A lot of readers have responded to an article in The Malaysian Insider titled ‘Dr M: Non-Malays too have special rights‘ (14 March 2013). The comments by TMI readers reproduced (copypasted) below:
PandaiTapiBodoh: “For your info, the Chinese, Indians and other races long to have one identity i.e a truly Malaysian identity or Bangsa Malaysia without any discrmination but the people governing this country just do NOT wish to share the same dream. And that includes you.”
malaysianciti: “I do not want to be called a Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian, Malay Malaysian or ‘Lain Lain’ Malaysian. I just want to be called Malaysian.”
victorUN: “[…] Mahathir, I was born and bred in Malaysia and I always want to be identified as a Malaysian.”
Unowiseman: “We are Malaysians not Chinese Malaysian or Indian Malaysian. […]”
1Identiti: Malaysian Malaysia
Other commenters echo si Pandai-Bodoh’s sentiments on Bangsa Malaysia.
cleo2518: “That Tun is an outdated thing. My great grand parents may want to be known as Malaysian Chinese or Malaysian Indian. This is a double edged sword. On one hand it is perceived as preserving our heritage. On the other hand it allows the ruling govt to discriminate against us. The Malaysian born after independence only knows they are Malaysian.”
Laksaman: “[…] Our Chinese and Indian regarded themselves as Malaysian Chinese or Malaysian Indian Unlike our DPM, these Non-Malay put their nationality first before their own racial background.”
These TMI readers were responding to Dr M’s remarks made recently at a University Malaya forum where the ex-premier was quoted to have said, “In other countries there is assimilation but here we are happy with integration. There is even little integration now.”
“Young Guns”: As the first installment of its series on political Young Bloods, Malaysiakini.TV speak to Hannah Yeoh — below, discussing “dealing with civil servants”
Look out for SwitchUp.TV’s interview on Anak Bangsa Malaysia coming up next. (SwitchUp.TV belongs to the Star Media Group).
It is all Umno’s fault
The TMI readers pinpoint Dr M and Umno for causing the country’s racial polarization.
(Note: While I’m not absolving Dr M or Umno from blame, I do not see any of the Firsters ever looking in the mirror. To them, the fault is solely to be laid at the Malay government’s door.)
freemalaysia69: “‘The different races are not coming together.’ Didn’t u ask yourself why? Dr.M the reason is you and your brand of umno baru. only non racial parties can integrate the races in Malaysia”
change28: “Dear Mahathir, so why do all government forms have an entry for race? If the UMNO Govt does not insist on differentiating by race, then all Malaysians will be exactly that, Malaysians! It is only UMNO Baru that insists on differentiating Malaysians by race! […]”
Olahlah: “Why didn’t you create a Malaysian race? Your discrimination base on race and religion had earned you the Bapa of Racism. […]”
Racist, racist, racist!
SernLee: “So apparently according to TDM, there is Malay Malaysian, Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian and ‘Lain-lain’ Malaysian. What a joke!”
M4M: “[…] I believe this classifications are deliberate for political purposes. They are there to prevent the nation from uniting as one so that the government can play 1 race against the other. It is racist and should be abolished. Period.”
Are they all Christians at TMI?
freeasian: “We are all Malaysians. It is UMNO that wants to make us all Malay Malaysians, Chinese Malaysians, Indian Malaysians, etc., yet Najib speaks of 1Malaysia when his own parties wants to split that up. Dr M, as usual, is twisting the facts to suit his argument. Most people mellow with age – Dr M becomes more evil with age.”
The TMI reader ‘freeasian’ says that “Dr M becomes more evil with age”. I think he is a Christian. It is in the Christian vocabulary to evoke Good vs Evil, Light vs Darkness, Righteousness, etc, etc
I think the TMI reader who calls himself ‘masterbonker’ (comment reproduced below) is another Christian too as he says ‘Amen’. But he’s an integrated Christian since he calls God as Allah.
masterbonker: “I pray that mahathir will live to be 100 and see all the evil that he had created slowly dismantled and replaced with goodness. May Allah forgive this evil man. Amen.”
Abolish Race classification
Firsters all speak 1English, ya
The commenters also disagree with Dr M’s view that vernacular education in the mother tongue is a privilege.
andyfst: “I wonder which country doesn’t allow to speak mother tongue language and practice their own religion. In Malaysia is a special rights? Such statement made by Mahathir doesn’t make sense at all.”
garyron: “i find his suggestion comical. is he suggesting we all give up our language and all speak english instead”
Who is grammatically correct?
TMI reader ‘garyron’ is under the belief that Dr M has suggested Malaysians give up our native languages and we all “speak English instead”.
‘Garyron’ is mistaken.
Going by the Bangsa Malaysia’s own concept of Malaysian Malaysia – and if we were to all give up our mother tongues – then the argument would be that Malaysians speak the national language (which is not English, just in case ‘garyron’ is unaware).
In our neighbouring countries, the 1Language is Thai in Thailand and Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesia.
Malaysian Chinese or Chinese Malaysian?
The TMI readers took issue with Dr M for referring to them as “Chinese Malaysian or Indian Malaysian”. They argue instead that they are “Malaysian Chinese or Malaysian Indian”.
They quarreled with Dr M for describing them as Malaysian second (i.e. in employing the term “Chinese Malaysian”, the word Malaysian comes second) because they believe he still does not accept them as true Malaysians.
A quick look at grammar:
(1) “Green apple”. The main word is apple, and the adjectives ‘green’ or ‘red’ (red apple) additionally describe the fruit.
(2) “Apple green” on the other hand describes the colour. What kind of green colour? A green like an apple. Or it can be a green like a leaf or green like a chameleon (the colour of Wong Tack) or green like a grass snake.
First is last
In English, the important word comes at the back, like in “green apple” where we’re talking mainly about the apple.
Therefore if you want to talk about Malaysian first/mainly, then the important word should be put at the back — Chinese Malaysian.
If you want to talk about Chinese first/mainly, then the ‘C’ word should be at the back — Malaysian Chinese.
Therefore, in terms of English grammar usage, Dr Mahathir was talking about Malaysian(s) whereas the TMI readers were talking about Chinese and Indians.
Helen Ang 
NO ONE TALK ABOUT DONG ZONG AND IT’S STRONG SUPPORTER IN DAP.
DON’T PRETEND………ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS !
Actually all the Chinese parties – not just DAP but MCA and Gerakan – support Dong Zong. Tapi ianya MCA yang buat kerja untuk sekolah Cina.
DAP talk only. If the 1Sekolah people really want to abolish Chinese schools, then killing off the MCA and putting DAP in power will result in the erosion of the Chinese school system and the promotion of Jerusubang evangelism.
I doubt the Chinese nowadays even care about Chinese education. with all this perpetual hysteria and compulsive euphoria going on, with the Malaysian First Voodoo Witches hook winking the Chinese community, if the Deranged Anglophile Party says “in the spirit of Malaysian First, we must convert Chinese schools into M First Schools”, the Chinese will agree to it without hesitation.
CHINESE FIRST….MALAYSIA LAST….
WE TALK ABOUT NATIONAL SCHOOLS, YET CHINESE SCHOOLS STILL MUSHROOMING…….ANY TAKERS
There is nothing wrong with Chinese schools like how the government funds the Islamic school and the madrasahs.
This is Malaysia, we are Malaysians who can be Muslim, Chinese and Indians living without losing their identity. This is not political driven agenda but the ability to respect each other for their own beliefs and that is why Malaysia or Malaysian is unique. Take a side for what is humane not what is politically expedient.
Firstly we must get to the bottom of the problem. Citizenships by Tunku to the chinese and Indians labourers were wrong and misplaced kindness. The Chinese never wanted to stay in Malaya. They were workers toiling in tin mines. The Indians still go back every month to Mumbai, Karachi etc even today as we write.
They were paid for their labours by the British plantation owners just like today Bangla or Indon or Myanmar all contract workers.
Granting citizenship means these foreign cultures will endanger the natives Malays as event todays are proving. Even in england the English were angry when Pakistanis were given citizenship as this means they are eligible for welfare and voting. Thus they limited migrations from uganda. Malaysia should do the same. These chinese and indians want to be british citizens and they should be taken in by britain.
The situation on Malay culture and language was made worse when Tamils were mistakenly taken as UMNO Presidents and members. They abolish malays from sains dan matematik because their mother tounge is Tamil. Anwar father speak Tamil as does Mahathir.
But the situation can still be salvage with vernacular schools promoting chinese culture and mandarin. Thus with China prosperity the Chinese can be encourage to go back to their motherland and rich history. Initial rejection by China motherland can be lessened if vernacular teach humility and sharing like communist china instead of vulture capitalism.
Love for India the motherland too and race must be inculcated so they are not ashamed to put Indian in the race box like Mahathir or Muniandy.
Helen…
Bangsa Malaysia is a Malaysian of Chinese, Indian, Sikh, Portugese and even Malay and many more ethnics.
I see that by the DAP political ideologist there are many people wish to singular Bangsa Malaysia into one and fakingly trying to ignore their roots that colours Bangsa Malaysia all this while.
Everybody seems to talk about hating racism but while they are arguing, debating and even accusing a certain party to be racism, they already indulged racism in their very own self.
Oh yes…looks to me that all those people who agree with Hannah Yeoh or the Dapsters strategy already forgot what’s happening around us.
Let’s say that Malaysian Chinese wants their kids to be identified as ‘Anak Malaysia’ just as Hannah Yeoh wanted. In reality, that is all. But are they patriotic enough? Will the Malaysian Chinese dare to tell their kids…..to join the Army and die just like in Lahad Datu?
Or, will a Malaysian Chinese businessman open up his/her door to equally employ Malay and Indian staff without priority given to their own race? And will Bahasa Mandarin requirement be put aside in their advertisement?
To me, I live in reality that Malaysian be it being advertised as Bangsa Malaysia or 1 Malaysia or Malaysian Malaysia, no one can argue that our roots are already racists by our own behavioural patterns and not by simply adjusting in identity card or birth cert.
regards
alwieabdullah, well said fellow Malaysian. You nailed it as we need to overcome racial bullshit when when it is humane enough for us to accept it based on our evolvement as a nation with a heterogeneous history. It does not matter whether it is a Malay, Chinese or and Indian cause but what is humane.
Mahathir is charlatan who was most probably propped up by those very people who now claim their Bangsa Malaysia pedigree.
Mahathir is Kurtz to our Willard (and to paraphrase the narrator of Apocalypse Now) “There is no way to tell his story without telling my own. And if his story really is a confession, then so is mine.”
If this is a post about the hypocrisy of the Firsters then so be it but ultimately this man will be judged for what he did to the Malay community more than any others here in Malaysia.
This to me (a heretical Christian) is his greatest sin.
Mahathir was right that that in Malaysia there no inters in assimilation the effort toward integration is much more of evidence since the start of life. Mlaysian goes to different ways of life at a very early age ,they go to different tadika ,then goes to different school ,the Mlay gores to sekolah kebangsaan ,the Chinese goes to SRJK Cina and The Indian goes to SRJK Tamil.
How could ones could be assimilated with each other in later part of life ,unlike other nations assimilation start early in life because they have one school system and they fluent in national language.
Malay children are sent to Tadika Islam.
Both sides are encouraging the segregation.
apa kaitan/masalah dgn belajar agama? lagipun berapa kerat sahaja yg masuk sekolah agama berbanding sekolah vernakular. bukannya yang masuk sekolah agama itu tidak boleh berbahasa Malaysia. Muallaf pun boleh masuk belajar apa?
Persoalan yang ditimbulkan adalah pengasingan kanak-kanak dari awal bangku sekolah lagi, yakni tidak duduk sebumbung — yang Cina/India belajar di SRJK (C),(T) dan yang Melayu di SJK.
Maka saya pun menyebut bahawa ibubapa Melayu juga meletakkan anak-anak mereka dalam sistem persekolahan yang di luar arus perdana.
Seseorang budak yang diasuh di sekolah agama tidak akan mempunyai peluang untuk bercampur-gaul dengan rakan sebaya yang beragama lain. Di negara kita, yang Islam hampir kesemuanya Melayu manakala yang bukan-Islam terdiri daripada bangsa-bangsa lain.
Cakap Bahasa Malaysia (Melayu) pun lidah kelu ada hati nak mengaku bangsa Malaysia? Tak malu ke?
sras, nak malu apa, when their idea of bangsa Malaysia is the über urban, bourgeois, latte-drinking, crowd in their Jimmy Choos and clasping LV bags driving their whatever European wheels that are currently in fashion, fighting over their version of democracy, freedom of speech and whatever human rights issue currently trending, totally oblivious to the daily pursuits of the regular Malaysians who live outside of KL and Penang.
I mean seriously what is Malaysia if not for Bangsar. Oh and Lahad Datu does not seem to register on their radar except as a political point-counterpoint. Nak cakap Melayu, you say, cakap Inggeris pun kalah native speakers.
My point is, they may want to be known as Malaysians only, but there are still a lot of non-Malays away from KL who are proud of their race identity heritage and want to be acknowledged for it.
Seriously, if anyone claim to be a Malaysian, the least is show whether you can converse in Bahasa. It is embarrassing to watch the Nepalis, Banglas, n others speak decent Bahasa pasar, yet many born n bred here, cannot talk in Bahasa. You expect to be called Malaysian ? Don’t joke la
Chinese will be chinese a leopard will never change it spots, chauvinistic to the core, everything about them are about their cause and their race.
They dont really care about the indian, malays, kadazan, iban, orang asli …for them all the other races are there only for the votes. They dont give a damm about the other races its the votes that matter.
After the elections are done you just turn a blind eye to the other races, but only to be used as propaganda piece. Please dont harp about being wanted to be called malaysian …..you chinese will never give up you basic chinese chavunist attributes.
We do not need to go into details about this, any person with a level head will be able to read the writtings on the wall.
Kalau melayu, cina , india dah tak makan nasi lagi, itu yang boleh buat Malaysia hancur. Selagi kita semua makan nasi, we are ok! hehehe…
Kalau dapat cewek melayu atau cewek cina ke atau cewek india ke, kalau cun, ke tiga2 aku bedal.
Dah letih cakap benda yang sama. Helen, tak letih2 ke Helen?
:)
When I was growing up in the 1970s, there was a movement towards national integration based on the Rukun Negara and Bahasa Malaysia initiatives – a direct repercussion of the 1969 Racial Riots. Even then the vernacular language schools remain in place as its in the social contract that one has a right to attend school in one’s mother tongue.
Along the way, both the Rukun Negara and Bahasa Malaysia initiatives lost ground and today, Malaysians are so much more segregated compared to the 70s due to the absence of a common denominator – which to me should have been the Rukun Negara and Bahasa Malaysia. In turn, this had resulted in a lack of sensitivity by some elements of society in dealings with fellow Malaysians from different ethnic as well as social backgrounds and it is not a surprise that right wing elements had emerged to champion the rights of their respective ethnic groups.
Surprisingly, these right wing elements are the ones making a lot of noises re “racial discriminations” taking place amongst the various Malaysian ethnic groups when their raison d’etre is in fact to further the interest of their own ethnic groups regardless of consequences of their action(s) on the well being of other ethnic groups. Sadly, apart from the bumiputra-based right wing groups, the groups representing the other ethnic groups tend not to use Bahasa Malaysia as their lingua franca when making their case, including when trying to prove their Malaysianess which in fact prove the opposite instead … Ironic isn’t it?
Assuming that these right wingers acknowledge the existence of Bahasa Malaysia, it is Unfortunate indeed that we still have Malaysians who are not able to fluently speak, much less write, in Bahasa Malaysia and some of them are so proud of their lack of proficiency that they wear it as if its a badge of honour rather than as a weakness.
After 55 years of independence, we are a long way from national integration. The question is – do we want a national integration? As it is, whether we realise it or not, there is already a Malaysian identity – multiethnic, multicultural, multilingual, multilanguage – and this is what sets us apart from the others. Economically, this “multi-multi” have been the reason why so many foreign investors have invested in Malaysia over the years, and hopefully, in the future as well … while conversely, “multi-multi” had allowed Malaysians to “penetrate” overseas markets etc – quite succesfully I may add …
As a Malay Bumiputra, I have accepted the fact that Malaysia is indeed a “multi-multi” society and as such, I say lets all embrace our differences and move forward accordingly – as per the Ministry of Tourism slogan – Malaysia, Truly Asia.
However, this brings us back to the topic at hand which is Bangsa Malaysia which is being “promoted” so much by certain elements of our society. To move forward, there are fundamental questions to be answered – What is a Bangsa Malaysia? What are the characteristices of a Bangsa Malaysia? How do you become a Bangsa Malaysia? Is it necessary to have a Bangsa Malaysia or can we do without?
But regardless, a Bangsa Malaysia must speak Bahasa Malaysia, no? A Bangsa Malaysia must have a common “ideology” such as the Rukun Negara, or not? If so, then those who aspire to have Bangsa Malaysia should take the first step by embracing and living the Bahasa Malaysia and Rukun Negara. If this basic steps are not acceptable, lets just dispense with the concept of Bangsa Malaysia and move forward as Malay Malaysian, Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian, Iban Malaysian, Kadazan Malaysian etc etc etc … As per the Malay saying – Tepok Dada Tanya Selera
for a racist ex-PM, Tun M has made a lot of chinese rich during his tenure.. oh, what a failed racist Tun M is!
And I find it funny that the Firsters screaming assimilation over integration: Assimilation means absorbing minorities into the ways of the majority – requiring them to adopt the majority’s language, customs and ‘values’.
Integration, by contrast, requires acceptance of a country’s laws, of human rights such as freedom of speech, and of basic democratic rights, but does not require the eradication of all cultural differences or group-identities; it is conceived of as a two-way process, through which both the majority and the minorities influence and change one another, and in which differences can be peacefully accommodated as long is there a common commitment to living together.
Don’t you think by assimilation, the identity of a certain race will be say like Indonesia? Is that what is hoped & expected by them – that Tun M erases every single shred of cultural identity, pride, heritage in the name of making the Malaysian?
It is not the government’s fault if your kids do not mix around, instead clinging to the same circle. It is you as a parent that encourages such behaviour for fear of the unknown – and you know why: because you never wholly trust the other sections of Malaysia or some of you have a twisted delusional superiority thinking that the other races are just too pedestrians.
It is also sad for me as a Melayu to see that some of the Firsters are Melayu themselves – for so long Malaysia has been a peaceful country that we took for granted the many contributions by Tun M. Don’t give me crap over Human Rights, Freedom of Speech – fuck, this is not ‘merica even in that Land of Glory that some of these firsters idolize, racism is thriving and rampant.
To be Malaysian, is to accept Malaysia with all its glory and flaws; but if you keep on criticising, the nation ain’t gonna be building by itself. If the firsters are offended why their patriotism are being questioned, they should ask themselves ‘what have I done for nation building, today?’, if comparing with other developed country is all that they can do, my advise to them would be ‘shut the fuck up.. and do your bit to earn your worth to be called Malaysian’!
OMG. Tun Dr M spitted out 1 sentence, and all they want for him to shut up and rot. Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh were there like forever, changing facts like thousands time, jilat ludah sendiri some more, and this DAPsters are okay with it? Such discrimination! Why dont they ask LKS and KS to shut up and rot first, then we can talk about this-so-called new assimilation of Malaysia etc.
At least TDM dont have any gov/political post anymore. He can say whatever he wants. Why these DAPsters so scare of him? Takde pulak TDM cakap, U ulang I saman. Scaredy-cat much?
Helen, DAP just know how to influence young generations Chinese to talk dirty and kurang ajar. They dont build youngsters to be modest. Just look at how they speak and act towards the girl in your last post. So kurang ajar. And now look how they talk toward ex-PM even though they dont like him? They are totally BS.
How do you see the MCA’s role in moderating the behaviour of the Chinese community?
Seriously, in my opinion, MCA is scared.
The Chinese in MCA is actually the minority of the Chinese in Malaysia. Well, you can guess who is the majority, right? Look at in any social media, UMNO and PR followers are actually quite balanced. Even MIC followers play their parts well to counter.
Then see MCA and DAP. It is like langit dengan bumi! See that girl being bullied. They cant even take the heat, and withdrawal the video. If she stands what she believes in, why bother of the insults? Because MCA does nothing to protect their followers. That’s why. It’s like MCA has this identity complex, they dont have the guts to protect, to motivate.
Like you pointed out before, only old people stays in MCA be it either followers or members. That’s the difference between the old MCA and new MCA.
The old MCA, they stands for whatever they believe in and that influence the people. But now they are the minority. Does minority rules? No, of course the majority would rule. So how can MCA moderate the Chinese community when they are the minority even if they are on the right side?
Are their voices heard? No. Bashing is way too easy than being modest or humble. That’s human nature. If the majority leader is like that, what would you expect of the followers? Leader borek, follower rintik la.
You could see yourself la sis. If the leader of BN is like Anwar, would you see most of the followers at least act like they are now? Do you see any followers of BN answer fitnah with dirty words unless they (PR) start first?
Even najib jawab fitnah with his performance as a PM. He performs. Anwar? U ulang, I saman!
Thanks Darlyn. I’ll post your comment later in the day.
how funny. you should read and understand the PERLEMBAGAAN.
we DO NOT intend to implement ASSIMILATION at the first place pun. read through the PERLEMBAGAAN. 1 MALAYSIA is not MALAYSIAN MALAYSIA. bukan macam indonesia. hilang identiti semua. nama semua sama, agama sahaja berbeza. we don’t want that to happen. we are unique as we are. multiracial. and respect each other.
you don’t even understand the PERLEMBAGAAN and argue?
we are different from INDONESIA OR THAILAND OR WHATNOT. don’t compare.