Malaysia: The Bumiputera tongkat that my son does not need
The very fact that Islam condemns such segregation and insists on the unity of the people under one banner is what we may call the very reason why Malaysia should at all cost, stop practicing such segregationist, apartheid and racist policies.
Written by Kazi Mahmood, World Futures
In the limelight of the current situation, the Malay-Muslims are taking a severe bashing on Internet blogs and at times in local dailies. Muslims in the country, forming a majority of 60 percent of the 25 million populations, are getting more confused and fearful of the outcome of this bashing.
However, the 60 percent Muslims are segregated into a confusing and totally un-Islamic racist grading that not only divides the Muslims in Malaysia but put many Muslims in direct opposition to the Malay majority race. Race is a very persistent factor in Malaysia and it is getting uglier altogether.
My son, a young and prolific writer has fallen victim of the system last month. He is the third son in a family of 3 kids. My wife, a Malaysian considered a Bumiputera. She has two kids (Bumiputera's) from a first marriage with one local Malay who, classically, ran away with a younger wife to lead a new life. I came in the picture a year after her divorce was settled and married her in Mauritius, the Paradise Island in the Indian Ocean.
After much struggle with the Malaysian immigration, I am now like a ‘suami import’ or imported husband. I do not have a red IC after 18 years here and I find it fine too since I could not be bothered with a red IC or a blue IC. These are insignificant items of ‘collection’ for someone like me. Yet what is very significant to me and to my son – he just penned down a lengthy article in which he wrote about the Bumiputera thing – is the race issue.
