted to East Malaysia, as teachers, doctors, dentists etc.They even end up serving there longer than the other non-malay counterparts who seem to be able to get a transfer back to west Malaysia after a shorter spell there!...Coincidence?...bullshit!
Post a Comment