Malaysia is a Malay country and have no doubts about that
In fact, the Malays had a hard time trying to convince the Chinese and Indians to join the Malays to talk to the British. And it took more than ten years before the Chinese and Indians finally agreed — and, even then, after the Malays bribed them with citizenship. So, the Malays must be proud of that and not be cowed by allegations that if you talk about or fight for Malay interests you are a racist.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Of late, the debate is centred on whether Malaysia is a Malay country or a non-Malay country. There are also some who suggest that the Indians came to Malaya first 2,500 years ago and that the Malays ‘migrated’ to Malaya much later. Then there are some who try to make it look like anyone fighting for the Malays is a racist. This is meant to make the Malays feel ashamed of talking about Malay interests.
The Malays should not feel ashamed of talking about or fighting for Malay interests and neither should they be apologetic about it. Talking about or fighting for Malay interests does not make you a racist in spite of the Chinese and Indians suggesting so. Nationalism is not wrong and is the bedrock to nation-building. If you are not proud of your race of nationality then what are you proud of?
The British created the Malayan Union in 1946 and it was the Malays who opposed it while the Chinese and Indians did not care
We must never forget that the Malays created the country now called Malaysia. Without the Malays, Malaysia would have never existed. When the British tried to ‘swallow’ the country by creating the Malayan Union in 1946, it was the Malays who rose up and came out to protest the Malayan Union plan. The Chinese and Indians did nothing.
In that same year, 1946, the Malays created a political party called Umno. The purpose of Umno was to oppose the Malayan Union. Two years later, the British abandoned the Malayan Union plan and created the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu instead.
Yes, it was because of the Malays the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu was created.
The Malays opposed the Malayan Union and the British replaced it with the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu
The Malays, through Umno, then negotiated for independence from Britain. The Umno Malays invited the Chinese, who had MCA, and the Indians, who had MIC, to join the fight for independence. But MCA was only interested in raising money for the battle going on in China between the nationalists and the communists. They were not interested in what happens to Malaya and whether Malaya gets independence or remains under British rule.
The same went for MIC. The concern of the Indians was India, not Malaya. In fact, at that time not many Indians were interested in Malayan citizenship. Their motive was to make enough money in Malaya and then go back to India. This was the same attitude of the Chinese — make money and then go home to China once you have made enough.
So, the Malays, or Umno, were all alone in their fight for independence. Finally, the Malays offered the Chinese and Indians citizenship if they join Umno to face the British. Based on the bribe of citizenship, the Chinese and Indians agreed and the Alliance party (of Umno, MCA and MIC) was formed.
Without the Malays there would be no Merdeka because the Chinese and Indians were not interested in retiring in Malaya
The difficulty the Malays or Umno faced was not in getting the British to agree to independence for Malaya. The difficulty was in getting the Chinese and Indians to support the Malays to negotiate independence for Malaya. The Chinese and Indians were not interested. They were happier under British rule. The Malays had to bribe the Chinese and Indians to get them to agree for independence for Malaya.
So, the Malays need not be ashamed or apologetic about fighting for Malay interests. In 1946 the Malays came out to protect the country. It was because of the Malays the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu was created. No one called us racists then. The Chinese and Indians did not care what happened to Malaya.
In fact, the Malays had a hard time trying to convince the Chinese and Indians to join the Malays to talk to the British. And it took more than ten years before the Chinese and Indians finally agreed — and, even then, after the Malays bribed them with citizenship. So, the Malays must be proud of that and not be cowed by allegations that if you talk about or fight for Malay interests you are a racist.
It took more than ten years before the Chinese and Indians would support Merdeka
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FOOTNOTE:
Malays (Malay: Orang Melayu, Jawi: أورڠ ملايو) are an Austronesian ethnic group that predominantly inhabit the Malay Peninsula, eastern Sumatra and coastal Borneo, as well as the smaller islands which lie between these locations — areas that are collectively known as the Malay world. These locations today are part of the modern nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, and southern Thailand.
There is considerable genetic, linguistic, cultural, and social diversity among the many Malay subgroups, mainly due to hundreds of years of immigration and assimilation of various regional ethnicity and tribes within Maritime Southeast Asia. Historically, the Malay population is descended primarily from the earlier Malayic-speaking Austronesians and Austroasiatic tribes who founded several ancient maritime trading states and kingdoms, notably Brunei, Kedah, Langkasuka, Gangga Negara, Chi Tu, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pahang, Melayu and Srivijaya.
