The race to 1Malaysia

By Shahanaaz Habib (The Star)

The Cabinet is looking into dropping the ‘race’ column in official forms and documents. While some are for it, saying it could help promote the one Malaysia concept, others are less enthusiastic.

WHAT race are you?” is a question often asked of Malaysians in the country.

And forms of all kinds, official or otherwise, almost always ask us if we are Malay, Chinese, Indian or lain-lain (others).

The fact is that most Malaysians feel very Malaysian when they are abroad – but the minute they come home, it’s back to being Malay, Chinese, Indian or lain-lain. Being Malaysian comes second.

Never mind that the country is actually a kaleidoscope of ethnic groups and that states like Sabah and Sarawak have more than 40 indigenous groups.

And what if a child is of mixed parentage – say, with one Chinese and one Indian parent! Which column does he tick when it comes to race – Chinese, Indian or lain-lain?

While many have become used to the race categorisation and are proud to be identified with their race, there is, however, a number of people who are uncomfortable with it and feel there is no need for such a distinction.

Salmiah Ishak and her husband Johan Ahmad made a conscious decision not to fill in the race category on the form when they registered the births of their two children. But the National Registration Department filled it in for them anyway.

“We didn’t want our kids to identify themselves as a particular race. Race is not important to us as much as being true to one’s self,” explains Salmiah, an urban Malay who just turned 40.

“We believe in universal values rather than confining the kids to a particular culture, beliefs and the expectations that come with it.”

But for others like Datuk Reezal Merican Naina who is the president of Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semanjung (GPMS), identification of race is important. And Reezal believes kampung folk will feel it if the requirement to declare one’s race is omitted from forms.

“What is wrong with having a race column in forms? It shows our identity,” he says, adding that it does not make sense to drop the race column in forms while the school system remains segregated into national Malay, Chinese and Tamil schools.

He feels people should appreciate that they are Malay, Chinese, Indian or whichever other ethnic group they belong to and still feel Malaysian.

“Unity should not be cosmetic. What is the point of doing something superficial or artificial when underneath it is still rotten with no common ground among us?” he argues.

Rather than piecemeal measures, he adds, he prefers forging a bond among the races from an early age and through the education system.

“One Malaysia does not mean erasing race but rather embracing our differences. Don’t try to change history and realities. We should accept facts and move forward,” he says, adding that while he is not racist, he will not be an apologist for fighting for the Malays.

While some see the Government’s proposal to drop the race identification in forms as cosmetic and not a big deal, there are others who laud it and say it is significant.

Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, for one, believes it is a good first step in the long process of nation building.

A member of the National Unity Advisory Panel, Lee points out that during his time, race relations were far better than now, where racial polarisation is pretty obvious in schools and universities.

Doing away with the requirement to state one’s race when applying for licences, permits, housing or other things, he says, would help eradicate divisiveness and racial compartmentalisation.

“It helps the Government create a conducive climate to reset as Malaysia – instead of Malay, Chinese, Indian. Since the Government is promoting a One Malaysia concept, we should do away with the race column. There is only one race – the Malaysian race,” he says, adding that 52 years after independence it is only fitting that Malaysia moves forward to mould a Bangsa Malaysia.

“We need to get young Malaysians to understand the importance of nation building.”

National service, Lee says, achieved this to some extent by creating an environment where students of different races got to interact and inter-mingle.

“But what are they going to do after they leave NS? Will they carry on from there? This is something that needs to be done for the future of the country.”

Tan Sri Simon Sipaun agrees, saying the race category is an example of how Malay­sia focuses on differences.

“If you want unity, why emphasise on differences?” he asks.

He draws a comparison between his native Sabah with peninsular Malaysia.

“In Sabah, there are 40 ethnic groups and it’s a real melting pot. My daughter is Christian but she is married to a Buddhist and it works well. But peninsular (Malay­sia) is more like a mosaic. You are together but you don’t mix and the differences are prominent.”

For some, the proposal has brought a sense of relief. Hindu Sangam retired president Datuk A. Vaithilingam points out that there has been much suspicion among non-Muslims and non-Malays when they are asked to state their race and religion, particularly in exam papers.

“It is a common exam. There is no reason to state race and religion. There is fear of some form of segregation in the marking,” he says, adding that non-Muslim parents have on a number of occasions protested vehemently against race or religion being identified in exam papers.

“Non-Muslims get very disheartened when they have to mention their race and religion. If there is no race or religion indicated, candidates will feel free and that they will get a fair selection and everyone gets considered.”

Exam papers aside, other documents and forms have the person’s name on them. And in our country, one can generally tell from the name if the person is Malay, Chinese or Indian, or from Sabah or Sarawak.

But this is not always the case because with Christian names it is hard to tell, and with religion too it might be difficult to distinguish – for example, among Muslim converts who kept their original names.

And what is to stop a non-Muslim family from giving their child a Malay name? All this could result in some amount of confusion – especially when it comes to Malay rights and privileges.

Director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies, UKM, Prof Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin advises some caution.

He points out that the race classification system affects many things and has its functions, and that the categories are useful for different reasons – like economic distribution to determine who gets what and how much.

“It is a demographic map of the country and has economic and political value. It has diverse interpretation and meaning. I don’t mind if they scrap it with good reason but they have to be very clear about the reason. Don’t do it out of pressure or fear,” he advises.

The way Dr Shamsul sees it, the system was created by the administration and it requires a lot of sensibility, sensitivity and careful thought if “you want to unmake it”.

Citing Tiger Woods as an example, he says the world’s golf champion is part-Thai, part-African, part-Chinese, part-Dutch, part-native American and while he is this whole mixture, he is American first.

“Maybe some of this has entered Malay­sian thinking. Thinking is one thing but making it a rule is different,” he says, pointing out that race category is normal and useful for statistical purposes like identifying if someone is a Caucasian, Mongo­loid, Aborigine, African, Arab and so on.

But what does dropping the race category mean for bumiputra rights? Will this see a chipping away of bumiputra privileges?

Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, principle research fellow Institute of Ethnic Studies, UKM doesn’t think so.

He believes there is no way that the Malays would lose out because they are the dominant community. Even if you remove the race category when giving out help and base it on need, the largest community helped would still be the Malays because of their sizeable numbers, he reasons.

Even so, he notes that Malays are no longer disadvantaged like they were back in 1957 and 1969. There are many Malay academics, lawyers and highly qualified professionals who have made it on their own through their hard work.

Dr Denison sees the Government’s proposal to remove “race” from government forms as a major departure from the earlier policy frameworks which tended to stereotype children at a young age as to who and how they are defined in Malay­sian society.

And it shouldn’t stop with that, he says. “If they are to be defined as a Malaysian first, the rhetoric changes but along with it, there must also be shifts in the way people are treated vis-a-vis the public sector and private sector.”

There should be no favouritism towards one community, and staff manning the front desk at the public and private sectors need to see people as citizens and not as from a particular race, he adds.

And what happens then to race-based political parties like Umno, or MCA or MIC?

Dr Denison says parties like Umno should take a more balanced approach for all communities and not be seen as propagating just one race.

“While the political rhetoric is One Malaysia, the political instrument does not foster that. So the challenge for the Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional is how to restructure their political machinery to fit the One Malaysia concept. You cannot use the old framework. The political base has shifted,” he says, adding that the Barisan tends to emerge only during elections.

He points out that Najib’s father Tun Razak created from the Alliance Party the Barisan, which became a more inclusive party during its time and moved the NEP and the Malays forward.

“So while Najib has set into motion federal policies that are inclusive, like One Malaysia and economic liberalisation, he has not made any changes to the political structure and operations. The battle pulling him behind is the political one. The sustainability of the Government’s vision is the sustainability of the political mechanism.”

Dr Denison believes Najib is sincere and as Prime Minister, he has done things the others before him have not been willing to do.

The Prime Minister is decisive, has made all the right calls, done things that have won the hearts of the people – like walking the streets to meet the people and visiting places of worship like Batu Caves – and instituted the KPI for ministries.

“As time goes on, he has to move to real substantive aspects. If not, people will discredit him. You can’t have a One Malaysia if people feel they are being separated. Short-term sloganism works but for the long term, there has to be sustainable change and inclusion where people feel and experience it.”