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Monday, August 18, 2014

Malaysia and true Malaysians – Philip A. Rozario



As we near the 57th anniversary of the formation of our relatively young country, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister of Malaysia, reminds us of the difficulties we face in building one nation. He argues that there will never be a true Malaysian. My initial reaction was to disagree with him about his baseless claim that Malaysians are not willing to change. I thought of a number of true Malaysians, dead or alive, who transcended ethnic lines in championing the rights of everyone regardless of their stripes. 
When I think of true Malaysians, I am reminded of the late Irene Fernandez. An obituary in the New York Times described her as a “champion of the oppressed”. Indeed, during her life, she did not advocate rights on the basis of ethnicity. Instead, she championed the cause of textile workers, women, migrant workers and more, regardless of their ethnicity or national origin. For her fight, she was charged and convicted for malice and even maligned for tarnishing the image of Malaysia.  Fortunately, the appeals court judge reversed the conviction.  Her life was a testament to our human need for justice and fairness for all.
Malaysians were also proud to call the late Karpal Singh one of their own. He was a fearless opposition leader who was what the Independent of the UK described as “a tireless defender of human rights activists and death row prisoners”. For speaking out for justice and truth, he was detained without trial. Indeed, not only was he a thorn in the government’s side, as an opposition member of Parliament, he was also unflinching in his defence of his clients on death row regardless of their ethnicity or national origin. His life reminded us all of the importance of rule of law and the need to stay true to one’s convictions.
Yet another Malaysian that we are proud of is Ambiga Sreenevasan. With her non-partisan coalition of grassroots organisers, she successfully organised protests in Malaysia to advocate for electoral change. The actions of her coalition, Bersih, are important in pushing for free and fair elections in Malaysia, one of many crucial components of a fledgling democracy. Despite the threats and harassment by political foot soldiers as well as questioning and arrest by the police, she remains single-minded in pushing for electoral change. Indeed, she continues to inspire a generation of Malaysians to believe that change is possible.
Still, I have to agree with Dr M that Malaysians continue “to hang on to their own” ethnic identity and cultural roots “even after 56 years of independence.” However, I do not believe that this is an innate need. Malaysians will be willing to embrace the notion of Bangsa Malaysia if we all have equal access to political and economic opportunities. Dr M cites Thailand and the Philippines as two examples where different ethnic groups have embraced a single national identity. In fact, both these countries have no official proscription regarding ethnicity and national leadership, unlike Malaysia. Well-resourced and connected Thais and Filipinos of any ethnic descent can make it to the political top. The recently deposed prime minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, is ethnically Chinese. So was the late Corazon Aquino, the 11th president of the Philippines.
If Dr M is honest and serious about getting Malaysians to embrace a single national identity, then he will need to lead by example. For one, he needs to renounce any organisations, government affiliated or not, that promote ethnic chauvinism.  Next, he needs to advocate for a constitutional amendment that will guarantee the right and possibility of any Malaysian, regardless of ethnicity, to head this country. Otherwise talk is cheap.
* Philip A. Rozario hopes we will recognise many more true Malaysians who inspire hope for a better tomorrow.
- TMI

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